In all our lives, we make sales. Not only of items and of services we represent for income but also for relationships and enjoyment.  Here are suggestions on how to increase your skills at making sales and getting the enjoyment you want out of life.

Lay It Out:

            Many of us speak with people every day regarding our business and the product or service that we are represent. Many people go into these discussion haphazardly and end up either not getting everything they need done on that conversation or fail to make a connection with the person that they are talking to. Here are 3 ways to help improve the conversation from start to finish.

            First :pre-planning.

Before we get to the meeting or pick up the phone, we need to do a little research and planning. We need to sit down and review where we are with the person that we will be working with and any notes from previous times that we have worked or spoken with them. Additionally, we need to set down a plan on how we are going to speak with them and what goals we have for the meeting. This prevents us from getting to the end of the interaction and realizing that we didn’t get the information we need to progress, that we failed in the purpose of the meeting.

            Second:  Starting the conversation

This is the most important part, when we first start the conversation. This is the time that we need to give a statement of intent. We need to tell the person what the purpose of the meeting is, what we are trying to achieve in that interaction. This does a couple things for us. It puts both us and the person on the same page, creating the same template to work from during the interaction. It also shows respect for the person we are speaking with by involving them in reaching the goals that are set out. This is also the time to link this interaction to any of the other interactions that we have done with the person. This is when we say what we did last time and what we want to to in this conversation.

It also gains permission from the person to continue. This allows them to have a say in the process and invites them into the discussion as a participant rather than just an observed.

            Third:  follow through

Finally, we need to take some post interaction work. This is where we need to sit down and take complete notes on the interaction so that when we speak with the person again, we know where we are and what we will be doing for the next interaction. There is nothing worse than having an interaction with someone and finding that you already answered all the questions with them on a previous meeting that you had listed out in your pre-planning. This step is vital to keep the flow of your interactions moving forward and showing that respect to the other person.

           

These three things will make any prolonged series of interaction with someone far easier and more connected then it would have been otherwise. By keeping things organized, streamlined and personalized to each person you talk to, you increase your chances of making the sale.  Most people will say no the first time they are offered something so feel free to ask them again and again over time as they build a relationship with you and learn to trust you.   How are these strategies going to assist you in your future interactions? If you would like to learn more techniques like this one we recommend joining HERE to learn from many of the greats we learn from.  

 

~Dominic

Life’s too Short to Have Bad Days! What are YOU doing to Make Today Fantastic?