Guide to Product Sales

Editor's Notes

1. First you should define who are your potential customers. Try to be as specific as possible. Is your product meant for young people/ older ones/ anybody? Is your product more suitable for women or men? Look around yourselves and identify your customers. Depending on your product, you can sell to school or schools nearby, to your friends and families or to local community. Do not limit yourselves only to trade fare. Raising money will help your club to be sustainable and to support you with internet and equipment.
2. Once you know who your customers might be you can reach out to them. That simply means talk to them, introduce your products and try to close the deal. If your customers should be schools, talk to principals or teachers. If your customers should be your classmates, talk to your friends. If your customers should be community, meet with its leaders, different community groups or community members. You can even attend community events and make yourselves more visible. As a students you have unique and interesting position. Use that argument to help you get them engaged. Sometimes even going door-to-door approach can help you building your customer network. It might be a good start for you – try preparing some leaflets and approaching potential customers.
3. Maintaining your contacts is equally important as gaining new ones. You can never know when you might need them. Talk to community/ teachers/ other customers on the regular basis. Establish good relations with them to ensure they would buy from you again. Visit community groups and leaders as often as possible and keep in touch. Networking means creating and maintaining web of contacts. Do not forget about continuity of the clubs and training companies, either. If you are leaving school, share your network with classmates.
4. If you are able to convey knowledge about the product, and to answer questions that customers may have, then they will understand that you really care about the product. If you find the product worthwhile, they are more likely to as well.
5. As well as getting good product information to the right people, it is important to translate the product's features into benefits. This makes it easier for the customer to see why they should purchase the product. Think about things like: Will the product make the customer’s life easier? Will the product help him or solve his problem? Will the product create a sense of luxury? Is the product something that can be enjoyed by many people? Is the product something that can be used for a long time?
6. If you are selling clothes, let your customers try it. If you are selling juice, let them taste it. Let them see how great your product is. Samples, giveaways and store demonstrations are tried-and-true techniques for risk-free experimentation. If you can't afford to give your product away, offer a tempting discount or "buy one get one" deal.
7. A good salesperson believes in the product that is being sold, and transfers this enthusiasm to the customer. There are numerous ways to show your love of a product. Don’t neglect body language and tone. You will convey energy and enthusiasm if you speak clearly about a product, and show expression when discussing it. On the other hand, if you mumble when customers ask questions about a product, or cross your arms over your chest, then it will appear like you are distant and don’t care about the product. Be prepared to discuss how you use the product, or how other satisfied customers have. Specific stories about the product make it relatable to customers. For instance, if you’re selling a shampoo, you can tell a customer something like: “My hair is usually so frizzy, but ever since I’ve started using this it’s been as smooth and straight as it is right now.”
8. You want to be able to answer any questions that customers may have about a product, but even more importantly, you want to anticipate those questions. This shows that you understand customer needs. Make sure that you are able to connect emotionally with customers by addressing those needs. Here you can relate to them by using your position as students. Surely they have been students, too. Use it to make a connection. Products do not simply serve a purpose. Think about Coca-Cola company for instance. How are they connecting with a customer’s lifestyle and values? Check out their advertisements and notice.
9. This means being transparent in your delivery of product information and also admitting your own lack of knowledge or mistakes you've made. Don't be afraid of honesty; it builds trust.
10. There's no one best sales approach. Your personality and background will determine which type of sales technique is most effective for you. Even if you have a methodology that works well, it's a good idea to try a different approach now and then. Instant buddy - People feel better about buying from someone they like. Salespeople who use the Buddy approach are warm and friendly, asking questions and showing interest in their customers. They try to connect on an emotional level with each prospective customer. Guru - Salespeople who prefer a more logical and less emotional approach often set themselves the task of becoming experts in anything and everything related to their industry. They position themselves as problem-solvers, able to answer any question. Consultant - This approach combines the 'guru' and 'buddy' approaches. The salesperson who elects to use the consultant approach presents himself as an expert who has the customer's best interests in mind. Hard seller - Best described as “scare the customer into buying,” the hard sell approach is what gives salespeople a bad reputation. Hard selling involves getting someone to buy a product even though he doesn't want or need it. Methods range from bullying (“Buy this now or you'll feel stupid tomorrow”) to manipulation (“If you don't buy from me I'll lose my job”) to outright deception (“This product has a much better safety record than the competition”).
11. When talking to people be very perceptive and try to notice how they are behaving. People are different and sometimes they require different approach.
12. By analysing your sales, you will be able to see how you are performing. If you are not selling well, you might need to review your methods. Here are some tips: Change your tactics periodically. If customers hear the same sales routine over and over again, or see the same display month in and month out, your product might start to seem irrelevant. Consider deleting a product from your line if it is not selling well. Stock can be sold at discounted prices to liquidate it. Review your target market and sharpen your sales focus. Your buyers might be changing, and you will want to keep up with them, or else find a new market. Re-evaluate the product design, distribution, packaging, etc. Tweaking the product with your target market and sales strategy in mind can improve your sales. Change the price of your product. By studying your sales data and competitors’ performance, you may be able to tell if you are charging too much or too little for your product.