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Tag: business

5 tips necessary to sell any product or service

The ability to sell is a skill necessary in most organizations. From healthcare to advertising, the ability to communicate your worth or the value of your services is essential to close any deal. But there is more to good salespeople than the ability to spin words.

  1. Don’t take rejection personally.

You will hear “no.” Keep going anyway. Selling takes time. Act professional throughout the process; when you’re on fire and can’t seem to lose, act professional. When you can’t seem to sell anything and can’t seem to win, act professional. Stack odds in your favor for a later time.

  1. Play the long game.

Focus on the results that you want, not on any one specific activity. Check in with yourself regularly to make sure your daily decisions are setting you up to achieve your business and sales goals. Keep a record book: Track the emails you send, who you speak to, and when you have promised to call.

  1. Lead with honesty.

Be a real person. Get to know your clients and customers. Ask questions. Do research. Only after you have gotten to know the person sitting across from you can you tailor your messages and sales pitch accordingly. Stories have power, but only if they are relevant.

  1. Go above and beyond.

Under promise, over deliver. Look for ways to provide extra service or care. Small, thoughtful actions reassure customers that they have made the right choice. Demonstrate your appreciation with a short note or useful gift.

  1. Take care.

Selling is often more about you than it is about your customer. Life isn’t only work; take care of your health and your mental state so you can shine from the inside out. People are attracted to kind, nice people. Be one of those people.

You are the foundation for your sales success. Take responsibility for it.

For more helpful sales tips, check out Greg Gore’s 101 Ways to Succeed in Selling.

Collaboration over competition

A scarcity mentality sees just enough, a limited pile of resources from which to draw. This kind of thinking breeds competition: “If she is earning that much money, there’s less for me.”

Collaboration, on the other hand, is rooted in abundance. With plenty of supplies and stock for all, there is no need to edge out another in order to gain. In fact, those who come out on top are the ones who have spent time cultivating partnerships and collaborating with like-minded organizations.

Entrepreneurs too often scan for potential threats when they should be looking for ways to build relationships. The most successful leaders realize that in an interconnected world, collaboration is key to solving complex problems, establishing communities, and inspiring new generations.

It is no longer enough to be first; the system with the most users, the most clients, and the most buy-in is the one that will stay ahead of the curve.

Above, beyond, and the unexpected

Anyone can construct a building and call it a hotel. Some will care about cleanliness and service. A few more will add personal touches, unique decorations, or interesting artifacts. Fewer still will care about the unexpected, delighting guests in the process: Hats and gloves and a warm jacket folded for winter months, hot bottles of water placed between sheets to warm beds, organized happy hours where guests are invited for snacks and popcorn around a fire.

Of course visitors will remember beautiful scenery and tasteful decor. But the experiences that will get guests raving about any establishment are those that are unexpected — thoughtful additions that can’t be easily replicated.

In defense of certificates

Certificates, medals, awards, recognition dinners. Necessary? Perhaps not. Here in Nepal, I can get a certificate for donating blood, for giving money, for simply showing up at an event.

A piece of paper is not always meaningful. I could argue that the rate in which certificates are doled out lessens their value. But public appreciation makes everyone feel good. And when people feel good, they do their best.

No, gifts and tokens aren’t essential. But praise and acknowledgement of hard work and generosity of time are absolute necessities.

Write a book in eighty minutes

That’s what this group did — A group of twenty young people, hand picked from many, many applications, were given the assignment to write an ebook together. Except they were only given one hour and twenty minutes to complete it and publish it online.

This wasn’t simply a writing exercise. This was a teaching moment, an experience in vulnerability, connection, community, and risk taking. A practice in connecting ideas and people in a meaningful way. These students learned to alternate between stepping back and seeing the whole picture, then leaning in and dissecting the work before stepping back and reviewing the vision all over again.

They learned that fear is a powerful roadblock, but one that can be picked up and moved. Anytime. Anywhere. They practiced listening. They saw first hand that when you ask the right questions and stop to listen, the world unfolds before you. And they learned to step into the unique role that only you can create for yourself.

You have far more control over your destiny than you could ever possibly imagine.