The idea of selling well is not just a push, push, push ,and then push some more mentality anymore. Even when it comes to selling a project as big as a $100,000 Joomla website, pushing is never the recommended method.
Rather, getting to know the potential prospect and their needs, and then figuring out how that relates back to your services, is part of the approach that needs to be taken in order to be successful.
Take a look at these 10 easy-to-follow tips to get you on the fast track to selling!
1. Understand the Goals of the Project
Early on in the selling process you need to understand the goals of the project. What are they hoping to accomplish? What are their current pain points and how is it affecting their bottom line? What would happen if they don't fix these pain points? Where is their motivation to do this project stemming from?
The main thing is to really understand why they are considering a new website, instead of what type of website they want. If you can get prospect to answer why, you'll be able to help them figure what they need to do and how they can do it.
2. Know Who You're Talking To
Are you talking to the decision maker where they have the power to say yes or no? If not, you'll eventually have to get there. You want to make sure you are putting the right effort into the right people.
That's not to say that talking to someone who is not the decision maker is a waste of your time. You'll need to give this person great information and provide them with a solution so both of you can "wow" the decision maker when the time comes. Your strategy for talking to a decision maker versus a non-decision maker will be different.
3. Ask the Right Questions
The internet has completely transformed the sales process. Before the internet, the salesperson had the power because they had access to all of the information the prospect needed. Now, the prospects already have most of the information, so you need to take a different angle and ask the right questions.
Asking questions is a science in itself. Knowing how and when to ask the right questions will allow you to guide the prospect down the path you want them to take. Your goal should be to ask them the type of questions that allows the prospect to answer the questions in a manner that brings them to the conclusion on their own.
4. Give Tips
As you listen to the customers talk, offer them tips to help improve their business. This will build you as an authority and show credibility.
If the customer says something about a certain marketing effort not working, offer a suggestion.This is a give and take process of asking questions as well as giving information.
5. It's Not About You
Don't spend time talking about yourself, 90% or more of the conversation should center around the prospect's needs and wants. If the time comes, you can talk about you and your company.
If you have done a good job with your sales pitch, this will come naturally and prospect will already be sold on your business by the time that happens. This is the time to learn about the prospect and understand more about their business.
6. Never Stop Qualifying
Qualify your leads and keep on qualifying. Seeing if the prospect is a good fit for your services and niche is an ongoing process. Do your research ahead of time to prequalify the prospect and continue to evaluate during every meeting.
Use systems such as BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) and GPCT (Goals, Plans, Challenges, Timing) to help determine if they are a right fit for you to keep pursuing.
*Bonus Tip - Budget
Many people are unsure how to gage a potential prospect's budget. A general question you can ask are what marketing activities they are are currently doing and which ones are working and not working. Then you can branch into asking more specifically if they are using something like Google Adwords and how much they are spending. Their answers will help you gain a better idea of their budget and then later in the sales process you can throw out some ranges.
7. Always Book the Next Meeting
Have a good sales process mapped out and knowing what each step of the process is, is key. Always be prepared to book the next meeting for the next step. That goes hand in hand with knowing if the prospect is qualified.
If during the meeting you discover the prospect is qualified for the next step - book them. If you discover they are not qualified, don't waste with another meeting, rather offer the prospect some alternatives or someone else they can talk to.
8. Always Send a Follow-up Recap Email
Follow-up emails after a meeting are key. You'll want to recap what you discussed in the meeting and what the next steps are. This keeps you top of mind with the prospect and the value of the conversation.
9. Assignment Selling
Make sure the prospect is invested in the process by using assignment selling. This gives the prospect "homework" to do after the meeting.
For example, say, "For our next meeting, I need your site's monthly traffic numbers or the amount of leads you get per month." This will also help you decipher how serious or dedicated they are to the process. If the prospect is invested in working with you, they'll get these things done efficiently.
10. Have Confidence & Build Rapport
Having lots of confidence is one of the most important traits to have as a salesperson. Confidence comes through very vividly both over the phone and during face-to-face conversations. Having confidence proves value in your product/service and shows that you are experienced and are ready to take on their business.
Building rapport with your prospects is crucial as well. Build rapport in a good way and actually mean it. You want your prospect to trust you because you are a salesperson with integrity who stands by your word. Create a good relationship with your prospects so they feel comfortable with you and don't get the vibe that you're just trying to sell them on something.
Selling a Joomla Website takes background, knowledge and most of all, sticking to these 10 points which pulls everything together including very important aspects of building a relationship with your prospect. Stick to this and you'll be selling Joomla sites in no time!
Which one of these tips did you find to be the most useful or surprising? We'd love to hear what you have to say and any other additional tips you'd like to share!