How to Sell: The Principles of Selling Simplified

Sales. It’s a topic that can make people cringe or make them excited. It all depends on your perspective. When done correctly, sales is the process of bringing value to another person. In this Ultimate Guide to Selling, we will go over the basics of what it takes to be a successful seller in any industry, focusing on Saas companies.

What are the principles of selling anything to anyone?

In my vast experience selling, I’ve seen various sales techniques that work. However, these core principles guide any selling situation:

1.) Mindset

2.) Expertise

3.) Understanding the Problem

4.) Build Rapport and Trust

5.) Questions

6.) Awareness of the Problem and Impact

7.) Feel the Pain

8.) Congruency

9.) Sell Ethically

So let’s dive in so you can start selling right away!

Mindset

Selling begins first within you and how well you manage your state and mindset in a given situation. How you think and feel about yourself, your product, and the person you’re selling to will directly impact the sale’s outcome. If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, it won’t be easy to convince someone else to buy it. Likewise, if you’re not confident in your ability to sell, that lack of confidence will likely show through and turn potential customers away. Managing your state and mindset is the first step to being an effective seller. If you can do that, half the battle is yours to win. The rest is just practice and refining your skills. So if you’re serious about becoming a top-notch salesperson, start with working on yourself first. Everything else will fall into place after that.

Expertise

For someone to buy from you, they must view you as an expert. Any successful salesperson will tell you that being an expert in your field is essential to closing deals. After all, how can you sell a product or service if you don’t fully understand its features and benefits? But being an expert in your field is only half the battle. To be truly successful in sales, you also need to be an expert in understanding your prospects’ needs and pain points. Only then can you tailor your pitch in a way that resonates with them and convinces them to buy what you’re selling.

Understanding the Problem

The core of selling is making people aware of their problem, how that problem impacts them, and how your solution can help them solve it and improve their lives (we will cover all three shortly). To do any of these, you must first understand the problem and its impact. To succeed in selling, it is crucial to understand the specific problems the customer faces. This understanding allows you to leverage later a solution that alleviates their pain points. You can establish trust and build a rapport by remaining focused on the customer’s particular needs. This makes it more likely that the customer will want to do business with you. Additionally, understanding the customer’s problem will enable you to provide customized solutions that address their needs. Ultimately, taking the time to understand the customer’s problem is essential for selling effectively.

Build Rapport and Trust

Sales reps who take the time to build rapport and establish trust with their clients are more likely to be successful in the sales process. Why? Because when clients feel like they can trust you, they’re more likely to listen to your sales pitch, consider your product or service, and ultimately make a purchase. Trust is also essential for building long-term relationships with clients, which is vital for repeat business and referrals. So if you’re serious about selling, take the time to get to know your clients and build rapport. It will pay off in the long run.

Questions

Questions are integral to the sales process – they help to control the focus of the conversation, uncover the information you need, and allow you to gauge the level of interest of your potential buyer. Asking questions also shows that you’re engaged in the conversation and interested in your potential buyer’s words. Questions can be used throughout the sales cycle, from initial contact with a potential buyer to closing the sale. By asking thoughtful, insightful questions, salespeople can build rapport, overcome objections, and ultimately close more deals. When used effectively, questions can be a powerful tool in the sales process.

Awareness of the Problem and Impact

One of the essential parts of the sales process is leading your prospect to become aware of the problem they might not have known they had and helping them understand and appreciate the impact of the problem. This is key because if they don’t understand the problem, they won’t see the need for your product or solution. Additionally, if they don’t appreciate the impact of the problem, they won’t be motivated to take action to solve it. By taking the time to help them understand both the problem and its impacts, you increase the chances that they will see the value in your solution and make a purchase.

Feel the Pain

An undisturbed prospect will not buy. ‘Disturbed’ isn’t a bad thing, by the way. It just means that for your prospect to buy, they must feel the pain of the problem they are having on an emotional level. Otherwise, they won’t be motivated to solve it. Disturbing your prospect – stirring up the pain- is how you get them to understand and appreciate the impact of the problem they are having so that they will move towards a solution.

Congruency

In your to sell effectively, you must have congruency. Congruency in selling means that your thoughts, actions, words, tone, and energy all match and are ‘congruent’ with one another. When you are congruent, your prospect will feel like they can trust you because they know you believe in what you’re saying. If your words and actions don’t match, on the other hand, your prospect will sense that something is off, and they won’t be able to trust you.

Sell Ethically

The bottom line is this: to be an effective salesperson, you must sell ethically. That means being honest about your product, understanding your prospect’s needs, and only making promises you can deliver on. If you try to take shortcuts or cut corners in the sales process, you will only end up harming yourself in the long run. Selling ethically may require more work upfront, but it’s always the best policy.

Conclusion

Sales can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be. Mastering these principles will have you on your way to becoming a great salesperson, and helping your clients and yourself succeed.