Selling For the Non-Salesperson - Seven Tips You Can Really Use

Know More: Promoting Your Business how to sell, sales, sales presentations, sales techniques, selling, selling items, selling products, selling services

If you're in business for yourself, sooner or later you're going to have to do it. You're going to have to make a sales presentation. It may be in writing. It may be an oral presentation. It may be formal. It may be informal. But, if you want to keep your business alive, then you're going to have to learn to sell.

Sales. For those of us who aren't natural-born salespeople, the very word is enough to send a shudder down our spines. When I hear the word, every bad cliche of a sales person comes to mind. I picture a checkered suit, high-pressure tactics, or even a bait and switch scenario.

Sales doesn't have to be like that. I've learned to sell my services for my business and you can too.

Here are seven sales tips for the home business owner:

Believe in what you are selling. If you don't believe in your business, then what are you doing running it?
Listen to the customer. Start by determining what they really need and trying to meet that need, rather than trying to move a product or service that you have on hand.
Know your stuff. Take the time to learn everything that there is to know about your product or service.
Be honest. Dishonesty eventually catches up with you.
Courtesy counts. Be polite to your potential customer. It really does make a difference.
Stick with it. It's true that persistence pays off.
Be relationship-minded. Think of your long-term relationship with your customer, rather than the short-term goal of getting the sale.

Do you want more sales tips? Here are five great posts to help you hone your sales skills:

From About.com, 8 Secrets to a Knockout Business Presentation

From LifeSpy,Tips for an Effective Sales Presentation

From FreelanceSwitch, The Dos and Don'ts of Selling to Clients

What about you? Are you comfortable with the sale part of your home business, or do sales make you uncomfortable? Why, or why not?

Leave a comment and let us know.

I grew up around sales and you have nailed all the most important tips. The only thing I might add (and it just jumped into my head) is: There is no need to sale, just let the customer by.

While in college I sold knives door-to-door. I took some of the knives with me and let the customers use them. That alone was enough to make them want to buy. I never SOLD a single knife ;).

Posted by: Kathryn | February 12, 2008 4:34 AM | Permalink to Comment

You sold knives door-to-door? Wow, I didn't know that knives were sold that way. I'm impressed that you did so well with it.

Thanks for your input. Letting the customer make up their own mind is excellent advice.

Posted by: Laura | February 12, 2008 3:40 PM | Permalink to Comment

Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

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