Different businesses have different sales practices, one size doesn’t fit all. However, there are clichés and bad practices that we have to let go of. Honesty, autonomy, and resilience are factors in successful sales.
Listening to the customer is as important as pitching them your product or service. For that, you have to break the chain of typical methods and adapt to unconventional sales strategies to increase sales as well.
Why go for unconventional sales strategies when things seem to be working fine? Well, if you have to stay ahead of the competition or if you feel that your sales are dropping, then you have to break the monotony.
The customers are well informed and your competitors are using new methods to engage and attract clients and lock deals. So, using old sales strategies will not yield the desired results and success. In order to lock deals, you need to dive deep into creating strategies to increase sales.
A lot of articles focus on time-tested sales techniques or switch from traditional techniques to psychological aspects. But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Some Techniques Work, Some Don’t. But Why?
A lot of the techniques, either conventional, unconventional, or psychological, are heavily focused on the how and not the why.
In the end, you are the one to make the decision. You have to see if it’s the right situation and does your solution solve the problems your clients are facing.
Even the best sales pitch won’t work if the clients feel that you are a selling machine or just following a script.
Then what is the right way?
Building trust, listening carefully, making them believe it’s for their benefit, and not imposing something on them.
Are you ready?
Follow these unconventional sales tactics to break the traditional methods, establish trust relations, and successfully close deals.
Customer Is Not Always Right
Listening closely and respecting the client is a must but know that they are not always right. Do not follow a request to close the sales or just give them what they are asking for without knowing the problem. False commitments can backfire in the long run.
Sometimes clients ask for a specific solution because they believe that is the right choice. Here, you have to help them understand the problem and propose a solution from your experience.
Using your experience and knowledge, you have to show them what’s in their best interest and steer them away from what’s not.
Another way of practicing this is by telling the truth.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
Whether you are selling a product or a service, you are starting at a disadvantage i.e., salespeople are not trusted.
A businessman, lawyer, and door-to-door seller are categorized as salespeople.
People have a good reason not to trust you because you are trying to sell something. Then how can you build trust?
By being honest. Remember, being nice and being truthful are different things.
Stick to the Truth
Making something up just to sell your service or product is not the right approach, especially in 2022 when the customers are more aware than ever. Be confident in saying “I don’t know” if you are not aware of something. The client will feel more confident if they know that you are not making solutions up. But let them know that you will find the solution and solve their problem.
Learning Never Stops
Practice makes one perfect, but it does not apply to sales. The market trends and customers keep on changing and so should your process of learning. Learn about how the industry is evolving, how people’s perspective is changing, how problems are shifting, and how customers see products/services. This way, you can devise sales and marketing strategies that not just enhance the presence of your brand but reap rewards in the form of sales.
Never Settle for Less
Successfully closing calls and giving more clients? Great, but don’t settle yet. Set higher goals and aim for more, see if you can achieve those. Evaluate your KPIs and sales strategy then aim to improve over time and maximize your potential.
Know The Problem Before Providing The Solution
Don’t be embarrassed to ask about the problem. Ask questions that can provide you with clarity and set your ego aside. No, you don’t look dumb or stupid when just asking the right questions.
Studies have proved that people buy based on relationships, and what better way to build a relationship than knowing your client’s problems? You will only be able to provide the right solution when you know what the problem is.
Related: How to make user-centric sales funnel.
Don’t Impose, Let The Customers Decide
Instead of imposing a deadline or forcing clients to sign the contract right there and then, let them decide and give them space. Let them know you genuinely care and are capable of solving their problem and are there to make money.
To top it all, tell them about the competitors and even ask if they would like to explore what they are offering.
This might seem a disservice or counterproductive at first but you have now built some level of trust. When your competitors throw their usual sales pitches they will come back. But to make sure of it you first have to let them know the ins and outs of your product/service.
Putting Things In Place
Listen carefully and find what they are looking for. Most of the time it is more than just the price and a solution. When you know what they are looking for, let them know about your product/service and how it solves their problem. Then it’s time to give them time to think about it.
Build your argument on the client’s needs and desires. They should feel like you genuinely tried helping them and understood the problem. Don’t leave them hanging there!
Let them know of the next steps. Don’t call back immediately but don’t stop calling completely. After 2 weeks max you should have a follow-up, otherwise, you might look uninterested or irresponsible.
Conclusion
Research conducted by a professor from Harvard concludes that 95% of buying decisions are made subconsciously. These decisions are largely reliant on the connection buyers make with the person selling them. Emotions are valued more than the product or service offered.
So, establishing more than sales and client relations is important. Building trust is the best way to do that. Remember these points:
- Identify the problem first and propose the solution accordingly
- Be honest and guide your clients the right way
- Let clients know how you stand out
- You don’t always have to benefit directly
- Give respect and space but
Step away from traditional methods and try to follow the above-mentioned unconventional sales strategies and see how they benefit you. You will not only stand out but also effectively engage clients.
