SKILL
Tips to Improve Your Basic Selling Skills SELLING POWER EDITORS
A sale doesn’t just happen. It’s built block by block. Here are more essential building blocks to use when building your sales. PRESENTATIONS
The lighting in a building sets a mood. So does your presentation. If you think of each prospect as a room in your sales structure, you can imagine which type of lighting will produce the best effect: muted and subtle, bright and sparkling, or spotlighted.
A. Illuminating Body Language No matter which type of lighting you choose to use during a presentation, you’ll need light bulbs. Your nonver- bal communication conveys the mood you’ve chosen when discussing your product with your client. Remember that 93 percent of your feelings and attitude are communicated through your body language and only 7 per- cent with words.
The most common mistake salespeople make while standing is swaying from side to side. The client sees an insecure, fidgety person and may not hear your message at all as he or she thinks about you or watches your movements. Stand with your feet
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one foot apart and place your weight slightly forward. This position gives you a good sense of balance. When sitting, closed postures such
as crossed legs (at the knee or the ankle) and crossed arms (in front of or behind the body) may tend to make you appear unapproachable and unfriendly. Clasped hands that tighten and relax and fingers that tap or play with objects communicate anxiety. Head scratching, ear pulling, lip rub- bing, and many other unconscious ac- tions convey insecurity or uncertainty. Rest your arms on the chair or in your lap, and keep your hands open with the palms facing up. And smile.
B. Special Effects
Some customers actually need soft lights and a subtle touch to accept new ideas. Four helpful approaches include pausing, using analogies, using humor, and being dramatic.
Pausing
Some salespeople never pause – they just keep on talking. Others fill up
empty spots with “um” and “ah” and “you know.” Don’t be afraid of pauses. Make them work for you. The best way to convey confidence is to begin and end your presenta- tion with a few seconds of silence. It shows you are in control and sure of yourself. Moreover, it gives your audi- ence – whether that’s one person or 100 people – a chance to prepare to listen. During the presentation, add pauses between key points and after complicated explanations. Record your next presentation. You’ll be amazed at how many times you could have sold more by using the persua- sive power of pauses.
Using Analogies
Analogies paint vivid visual pictures that enhance the themes of your pre- sentations. For example, at the begin- ning of this article we used a building analogy to sell you on becoming a solid sales professional.
The closer the analogy is to the
client’s own work or personal experi- ences, the easier it will be for you to make a memorable impression. For example, a salesperson used this analogy to illustrate the need for new telecommunications equipment: “Think of your present equipment as a single weed in a garden. The longer
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