Given how much people rely on marketing in adult life, you’d expect school curricula to cover the topic from an early age. After all, we all live in a market economy where the ability to succeed depends on your capacity to sell.
Unfortunately, most of us only learn how to get somebody to buy something once we reach adulthood. And by that time, it’s often too late. In this post, we take a look at some of the sales secrets you should have learned in school but didn’t.
Sell Products To People Most Likely To Buy
This one might sound a little obvious, but selling to people who are most likely to buy from you is the best way to conduct your marketing operations. You’re not interested in people who are on the fence or undecided. Instead, you’re going after those who stand to benefit most.
For instance, if you’re selling mobile phones, don’t try to sell them to people who can’t afford them or haven’t owned them before. Instead, focus on enticing people who already love getting the latest gadgets and enjoying them.
Focus On Your Packaging
It doesn’t matter what industry you operate in, the quality of the packaging you use is essential.
For instance, if you’re selling dog food, focus on creating sachets that communicate your brand and its values to customers. Pet supply packaging from Plastic Packaging Technologies provides a good example of this. You want the colors to be bright, vibrant, and immediately communicate the benefits to your audience. You also want it to feel robust enough to protect the product inside.
Around ten years ago, a lot of leading brands recognized that the packaging was almost as important as the product itself for customers. That’s partly why we saw a spate of unboxing videos. People just enjoy the physical process of unwrapping items because it floods them with feel-good hormones.
Ask Detailed Questions
A lot of companies assume that they have to cajole their customers into buying from them. They push the sale by asking their leads whether they are ready to “go ahead” and make the purchase.
Customers, however, want you to hear their pain points (and deal with them) before they hand over the money. So pushing a fast sale isn’t always the best strategy.
Fortunately, there are several questions that you can ask them that can really let you get to the bottom of their needs.
Here are some examples:
- How much are you willing to pay for the product/service?
- What features do you need from any product/service that you buy?
- What support will you require after purchase?
- What fundamental problem in your life do you want the product to solve?
Getting to the bottom of what your customers want will ultimately make your sales more final and sustainable. You’ll have fewer returns or cancellations.
Offer First-Time Incentives
A lot of customers will want to buy from you, but they’ll need a little extra incentive to push them over the line. Offering first-timer incentives (such as 10 percent off) can provide this nudge in the right direction and encourage them to become long-term customers.
