If You Are Living, You Are Selling! by:Francine Allaire
"If you are living, you are selling!" When reading that
, do you say to yourself, "Wait a minute, I am not in sales, so this doesn't really apply to me!" Yes it does, in fact, it applies to all of us. Here's why: Whether you are obtaining a dinner reservation at a popular restaurant, returning merchandise at a store, dealing with a difficult client, seeking advice, attempting to get your point across, applying for a new position at work, or literally involved with the selling of a product or service for a living, navigating your way through life requires the ability to promote yourself and persuade others of your point of view. If you think about it, that's what selling is all about.
Because sales skills can be applied to so many facets in life, the more you develop them, the more you attract what you want and deserve in every aspect of your life. Once you know how to sell yourself, you can do anything! The rewards can be awe inspiring. Dare Yourself!
MARKETING VERSUS SELLING
Are you sometimes confused about the differences between marketing and selling? Simply put, marketing is the act of, "bringing a product or service to market." Selling, on the other hand, is the process. It takes three key ingredients:
- The steps you take to "close a sale."
- The path to convert a prospective buyer into a customer.
- The ability to "make the conversion."
At it's core marketing is essentially nothing more than research. Basically, it's about identifying groups of potential buyers (your target market) and finding the best way of bringing your product or service to their attention. This can be done through of advertising, online/offline campaigns, networking events, etc. Once your potential customers have been identified, you will try to reach them by developing your unique "Marketing Message." The more closely your message resonates with the wants, needs or desires of your prospective customers, the more likely you are to make a conversion, and close sales.
Marketing on-line has some distinctive advantages to off-line marketing methods. The Internet makes it much easier to conduct market research through search engines or keyword searches and by using specialized programs. In minutes, you can accumulate highly accurate real-time data on what people are looking at, or looking for, on-line, not to mention discovering crucial information about your competitors as well. The value of this powerful research means is priceless! On-line or off-line, marketing and sales sometimes overlap regarding "pitch." The pitch, of course, is how the marketing message is delivered. It's where the marketing "rubber" meets the road so to speak. If the marketing has been done properly, then the message can be clearly delivered in ad copy, sales copy or any other means to reach your prospective customer.
Selling, on the other hand, is about persuasion through reason. It is associated with overcoming objections and delivering value in the prospect's mind. It is a much more intimate one-to-one technique where a buyer "assists" a potential client in making a "buying decision."
Part of the marketing process is to actually uncover the potential objections which might prevent your prospect from being converted to a customer. Selling is, in fact, where all that marketing research is applied at the point of sale. While many would say that marketing is only a numbers game, it is also very much an art. Successful marketers have an instinct for how to reach prospective customers that goes beyond number crunching. They seem to know what makes people tick, or perhaps more to the point, what makes them buy.
With Internet Marketing in particular, there is a tremendous focus on the numbers. How many hundreds or thousands of potential customers will see your ad or get your email? It's easy to get the feeling that if only you have a big enough audience, sales will automatically follow. Unfortunately many novice marketers have fallen into the trap of thinking that bigger numbers make for greater success. It's no wonder then that so many fail to achieve any success at all.
Part of a good marketing plan is getting your message in front of as many people as possible - and especially the right people at the right time. Don't lose sight of who your target market is -- and don't make the mistake of not having a target market to begin with. If marketing is done well, it simply disappears behind great graphics and sparkling ad copy. The message shine through and stimulate, motivate or excite exactly the right people.
When marketing is done well, products virtually sell themselves, right? No. Good, targeted marketing will get you halfway there. To convert a prospect into a customer also requires good selling skills. Essentially, selling is the art of helping ... of solving other people's problems. "Help," "solve," "needs" are the key words that represent the essence of selling. "How will this benefit me?" is the big question in your prospect's mind, even if they never ask it out loud. Be sure to deliver the answer up front.
One of most common mistakes people make in selling is to try to act as if there's nothing in it for themselves. You don't have to hide the fact that you, too, benefit from a sale. Being forthright about that in your attitude and approach can help to establish rapport and trust with the other person. Everyone is expected to win. Here's to your prosperous selling!
About the author
Francine Allaire is in The Daring Business. Her passion is to empower women executives and entrepreneurs to live more daring, inspired and prosperous lives. She is a Best Year Yet! Global Program Leader, Certified Dream Coach, NLP Practitioner and Founder of The Daring LLC, an international organization for women.
For more articles from Francine or to get a copy of your Free Daring Success Kit, visit The Daring Women's Community:
http://thedaringwomenscommunity.com
The Custom Poster Quality Test by:Lynne Saarte Newsletters For Corporate Communications by:Lynne Saarte Branding Made Easy In 5 Steps by:Raymond Gollis Direct Mail: 7 Top Tips to a Successful Direct Mailing by:Alice Brown Types of Mobile Marketing Services by:Dr Roni Dhar 6 Important Tips On Email Marketing - An Incredible Internet Marketing Method by:Eric Yeo Internet Marketing Solutions - Making the Best of Your Dollars and Cents! by:Eric Yeo Can You Still Get Something For Nothing? by:John Clemson 3 Tips to Improve Your Article Marketing by:TJ Philpott Booklet Printing For Your Press Kit by:Janice Jenkins Tired Of The Old School Network Marketing Techniques? by:Brad & Sonya Dark Printing Brochures Are Not Only For Professionals by:Lynne Saarte Learn 5 Important Reasons to Use Video Marketing by:Darlene Siddons