Lesson learned, sales techniques | RCD Book Review

Hello RCD readers,

January began with me reading a thin book about sales techniques. The book discussed 14 sales techniques. 

Of course not all work well for me but some make perfect sense for me per se.

The sales techniques are:

1. Show customers you're serious

2. Common sense

3. big wins and require high stakes

4. Confidence is the key to growth

5. Never give up

6. Ask your customers for advice

7. The knowledge is with those most involved

8. Generate sales immediately after the company is founded

9. Sell to a company, not an individual

10. Sell products to your sales team

11. Making new customers in services

12. Managing salespeople is not a spectator sport

13. Why You Shouldn't Publicly Rank Sellers

14. Creating a top sales team

1. Show customers you're serious

- set a good example and do your best as a leader

*I make sure that I dress professional, always stay professional and last keep the time when I respond also on work hours. Making sure not to go over that professional line with clients or colleagues is very important.

2. Common sense

Knowing what the right decision is and knowing when to make the decisions and when not to do it.

*This sounds funny but yes. The simple solution is mostly the best.

3. Big wins and require high stakes

If you want to win big, you also have to be willing to take big risks and put the relationship on the line. You have to dare to tell the things people don't want to hear. *I never make a client feel like I'm looking for the next income. If you have a mindset of being helpful and always being honest. You'll make sure to have clients always coming back because :

1) you'll be honest with advice

2) you actually want the best interest for them

4. Confidence is the key to growth

The customer must be convinced that you are the best for the assignment. Do they want to work with you and do they trust you with specific assignments? Trust is the key to success. Be on the same page professionally and personally.

5. Never give up

Perseverance is important

*It helps to always follow up. It helps to keep showing you capability even when the answer is NO. It may be no for this project BUT it can become a YES for the next project.

6. Ask your customers for advice

Negotiation technique is asking for advice. 

- ask for advice from the customer

- view negotiation from the customer's perspective

- change opinion you first have to know what their opinion is and work back that is good for both sides

*not sure how well this would work. But let you know if this works.

7. The knowledge is with those most involved

Ask the working man always. The managers and seniors in companies don't know everything what works in a business. So make sure to ask the people that actually built the business.

8. Generate sales immediately after the company is founded

- count on that you will often hear no

- consider giving product for free and learn from it. See how it turns out.

- then people learn what your product is worth and would be willing to pay for it.

* This line hit hard. It brought me back to 2014 when I first applied to different companies and got NO after NO. Or not even an answer. But this builds character and gives you that thick skin to get use to hearing NO and failing. Because that is the only way to succeed and grow. 

9. Sell to a company, not an individual

- never concentrate on 1 person at large companies

- take the time to study the entire process of the company to discover the problems

- come up with a service or product (adjust) that will benefit everyone in the company.

*I love learning the work process. I love learning how people function in the house. That makes my design actually work when the client understands that the owner of the house or store is not the only client I have. The people that will be using the space have to give their input. 

10. Sell products to your sales team

Spend much more time in salespeople than your customers, because salespeople will proudly convince customers to buy

11. Making new customers in services

The customer must feel that you are conducting business together by creating a special feeling at the negotiating table. 

* I find this important. Making sure that I design with the client. That is my service. That is also when the magic happens and the client is happy. When the client has a say of what it will become.

12. Managing salespeople is not a spectator sport

To be able to lead you have to be really involved in the company

*This is something I need to work on every time. With following up weekly consistently. With going to projects on site. With giving the extra mile to get a better outcome.

13. Why You Shouldn't Publicly Rank Sellers

Create rankings to develop competitively in sales team but do this privately with no belittling.

14. Creating a top sales team

- top class sales team knows where to spend their time. Putting the right culture into business with a remuneration policy

- sales space spend time in the market and talk to the customers

Your presence helps you better appreciate customer needs and better seize opportunities that have the best impact on your business.

Sentence that hit hard for me

Most freelance project's or employers just trusted that I could do the job well before I even had that instinct for my own abilities. And even waited for me to get the knowledge that I need to perform well. Just because they trusted in my abilities that I wouldn't give up until I did it well.