How to Make a Sale

Last Updated: February 11, 2023

Being a successful salesperson isn't an easy task. Before you even meet with a customer, you'll need to have some idea of how to approach the sale and how to respond to possible customer concerns. When you're actually talking with a customer, you should do what you can to establish a personal connection while simultaneously demonstrating the value of the product you're trying to sell.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Part One: Prepare Yourself

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Craft your sales pitch ahead of time. Know what you need to say before you even greet the customer, but be prepared to fine-tune your pitch so that it better matches the needs and wants of each individual customer who crosses your path. ^{[1]
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- "Sales pitch" can be a misleading term. There will be no single script you can use on every customer. The case you make will differ from sale to sale.
- Crafting a sales pitch isn't about designing the perfect script. You simply need to know how to approach each customer at the start and which conversational points to touch on while learning about the customer.
2
Do your research. Know the product well. Familiarize yourself with its benefits and limitations. In doing so, you can more readily anticipate common customer concerns and prepare appropriate responses.
- When you know who your customer is before you actually meet, you have the chance to do a little research. Find out what motivates him or her. Doing so can help you tailor-fit your sales pitch to that customer's unique interests.
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Understand your own value. You'll want to treat your customer with care, but acknowledge your own value at the same time. Understand your worth as a person and as a salesperson. This can boost your level of confidence, to which many customers will respond favorably. ^{[2]
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- View yourself as someone who satisfies others' needs and desires. When framed with that perspective, the job of a salesperson is an important one that can be used genuinely to improve the lives of your customers.
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Practice your pitch. Take the time to practice your sales pitch before you meet a new customer. You can practice alone, or ask an employer, coworker, or friend to listen and provide constructive criticism.
- Try running through a few different scenarios. Practice pitching your product to different types of customers with different sets of concerns.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Part Two: Make a Connection

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Get to know the customer. Ask the customer questions and learn as much as you can about his or her needs. Your customer should feel as though you care about him or her as a person. The only way to do that is to actually treat your customer like a person instead of a source of profit.
- Some customers may have a hard time describing what they need, so it will be your job to ask questions that can help them explain what they hope to find.
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Give the customer your undivided attention. When talking to the customer, your full attention should be focused on that specific person. This is not the time to check your text messages or chitchat with a passing co-worker.
- It isn't enough simply to look as though you're giving the customer your attention. Prove it by listening actively. As the customer asks questions, address them spontaneously instead of with a scripted line.
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Listen more than you speak. Rambling off a generic sales pitch won't impress most customers. You need to listen to what your customer has to say before making your own remarks. In some cases, you may actually need to say more than your customer says, but your words should always be chosen in response to theirs.
- Talking as much as 70 percent of the time should be your limit, but an even better ratio would be 50 percent talking and 50 percent listening.
- When you do respond, abandon your talking points and directly address the customer's concerns by providing adequate answers and by asking meaningful questions about his or her circumstances.
4
Reveal something meaningful about yourself. If your customer knows a little about you, he or she may develop some fondness for you as a person. People are generally more likely to buy from someone they like than someone they dislike or feel indifferent toward. ^{[3]
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- It's especially impactful when you offer information your customer can relate to. A shared experience or interest can create an instant connection. For instance, if your customer is wearing a sweatshirt with the name of your alma mater on it, that might be a point worth mentioning.
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Make the customer laugh. Most customers respond well to humor. Be serious about the value of the product and the possible purchase, but introduce light humor into the conversation to break the ice and maintain a pleasant atmosphere.
- You don't need to be a comedian. The idea is to make your customer smile and perhaps elicit a small chuckle. You don't need to make your customer howl with heavy laughter.
- Consider using self-deprecating humor. In most cases it will make you appear less threatening and more relatable.
- Avoid humor that could be offensive or that might not make sense to most people.
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Be patient. No matter how rude, undecided, or impatient your customer is, you should react with patience and respect. Even if the conversation doesn't end in a sale, it is still a good idea to end on good terms.
- The difficult customer you're dealing with may simply be having a bad day. Talking with the customer in a civilized manner could calm him or her down. Even if it doesn't, that customer may return at a later date in a better mood.
- The only exceptions would be when the customer is creating a major disturbance for other customers or when that customer presents some threat to you or another employee.
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Never lie to a customer. Bending the truth might seem tempting, but ultimately a lie will be discovered, and your customer will be unhappy. You may have made a sale in the process, but you will probably never sell to that customer again.
- On the other hand, being honest with a customer will typically earn respect and appreciation. He or she is more likely to return later to shop for new products or to buy the original product once need for it arises. As a result, you will probably establish a better long-term relationship with that customer, leading to possible future sales (and good references).
- A dissatisfied customer may spread word of his or her experience to others. Once that customer's network discovers that you lied to him or her, everyone in the network will be less likely to consider buying from you.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Part Three: Sell the Product

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Match the right product to the right customer. Not every customer will have a use for every product. Be honest with your customers even if it might kill a sale. Wasting time trying to sell a product your customer doesn't need will not do either of you any favors.
- If the product you're selling really isn't right for a particular customer, don't be afraid to say so. Provide an explanation so your customer knows that you are ending the conversation for his or her own benefit.
- When possible you might consider recommending a different product to your customer that might fit his or her needs better.
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Identify the real problem. Often the problem your customer thinks he or she has is not the problem he or she actually has. Listen to the words your customer uses, and try to identify any hidden meanings beneath those words.
- Typically the problem your customer identifies will be an actual problem, but it may also be a symptom of a larger, more significant problem. Your goal is to point out the underlying problem and make a sale that can address it, rather than merely fixing the surface issue.
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Limit your free advice. Helping the customer is important, but ultimately you shouldn't spend an hour giving a customer advice and consultation when he or she has no intention of buying from you.
- Give advice only when it can lead to a purchase. Once it becomes obvious that your customer is no longer interested in buying, or that your product will no longer match the needs of your customer, it is best to stop the conversation and move on.
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Object to objections. Some of your customer's concerns will be valid, but many will be misinformed. When a misinformed objection comes up, take a few minutes to politely address and correct it.
- Most objections will concern budget, authority, need, or time.
- Your response will vary on a case-by-case basis. Most objections can be addressed by explaining why the matter at hand does not need to concern your customer as much as it does. When this is not possible, demonstrate how the value of the product outweighs the potential downfall your customer is concerned about.
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Demonstrate how the product solves the problem. Ultimately customers want a product that will solve some problem or need they currently have. You'll make a sale only if you can demonstrate how your product will effectively solve the problem or answer the need.
- This is when you'll need your sales pitch. Use what you know about the customer and the product to show a perfect connection between the two.
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Open the door for further communication. Regardless of whether you make the sale, keep the door open for future communication with each customer. Doing so may lead to a sale later on.
- Every talk you have with a potential customer should involve a call to action.
- When you don't complete the sale, encourage the customer to review the information and return in a few days. Depending on the circumstances, you may even offer to contact the customer so he or she doesn't need to call you.
- When you do complete the sale, encourage the customer to stay in touch and tell you how the product is working. Follow up with an e-mail or phone call to that point when appropriate.