#1 KNOW YOUR MARKET:
It's very important that
you know who your target market is. Once you have established "who" then
you can focus on "how". You don't want to waste your time trying to sell
something that the audience doesn't want, so how do you find "your" audience?
surveys
questionnaires
run a contest
take a poll
These are just a few examples
of finding out about who is interested in "your' product or service.
#2 BE ASSERTIVE:
Don't be afraid to strike
up a conversation and pass out your business card! Be assertive. You never
know where your next big sale might come from. It could be anyone. Someone
could say..."You know our athletic group has been looking EVERYWHERE for
those!! Do you have about 200 of them?" One time I wrote to Walmart with
an idea I had for an item to sell in their stores. To my surprise they
called me! They were very interested in it and wanted to know when I could
set up a demonstration in their store. I was so shocked....THEN she asked
me if they ordered around 40,000 of them, how fast could I deliver? Well,
I had to end the conversation there because I did not have the means to
produce 40,000 of them. Maybe 400 but not 40,000. BUT... the point is this...be
assertive...you never know WHO your next big sale is.
#3 PARTICIPATE:
This is the most important
tip! You need to participate, whether it be in a mail list like ours, or
in local social functions, or doing charity work, or whatever, but you
MUST participate. Sitting on the sidelines is going to get you nowhere.
Jump in and join in!
#4 BELIEVE:
Before you can sell ANYTHING,
you must believe in it. If you don't believe in it, it will show! So....you
must KNOW your product backwards and forwards! Nothing irks me more than
to ask a salesman about the product specifically and they answer with "I'm
not sure.." They just lost my sale! Why should I buy something that they
don't even know about? Take the time to find out everything you can about
your product or service. Once you have done that, you can sell anything!
#5 GET REFERRALS:
This is NOT hard. It is
simply a gesture of opening your mouth and speaking these words..."Do you
have a friend or acquaintance that you think would want to know about my..."
or..."Do you know someone you like well enough to share this with?" or..."I've
been looking for a church group that needs a good fundraiser product. Do
you know of a church group I can approach and do you mind if I mention
your name as a referral?" There are a hundred ways to ask for referrals
so open your mouth and start asking!
#6 BE PREPARED:
I LOVE this one!! Be prepared
always when you are in public! Have your cards or a brochure with you always!!
I was in a large craft store one time when I overheard a lady ask the salesman
if they had any pink flamingo stencils. She wanted to paste it on a lady's
golf cart for her birthday because her friend loved flamingos. The salesman
told her, "Sorry, we don't have anything like that. Maybe you could paint
it on." She replied that she was no artist and so that was out of the question.
Now THERE I stood, with no make-up on, no business card handy and so I
just STOOD there! Here I am, an artist who paints on ANYTHING! Not only
that, but think of the craze it would have started when the first lady
got her golf cart painted. I would have been busy for weeks just painting
all the other jealous ladies carts! But NO....I wasn't prepared and so
the whole opportunity walked out of the door with that lady. BE PREPARED
at all times to network and make sales! |
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