fbpx

Small Business Sales: 7 Things Sales Experts Wish You Knew About Selling

Here are some of the biggest mistakes small businesses make when it comes to selling.

Prev1 of 2Next
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse


What are some of the biggest mistakes small businesses make when it comes to selling? These seven experts reveal essential sales tips and share what you could be doing wrong.

1. Ditch the sales script.

Reading from a script is a big mistake. People don’t want to be sold to, they want to connect with people and at the same time be given a solution to a possible obstacle. Relate to people and understand their needs before you pitch them something.

Alice Heiman, Owner of Alice Heiman, LLC

 

 

2. Tell us why you’re better.

Failing to convey a unique value proposition for your product or service. If your business cannot clearly define why your offering is different and/or better than the competition then you will be eclipsed by them. The most successful sales pitch will answer the following questions: “Our product and/or service is, for “whom,” so that … _______.”

John Ostman, VP of Sales and Marketing at Snap Agency

 

3. Understand who you’re selling to.

Pursuing the sale before defining your ideal customer.  Without a laser-focused understanding of who your target customer is, you might as well draw random names out of a hat when prospecting. Your best customers must want and need what you sell — and be willing to pay for it.

Stephanie Nivinskus, Principal at Impressions Marketing Studio

 

 

4. Share features and benefits later.

Don’t engage in a sales “bake-off” (i.e. discussing product features) too early in the buying cycle. Instead create “the buying vision” (i.e. how to help solve their business challenges). Share insights that address challenges the prospect might not even realize s/he has, then communicate “why they should buy. Traditional feature/benefit “why us” messaging is better suited for later in the buying cycle.

Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Corporate Visions

 

 

Prev1 of 2Next
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse
 

© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.

   

In this article