03/06/2023
*7 Strategies for Selling in Tough Times in Nigeria
*Written By Dr Laide Okubena*
What we all need is straight talking. What we all need is honesty. What we all need are ideas, strategies and tactics that work. What we all need is the commitment and conviction to help us to navigate this Season of Fuel Scarcity , high/ new cost of fuel prices, the effect on prices of goods and services and the economy.
People who refuse to talk about the word “recession” and carrying on behaving and acting as if nothing has changed is equally foolish. They figure that if they shut their ears and don’t listen then it will pass them by. Markets are changing. Markets have changed. And we have to change our approach to suit. When markets change we have to change with them.
Here are my top strategies for how you can give your sales a shot in the arm, make simple changes and sell yourself out of this downturn. There’s opportunity out there right now for those prepared to step up… are you going to take it?
*Strategy 1: Stay positive.*
You need to work on staying upbeat and positive. Your clients have enough doom and gloom thrown at them from the media and their colleagues at the moment; they don’t want even more of it from you!
Take conscious control of your state and commit to maintaining a PSA or positive sales attitude.
Know why it is important to you that you cultivate and maintain a peak selling state.
Keep a constant eye on your physiology and adopt the physiology of a peak performer.
Set some big goals that stretch you and spend time thinking about and visualizing yourself achieving them.
Surround yourself with other positive sales superstars and close your eyes, ears and emotions to negativity.
*Strategy 2: Believe you can.*
Sales training and development is essential in any market, particularly tough ones.
Decide what beliefs you and your sales teams need to have to achieve sales success
Share positive news, results and success stories and case studies.
Invest in developing your people. Up skilling your teams with the skills, strategies and techniques that they require to sell in this market.
W**d out negativity and stamp out mediocrity.
Maintaining a positive belief system which supports and empowers you to sell more is a challenge in any market.
Tough markets require top skills. Changing markets require changing sales skills. Sharpening your sales skills requires sales training and development.
There’s plenty of negativity out there; don’t let you, your team and your business be a victim of this.
*Strategy 3: Prospect! Prospect! Prospect*
Prospect online and offline.
The lifeblood of salespeople is prospecting. No matter how good a salesperson you are, prospecting is critical for your success. The more clients you call the more chance you have of closing sales. This is not a case of quantity or quality because quantity and quality are not mutually exclusive.
*Strategy 4: Visit more clients.*
In the busy times many salespeople neglect some of their clients. This is not usually by intention; it’s just that they are phenomenally busy.
Decide which clients you need to visit.
Factor visits into your working life.
Plan your approach
Work out how you can add value for each client, what your objectives are for the meeting and how you can best deliver those. And think smart!
Network! Network! Network! Face to face meetings are the best time to network and gain referrals. Happy, satisfied clients will give you referrals and recommendations.
Keep in touch
Work out the best plan of action for keeping in touch with them over the coming months and years.
*Strategy 5: Check commitments.*
Avoid commitments with the wrong clients, the Clients who genuinely like what you have to offer, clients who want to work in partnership with you, clients who see value in what you do and clients who can see you working together long term. These are the clients that you want to invest your time in.
Know why your client needs you.
Why are they talking to you? Why will they buy from you? Why will they not buy from your competition, do it themselves.
Know who makes the decisions. Who are the decision makers? How do they influence the decision making process? How do they work together? Who can say “Yes”? Who can say “No”? Who makes the final decision? Who likes you? Who doesn’t like you? Why?
Know when they need to make this decision.
Know budgets. What is their budget? Who controls it? How flexible is it?
*Strategy 6: Ask for referrals.*
You must ask for referrals! Few salespeople ever ask for referrals. Fewer still always ask for referrals. Most never ask for referrals.
Commit to asking.
Make it easy for people to refer you.
Quality leads counts more over inappropriate and non buying leads.
Remember your manners. Thank your referrer for the referral – not just at the time but later on by email, letter or phone call too.
*Strategy 7: Strengthen relationships.*
As many salespeople and businesses are looking inwardly, you can be out there building relationships that will help you to sell more now and in the future.
5 tips for strengthening relationships:-
Genuinely care
If you want to build extraordinary client relationships then you need to genuinely care about your clients, their problems, their challenges, their wishes, their desires, where they are going, their values, their relationships…
Sell solutions not products.
Solutions which their clients want and need, solutions which they have designed with their clients and for their clients, solutions which add massive value for their clients and their clients’ businesses.
Be Flexible
Great salespeople have the flexibility to meet their clients’ real needs and to sell outside of the box.
Up-sell and cross-sell.
This means up-selling, cross-selling and even referring business opportunities that will help your client to meet their personal and business goals.
Add value. True partnership relationships are all about value. They are win-win. As a salesperson you need to know how you can add value for your clients and how they can add value for you.
Here you are 7 Strategies for Selling More in tough time. Go grab yourself a cup of coffee, give yourself a talking and plan what you’re going to do to make the rest of the year and 2023 a great time for you and for your business.
Question of the day
Which one of this tips did you learn from these tips and will apply today ?
Thanks for your attention and please enjoy the weekend and navigate through these challenging time properly.
*©Dr Laide Okubena*
Tell a friend, I still sell properties.
Contact:
