Sales Skills for Small Business Owners

Selling is a very important aspect of any business and although many small business owners don't like to consider themselves as 'sales people' per se in reality small business owners are actually key sales people who know their business and product or service offering better than anyone else in most instances. Let's identify what some key sales skills are and discuss how they can be further developed.

In a nutshell the key 'must have' sales skills include:

• Confidence
• Relationship building skills
• Listening
• Persuasion
• Product / service knowledge

Most of the skills listed above will be familiar to you, but I bet you are wondering, how can I apply this and learn to become a better sales person?

The key is to identify any gaps you have in the skills outlined above and then develop your skills in these areas. It's also important to understand what makes for a more natural sell which is centred around confidence. The truth is we all dislike the hard sell and pushy sales people so it's about striking a balance, you want to be described as 'confident' and avoid being perceived as arrogant. So how does one achieve this?

Know your product or service

This is fundamental to your success. If you don't know your product or service you won't feel comfortable talking about it. If you need to develop your product knowledge, look for resources to help you do this, be it sales training, product or sales manuals, brochures and other materials, senior staff or technical staff with deep product or service knowledge.

Speak naturally

Speak naturally about what you do and the services you offer, a prospect that is interested in your offering is more likely to ask you questions and engage in a conversation with you about your offering. Sharing knowledge will help you build a relationship with a potential prospect.

Relationships develop leads better than any other form of lead generation. Word of mouth and relationships drive sales better than any other lead generation technique, even in today's digital world! Think about your network and whether or not you are leveraging the opportunities that are being presented to you.

Believe in what you are selling

Passion and a genuine belief in your product or service will get more sales flowing.

Be clear, concise and articulate the benefits of your product or services to prospective customers or clients. Remember the golden rule. People are focused on what's in it for them. Make sure you keep the customer and their needs at the centre of your conversation and explain how your product or service can benefit them.

Actively listen to your prospects / customers

Each one is different with unique requirements. Listen to any concerns or objections they have so that you can respond to these effectively. Be mindful not to interrupt when they are trying to express a concern.

Be patient

Be patient with your customers and be aware of body language and social cues. This applies to your own body language and tone of voice and that of your customers. It will help you to gauge interest/disinterest and read the situation, allowing you to know when it's time to speak, seek clarification and when it's necessary to listen or repeat what has been said to reinforce that you have been listening!

By Effie Cinanni - Article Source: EzineArticles.com/9189767