Are you afraid of marketing door to door but you want to face your fears? If YES, here is exactly how to approach and sell a product to a customer face to face. Sales is one of the most important aspects of business and the reason is because without sales, there will be no revenue and profit.
Now it is a well established fact that the customers are the deciding factor when it comes to sales and in today’s world, where the marketplace is crowded with a variety of similar products; having a great product is not enough anymore. You must know or learn how to sell.
What is Face-to-Face Marketing?
Face-to-face or door-to-door marketing involves going from one business (or customer) to another physically with the intention of selling to them a product or service.
Face-to-face marketing may seem like a nerve-wracking thing to do for the new entrepreneur or freelancer, but when it is done correctly, it can be a very powerful way to build your business and grow your customer base. In addition, face to face marketing can bring immediate results and it can be easier for first timers than telesales.
If you know how to do face-to-face marketing—you can decide whether it’s something you want to implement in your business or not. You may have an excellent product but if you do not know how to market it to people, you will have difficulty in generating sales.
Now selling is a process that requires preparation, you also need analytic and marketing skill to keep your product noticed.
A lot of salespeople take the path of least resistance. They will prefer to call or email a prospect rather than meeting them on a face to face basis. However, customers and prospects find it easy to ignore emails and calls – and that makes selling a lot tougher.
When you meet a customer face to face, you can get their full attention for that moment. A face-to-face meeting is much more persuasive. You get more information, you can gauge their reactions, find out what their objections are and overcome them.
“The ability to sell is the number one skill in business. If you cannot sell, don’t bother thinking about becoming a business owner.” – Rich Dad
Although selling techniques to be employed may vary along with your target market, some selling principles and basics remain the same regardless of different factors. So whether you are running a retail store, a wholesale shop or you are selling services or products online, here are some sales tips on that can help push your products out faster:
Steps to Approach and Sell a Product to a Customer Face to Face
1. Research the company
You should check the website of the company and see if you can find news and announcements concerning the company. Look for an angle that will help you sell. This information can come in handy during the meeting. If they’ve just come back from an industry exhibition for instance, ask them how it went.
In addition you should also Google about the person you are meeting. Find out about their background and look for places where they are quoted such as press releases and articles. You can also find information about them on social networking websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
2. Know your product by heart
Nothing is more appalling to a customer than a seller who does not know what he is selling. As a professional salesman or an entrepreneur, you have to be ready to answer your customers’ questions regarding your product.
To sell your products faster you must know the basic things about your products like its functions, where it is manufactured, its specifications, strengths and weaknesses, results to be expected from using the product, etc. In fact, you must know the A-Z of your products like the back of your hand because sometimes, selling involves teaching and educating customers.
3. Convert your product features into benefits
Knowing your product’s key features is not enough if you really want to sell your products fast. Why? The reason is because customers don’t care about the features or specifications of your product; rather, they are interested in what your product can do for them.
So you can take this as an advantage by using the key features of your product to communicate to your customer how this product is going to be beneficial to him. Don’t tell the customer about you product features, tell him about what he can get out of the product, or how a certain function of the product is good for him. Amplify the benefits of your product and you will sell it faster.
4. Get to know your potential buyers
How well do you know your existing customers? What do you know about your potential customers? What are the demographics of your potential customers?
Where do they shop? Why do they buy? What do they buy? What is their level of income? What is the ultimate benefit they are looking for in a product? To sell faster than your competitors, you need to answer all the questions asked above.
And to answer these questions, you need to do some research regarding your target market and have an idea about what they are looking for in a product similar to the one you are selling.
Also learn what group, age bracket and socio economic status of your prospective customers to strategize more. Arming yourself with this information will reveal your customer’s soft spot, give you an edge over your competitors and enable sell your products fast.
5. Advertise your product
Selling your products faster can be made easier with proper advertisement. When you advertise your product, customers will easily have a basic knowledge on what it is you are trying to sell. So instead of introducing your product, you can just concentrate on answering your customer’s questions and clearing his/her doubt.
Advertising your products will also enable you to reach out to potential buyers who know little or nothing about how good your product is. Getting a customer to be interested or curious is important so that he will pay your establishment a visit.
6. Be straightforward and honest
Never make representations about your product which is untrue. Do not exaggerate on its benefits or features because it can only get you into trouble. To sell your products and also recurring sales, you have to be genuine and trustworthy.
Customers are getting smarter; they are learning to read beyond the lips of salespeople and they are getting bored of media hype. People do not like it when they are tricked into purchasing an item which fails to meet their expectations.
7. Be enthusiastic
Enthusiasm can make a big difference especially in the game of selling. To be good at selling, you have to love selling. You must love interacting with people and above all, you must be happy to help people understand your products or company better.
You have to love promoting and selling your product because this will reflect on how you deal with customers. Give the customer some space yet let him know that you are there to help him with his queries.
sonal introduction. It will help you to be more confident and to better judge how the meeting is going. Plus you can show you are prepared if you pose additional questions linking to the knowledge you gained through your preparation. That shows your prospect you are informed, prepared and value his time.
Avoid monologues during this first phase. Try to focus on listening and getting both of you comfortable, learn about your counterpart. Taking short notes helps you to remember if necessary.
8. Prepare and ask intelligent questions
Asking questions and listening to the answers is vital if you are going to impress the person you are meeting. Ask if they are having any problems that they need help with. Use the information to angle your sales pitch.
9. Don’t forget about territory planning
If you are on the road a lot, you need to be clever about how you use your time. Arrange several meetings in one area to minimize travel time and plan the most efficient routes from place to place.
10. Try to overcome the urge to jump in and pitch too early. Let the client talk and tailor your pitch to their precise needs.
11. Make sure that before you leave, you get a form of commitment. If it’s too early to close the sale, put a date in the diary for the next meeting.
12. Make your product stand out
Now if you are just a salesperson, there is really not much you can do in this area but if you are a business owner or retailer, then there’s much you can do. To sell more products in less time, you must separate your products from the rest of the pack.
What distinguishes your products from those of your competitors? Does your product stand out in the marketplace? These are questions you must answer.
To separate yourself from the crowd, you need to tell your customer why your product is better than the others available in the market. Talk about added benefits, unusual characteristics, and why they can get the best out of their money’s worth if they buy your product.
You can stand out by giving your product a unique packaging, brand your products, offering a specific promise, positioning your products strategically especially in trade shows or events, etc.