Salesman are not born, they are made. Most really great sales people either came from nothing, and made their way out of bad times by working hard and selling, or came from a life with everything, and received everything they ever asked for. My reason for stating this is: that if you want to sell effectively you have to be able to ask for the sale, and believe with all your heart that it is already yours.
There are steps to a sale: Introductions, qualifying the customer, asking for the sale, rebuttal, and closing the sale. These steps are not techniques. A true sales person sells you without you knowing it.
These are sales techniques explained:
The most subtle sale, and the most effective, is; To assume the sale. This is where you walk into the store(could be anything cars, computers, refrigerators, anything) and the sales person asks if they can show you something. What are you looking for? Then they take you where they want you to buy, and talk to you on the way. They are getting to know you, and most likely picking up on the subtleties of your personality: If your quiet they're quiet, if your a straight shooter guess what so are they. You trust yourself, and they remind you of...you; you trust them.
They show you the product, and it's way out of your budget, either you fawn over it and they've got financing available let them show you how it's done, and before you know it your signing papers, SALE; or you say it's way too expensive, so they say what's your budget? They are qualifying you, are you buying, or not. The whole time they are looking for buyer's questions: How much? Do you have this in black? Do you have one with a thingie that does this? You don't ask these questions if your not buying. If in fact you do ask one of these "buyer's questions" the sale is made. Yes we do! Come up to the front and we'll finish the paperwork up there while Jim gos and gets it for you. By the way, a good salesman always has a "Jim" around to fetch it for you, this is another salesman not selling at the moment, and they help each other all the time. If "Jim's" also selling they can get you started on the paperwork, and you can finish while they get it for you. Either way your not looking anymore, your buying.
Another technique is the "take away", a tricky sale, but very effective. You want it because you can't have what you want. This is already taken, but let's run your credit, and see if we can find anything else you like. When you qualify they take you to a model that's much higher, and much prettier, and you fall in love with it, let's go see if we can get you approved for this baby, SALE. If your not going that route, and you pursue the original product that was out of stock, already taken, out of your budget, well let me see what I can do. Don't move I'll be right back, miracle of miracles if you put down two thousand today my sales manager says he won't hold it for that other guy, it's yours today. Or: He said we can give you the floor model, it's in perfect condition and he's going to knock off fifty bucks cause it's already out of the box, SALE.
There are countless variations to these two techniques, and there are countless other techniques besides these. The bottom line is: if you know how to do the previously stated techniques, you'll learn everything else while you make money.
F.MIchael Sigler
Sales Techniques
Home Improvement: A Guide for the weekend warrior
Curb appeal:
Whether your showing your home to a potential buyer, or you'd just like to make an impression on your guests this season, you'll never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Touch up or repaint your house numbers: On your curb, or next to your front door, if your house numbers look old, or faded they can give a potential buyer the wrong impression of your home.
On the house: Check for any guidelines your HMA may have outlined before doing anything drastic. You can get a lot of great ideas at your local hardware store. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is to have them stand out, without sticking out. I like to go with the color of the house trim, keeping them in plain view of the street.
Let a professional handle the numbers on the curb, some HMA's can be very touchy in this area. Potential cost: Somewhere in the neighborhood(no pun intended)of $15 to $35. Helping the fire department to find your home quickly: priceless.
Paint is worth it's weight in gold: Literally, a good paint job will not only improve your chances of selling quickly, but it may increase of overall value of your home. It's the same concept as giving that old trade-in a good cleaning, and the second coat of wax. This trick has been adding thousands of dollars to the deal since Buick first rolled off the assembly lines.
Make sure your dealing with a reputable contractor. A good company, or independent contractor will have no trouble giving you references, and a copy of their contractors license. These are essential when the jobs not up to standards, and fly by night painters can disappear without a trace.
Get rid of that clutter: Anything that doesn't add to the overall aesthetic value of your home should be removed immediately.
You've been driving up to your home for a while now, and while everything may seem necessary to your point of view, that old garden hose stands out like a sore thumb to a potential buyer.
Never park in front of your home: Vehicles in front of your home obstruct your buyers view, and give your home a feel of being too small to handle their needs.
If your garage is still full of last years "Build a better coffee table" project, there's no better time to clean it out. If you don't have a garage, park neatly in the driveway, or ask a sympathetic neighbor to allow you to park in front of their place while showing your home.
Landscaping: This falls under the same concept of cleaning the car before you trade it in. Your lawn can make or break a buyers impulse to make a deal.
Don't have the budget to hire a professional? Use this trick to get some pointers, before you visit the local plant nursery. Call two or three landscapers and ask for an on-sight estimate, most companies will do this at no charge. Careful, the guy they send is probably their best salesman.
Schedule their reps. for non-conflicting appointments this weekend, and ask for pointers to increase the aesthetics of your landscape. Then tell them your comparing prices with some other companies before you make your decision. Who knows, it may be more affordable than you anticipated once they hear that your comparison shopping. Once again, if your having a professional do the work, check their references and ask for a copy of the contractors license. If you still decide you'd rather do the work on you own, you've got some professional opinions to help you decide what to do.
Increasing your curb appeal can bring your home value, and new life. It may take some time, and effort on your part, but in the long run it can turn out to be the most rewarding project you ever invested in your home.
