Carmit Yadin, Author, “How to BOOM B2B Sales”

You have an idea. You start a company. You develop, refine and produce your solution or product.

You stand back and take rightful pride in your creation. Now what?

You have to sell it!

For many entrepreneurs sales can seem like a daunting obstacle in their path to success. It seems like a completely different world requiring a completely different skill set than product development. There are a lot of differences, but that doesn’t make them insurmountable.

I made the transition from engineer to salesperson a few years ago. I had a thorough grasp on the technology business after working in it for over a decade, but it was a difficult transition to make, and didn’t garner me immediate success. Eventually, through observation, trial and error, and some creative thinking it came: The Four Steps that allow you to sell anything to anyone.

1. Do your homework so you can understand your customer or anyone else you intend to sell to. Know about their roles and objectives. Have a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of your offering, whether a product, a plan or an idea. Make sure you know every possible detail about the entire situation. Don’t let a sale slip away because you didn’t know how their company functions.
2. Learn to ask and listen. You should know how to present your ideas to your audience. The wrong presentation comes across as pushy. Learning to ask the right questions and truly listen to the answers will help you understand the needs of the people you are selling to and how the product can help them achieve their goals. Listening will help you know what matters to your customers and how to present the product or idea in a way that they will see its benefits rather than disadvantages.
3. Forge a genuine relationship between you and your customer. To achieve this, you will need to explain things in a way they understand, and not talking to them as a salesperson. Greet and interact with them as you would with a colleague or friend, while keeping it professional. This relationship can tell you what an individual is looking for and how to address their concerns appropriately.
4. Know which side you are on. Hint: it’s theirs. It is essential that you always keep in mind that you are working for the customer and trying to sell the product or item to them is a way of helping them meet their goals. Selling is all about convincing the customer of your ability to make them more successful and then proving it to them.

Sales doesn’t have to be scary. It only has to be a conversation. Remember, business is between people, not companies.

About the Author

Carmit Yadin is an international speaker and author helping leaders in business improve their B2B relationships and accelerate business growth. She is the author of “How to BOOM B2B Sales.” For more information visit www.carmityadin.com