Best Sales Techniques For Entrepreneurs

Last Updated: 

January 19, 2024

Are you caught in the cycle of selling and delivering without making any significant progress within your business?

Have no fear! Robin's here! In this episode of The Fearless Business Podcast, Robin shares his expertise and provides the best sales techniques for entrepreneurs. Alongside this, Robin advises listeners on how they can avoid the 'sales cycle of doom' and adopt a healthier outlook when it comes to selling.

Key Takeaways on Best Sales Techniques for Entrepreneurs:

  • Sales Cycle of Doom: Entrepreneurs should be aware of the 'sales cycle of doom' and adopt strategies to avoid it. This cycle can trap businesses in repetitive selling without making significant progress.
  • Common Sales Mistake: One of the most common mistakes in sales is "winging it." Entrepreneurs should approach sales with a structured plan and mindset, akin to a surgeon's perspective, focusing on providing solutions to clients' problems.
  • Trust and Fit: Building trust with clients is crucial. Entrepreneurs should ensure they offer solutions tailored to their clients' needs and avoid taking on clients who aren't a good fit.
  • Nailing Sales Calls: The success of a sales call depends on how entrepreneurs pitch themselves. They should aim for either a "hard close" (client is certain and commits immediately) or a "soft close" (client needs more time but makes a micro commitment).
  • Avoid "Self Select" Packages: Entrepreneurs should guide clients towards the most suitable package based on their needs, rather than letting clients choose based on their preferences or financial constraints.
  • Practice and Preparation: Preparation is key to successful sales calls. Entrepreneurs should set clear intentions, research clients, conduct sales role plays, and record their sales calls for review and improvement.
  • Fearless Business Community: Entrepreneurs can join communities like the Fearless Business group on Facebook for further insights, support, and networking opportunities.

Effective sales techniques are crucial for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. By understanding common mistakes, focusing on building trust, and practicing their sales pitch, entrepreneurs can enhance their sales outcomes and drive business growth.

Discover Real-World Success Stories

What we will be discussing today

  • Successful Sales Techniques
  • What is The Sales Cycle of Doom?
  • How to Avoid / Overcome The Sales Cycle of Doom
  • The Best Mindset When it Comes to Selling

Listen to the Full Episode

Do you feel like you aren’t succeeding as much as you can when closing sales calls?

In this episode of The Fearless Business Podcast, Robin shares his expertise on everything to do with sales, from sales calls techniques to the mindset of selling itself. Robin advises how they can confidently close calls and therefore generate more income for their business.

The Biggest Mistake All Sales People are Making

According to Robin, the most common mistake he sees his clients make when it comes to selling is the fact they are simply just winging it!

Robin advises that they take on a surgeon’s perspective for those who don’t see the issue. As we all know, a surgeons job is to save lives and help their patients. If a patient comes to them for an injuring or illness, it’s up to them to find a cure. As a salesperson, entrepreneurs will find that their clients invest in them for your help and services just like a patient. Entrepreneurs, especially where business coaches are concerned, will find that their clients typically need them more than the entrepreneur needs the client. Ultimately the entrepreneur should do everything in their power to help that person. It’s their responsibility!

This is why it’s essential to ensure a strong amount of trust between both parties. An entrepreneur’s job, particularly ones that are service-based, is to offer a cast-iron solution to their client’s problems. This is also why it’s integral not to take on clients that aren’t necessarily a good fit; this only causes ramifications down the line as the service isn’t intended for them.

The Key to Nailing Sales Calls

The key to nailing a sales call is down to how the entrepreneur pitches themselves. The one thing Robin highly stresses that an entrepreneur shouldn’t do is purely just sell their proposals. Instead, the salesperson should aim to achieve a “hard” or “soft” close by the end of a sales call. In a nutshell, this is:

  • Hard Close - Where a client is 100% certain. They may choose to invest in the service immediately, sign up or pay a deposit.
  • Soft Close - Where a client needs more time before they make a decision; however, they make a ‘micro commitment.

If a client decides on a soft close, that is more than okay! What salespeople should avoid is forcing their hand. Instead, Robin recommends getting clients to agree to a micro commitment. Examples of micro-commitments can be found in the forms of a follow-up call, appointment or email. If they reject the micro-commitment, that connotes that the client isn’t willing to commit, which is a red flag overall. During the sales call, Robin believes entrepreneurs should be on the lookout for any red flags suggesting that the prospect is time-wasting. Red flags can be observed through the likes of body language, tone, and hesitations. Robin allows three red flags before shutting down the sales call entirely as a general rule of thumb.

Why You Shouldn’t Allow Clients to “Self Select”

Another huge mistake salespeople make is allowing the client to choose the package for themselves. Of course, it’s a common saying that the customer is always right and should come first. However, if we go back to using the doctor analogy, you wouldn’t allow a patient to choose their treatment if they had a severe injury.

Reasons for customers being adamant about specific packages over others is typically due to a financial issue. This is why entrepreneurs should define their products by whether or not they are the most suitable for their clients. To achieve this, Robin recommends outlining packages as follows:

“In order to get X outcome, you need to achieve X amount of ROI. So, for the specific goals you’d like to achieve, I believe package X would be the most suitable for you.”

If the clients still insist on the more unsuitable option, try this:

“Well, if we go forward with package Y instead of package X, I can’t guarantee that you’ll reach your desired outcomes and results.”

By doing it this way, entrepreneurs are not only not forcing their client’s hands; they are persuading the client with the correct information, and it gives off the impression that they are putting the ball in their court.

Practice Makes Perfect

It’s surprisingly common the number of salespeople that go in cold before their sales calls. Ultimately, what salespeople need to do to prepare for a call with a client is to set their intention and what they want to achieve out of the client by the end of the sales call. They also need to make sure they research the client thoroughly and ensure there’s some form of application/sign up process prior to the call so they can gather all the information needed in one place.

There are two things that Robin recommends everyone should do when it comes to preparing for their sales call:

  1. Conduct a Sales Role Play - this can be done with a coach, mentor colleague or a friend. This is an excellent way of practising with someone you are more comfortable with and garner feedback on what it’s like to be the client.
  2. Record your Sales Calls and Listen to Them Back - when you are conducting a sales call, you usually are caught up in the moment, and 100% focused on the client. By watching a call back, the salesperson can objectively witness what went well and what didn’t and know what to improve next time.

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