Best Sales Tip : Stop Selling! [ #LinkedIn Inspired]

Sales Tips - How Do You Sell Your "Pen"? 

Effective sales is filling the needs of people. This post was inspired by Victoria P. Negotiation Consultant, She Negotiates Consulting and Training.
Victoria wrote an insightful post about the difficulties of "selling"  a judge on an argument.  You may not realize it, but every day most people are  involved in sales.
In Victoria's article, she cites the example of from "The Wolf of Wall Street" where the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio challenges would be sales students to "Sell Me This Pen" at 2:38.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Sell Me This PEn

Whether selling a pen, or a history lesson, people need to realize approach the question from the right end.  If you focus on "selling" you're dead in the water from the get go. When presented with a product or service that you need to market there are several questions that can help you get past that "slick sales" attitude that may be defeating you. Just like these "salesmen".

Sales Tips - Stop "Selling" Your Pen

These questions may help you become more of a authentic customer service representative and move from the "Slick sales" model.

1. What is the unique selling position of this product or service? 
2. What are the consequences of not having this product or service? 
3. What are the rewards of having this product or service? 
4. Who needs this?
5. Why do they need it? 
6. How are they part of a similar group in needing this? 

For Victoria, perhaps selling a judge on her argument, may include a cost-benefit analysis.

• Why is it important this person remains in the community or off the streets? 
• How does your argument meet the needs of the judge, and society? 
• What is unique about this case? 

Selling Your "Pen" - Awakening The Need: 3 Steps 

After discovering how truly awesome your solution is for others, you may need to help others see how truly awesome your solution is too. Do you have the world's best pen? Well so what? Awakening the realization of need is an important marketing skill.
An effective 3 part marketing technique includes:

1. Utilizing 3 questions to raise dissatisfaction with the status quo. 
2. A reassuring statement assuring the person they are not alone in their dissatisfaction. 
3. Presenting your unique solution. 

The pen?
One suggested opener : Do you have a pen on you?

Want to chat more about sales, marketing, or my passion for helping small businesses get found locally online?
  LinkUp with me on LinkedIn - Suzanne Sholer.
Wishing you success,
+Suzanne

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About Suzanne Sholer

Suzanne Sholer BA B.Ed
Social Media Geek

As a daughter of serial entrepreneurs, I gained an appreciation for small business marketing. Add to that ;a passion for empowering others, a B.A. B.Ed with undergrad courses in psychology of marketing gained through media studies, a fascination with Marketing Stats and you get Minute to Market - My online file of Marketing notes.
Need help implementing this tip or have another marketing conundrum? Drop a confidential comment with your email address on any post.

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LinkedIn profiles rank in the top five search results for names. Whether you have a business, or are job seeking, LinkedIn is the place to establish professional connections, and make it easy for prospective clients or employers to find you.  LinkedIn connects over 70 million people in 200 countries and territories. While LinkedIn is not a top hot spot, according to alexa ratings, LinkedIn is climbing in popularity as a social networking site. Once, a basic job-seeker billboard, LinkedIn is now a connection-based referral source where careers are jump started, and businesses built through connections. LinkedIn is a veritable electronic version of an “old boys network”.

LinkedIn offers an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and experience while connecting with other professionals to further your career. LinkedIn profiles build authority, through not only being shared on their site, but as a high ranking personal brand throughout the web.  

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