How To Persuade Your Users, Boss or Clients
This is a great article that reinforces the overall attitude I try to use when selling or working with clients. My dad has worked in sales for over 30 years and coached me up on many of these same techniques. The two main points I most identified with were “Be Personable” and “Be Open”.
I try and relate to people in general as much as possible when interacting. It’s important to show your interest in what they’re interested in. When someone brings up a topic that gets them fired up, ask questions to dive deeper. Asking questions is a big part of sales. Questions help you outline what a client is looking for. Questions you ask in initial meetings can help down the line if the client is unsatisfied with the results produced from your partnership. In these cases, it’s important to remind them that you asked and followed exactly what they wanted to get to where you are today. From my experience sometimes clients are dead set in there thinking and it’s your responsibility to make their ideas become reality. That’s not to say you shouldn’t interject with your opinions and expertise during initial conversations where you are outlining the scope of the project. Instead of blatantly telling them their thinking is flawed, try to ask questions that ultimately lead to them agreeing with you. For example if you are trying to explain that Search Engine Optimization is key to any website redesign you could ask the following questions: Would you like to increase traffic to your website? Are you looking to get more targeted traffic to your website? Would you agree that the leads you are getting from your website are inconsistent and aren’t being closed at a rate you are happy with? Now you have raised three concerns the client has and already have them agreeing with you. All you have left to do is tell them how to fix a problem they just admitted to having.
As for being open, I try to be honest in all facets of my life, including business. Most people respect and appreciate honesty. I have been pleasantly surprised at how understanding people can be if you admit your mistakes. This also applies to times when something goes wrong that is not your fault. For example, I’ve had issues in the past where a server will go down and in turn take a client’s site down. Always try and give the client as much information about the situation as possible. Remember, this website is important to them and may be their only means of income. Give them accurate information so they can make educated decisions about how they should move forward with their day to day business.
Learning to sell and clearly get your ideas across is an ongoing process that you need to continue to develop. Learning from past experiences is key to finding out what works for you. If you are just starting out in sales or working with clients try using some of the principles and techniques in this article. They are effective and will help you succeed in your future business interactions!
How To Persuade Your Users, Boss or Clients
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