One of the most crucial skills in today’s business world is the ability to sell. Egypt is a prime example of the importance of sales skills. With massive unemployment rates in the country, the not-for-profit National Egyptian Development Association (NEDA) is focusing on developing sales skills in the country’s emerging graduates. A massive 85% of graduates who have completed this NEDA sales course have obtained job offers or on-the-job training. If you want to increase your ability to sell – be it a product, a project, or even the ability to sell yourself to higher management – the next three tips are essential reading.
1. Identify your target market. Say, for example, you want to put yourself forward for that new assignment. The sales skills you use on management will differ to those you use on your co-workers when selling an idea.
2. Understand your target. One of the key elements to selling is gaining an understanding of the person you are selling to. You need to assess your customer’s perspective; what is it that will make them buy what I am selling? By putting yourself in their shoes, you can better understand the techniques that will appeal to them.
3. The pitch. So you’ve identified the person you want to sell to, and you’ve attempted to gain a better understanding of their perspective. Now you have to pitch your product. This is one of the most important aspects of selling. Your pitch will determine whether you successfully sell or not. Part of this requires determining what it is about you, or your product, that is unique. These unique characteristics will make up the core of your pitch. Once you’ve identified your unique selling aspects, you need to determine their compatibility with the needs of the person you are selling to. Once you do this, you are on your way to making a successful sale.
These three tips apply whether you want to sell a project, a product, or your own skills and attributes. In a competitive market place, sales skills can be used to assert your individuality. By following the steps outlined above, you will automatically enhance your ability to sell and in the process, enhance your position in any business.
In this series of blog posts, you will learn tips for business success that will take you 5 minutes to achieve. These 5 minute tips will help you find success as an employee, manager, or business owner.
