[caption id="attachment_3161" align="alignright" width="500"] Sales Success[/caption] Why Do Customers Buy?  The secret to successful selling in any company is based on providing the promise of an emotional gratification that the buyer is seeking. It doesn't matter how great the company's goods or services are. The one thing that matters is the customer's "What's In It For Me?" factor . You can't convince a customer to buy what you are selling simply based on how wonderful your product or service is. But there are a few factors that contribute to successful selling. Here are some of the most important ones. Selling Tips

1. 1. Find a need and fill it.  You product or services has to fulfill a need that the customer has. A high frustration level on the part of your customer typically indicates that they have a pressing need for a solution to their frustration. Another strong indicator is a deep wish to own that product or service.
   2. Ask a lot of questions. Uncover the nature of their need for your product and/or service by asking a lot of questions. It is more important to let the customer talk than for you to talk about how great your product(s) and/or services are. It is not a good idea to  assume you know what they need. As you ask questions, make them open-ended as opposed to yes/no questions. Follow the thread of the conversation to go deeper about their wants and needs.
   3. Take notes that reveal their frustrations and/or wishes.  It is important to highlight the frustrations and or wishes they mention in their own words so you can refer back to them later in the conversation.
   4. Provide the promise of the emotional gratification they are seeking.  Understanding your customer's demographic and psychographic profiles is the key to understanding how to best provide the promise of emotional gratification that your customer is seeking. Demographics profile who your customers are regarding factors like age, profession, geographic location, income, sex, etc. The Psychographic profile of your preferred customers reflect why they buy. For example, stay-at-home moms often buy because what they are buying contributes to creating a warm home environment for family or friends. Another example is an engineer who buys because it is proven, or they can count on the product to work. Luckily, in the world of marketing, there are 2 main categories of Psychographic profiles. Each one has 3 choices. Knowing the Demographic and Psychographic profiles of your preferred customers gives you an edge when selling by giving  you a way to talk with the customer in a way that has meaning for them.
   5.  Summarize their frustrations/wishes in their words.  Once you have finished exploring the customer's needs, summarize their frustrations in their words and ask if they would like to hear some solutions to the frustrations/wishes they have expressed. If so, repeat each frustration and then, as an expert, describe the solution(s) that would help them have what they want. Do this as an expert in your field, not someone who is trying to sell them something. Once you have described the solution(s), ask - "Would you like to hear how we/our/company name can do that for you? This gives you an opportunity to describe your product or service.
   6. Ask for the sale. After you have described what you have to offer, ask them "If our product and/or service could do this for you, would that be something you would like to do? That last sentence could be called the "close." In this setting, it is simply the natural result of the conversation you have been having with your customer. Don this way, the sale will occur with ease. There is no pressure for them or for you during this type of conversation. There is only good information that is helpful to the customer based on their expressed wishes/needs. Not everyone will buy, but you will be building strong relationships with the customer's self-interest in the foreground. This may result in future sales and referrals.This approach to selling is relationship-based. For it to work, you have to genuinely care about the customer and helping them resolve their frustrations or fill their needs. Find out what your preferred customer's demographic and psychographic profiles are so you can have an authentic conversation that is a win-win.SPECIAL OFFER to Build Your Preferred Customer Profiles. This is a 5-hour block of time available for the month of September, 2020 for a the discounted price of $500, (a $750 value). Call Janice @ 707-326-5681 to schedule your sessions.