How to Sell Yourself to Sell Your Product or Service

Have you ever considered the idea of selling yourself? Chances are you have not. But if you’re in the sales industry, selling yourself is an essential part of your day. Before further confusion sets in, I’m talking about selling yourself not in the jail-worthy kind. Rather, it’s how you present yourself to your client. Are you convincing enough? Do you look like someone trustworthy? Do you seem knowledgeable and credible? These are some questions that are often not verbally uttered. However, it crosses the minds of clients. What’s worse, it can determine whether you make a sale or not. In many instances it can be a poor reason to say no to a perfectly good product or service. But that’s a reality you have to face.

So the question now is how do you sell yourself?

Some sales professionals do this like it is genetically encoded. On the other hand, there are those who struggle like it’s some kind of alien language. But don’t give up just yet. Here are some tips to level the playing field.

Prepare

Let’s learn from one of the most respected U.S. Presidents – Abraham Lincoln. He said that if he had 8 hours to chop down a tree, he’ll spend 6 hours sharpening his ax. No, it’s not about how much trees you cut down. Rather, the amount of preparations that you take. Here are some practical questions you should ask yourself:

• What should I know?
• If I were a client what do I want to know?
• What are the common questions clients asks?
• Who can help me learn more about the product/service?
• What are the common client complaints and how do I address them?
• What materials and tools do I need?

Facing clients can be unnerving especially for the newbies. But if you prepare for each encounter, anxieties will decrease and confidence soars.

1. Is Selling Hard?
2. Turn Questions Into Sales
3. Internetiquette: Internet Etiquette for the Sales Professionals
4. How to Be Great at Selling
5. Selling Tangibles Vs. Selling Intangibles

Practice

An overused adage is practice makes perfect. In spite being overused, many still do not take heed. I often tell team leaders to drill their members on everything involving handling customers. Whether it’s a simple greeting or handling irate customers everything must be rehearsed. Of course you can never recreate all possible scenarios. But it’s better to make mistakes during mocks and rills instead of making a fool of yourself in front of a client. During practice, you get to learn the best way.

Exhibit credibility

How credible are you as a representative of the company? This question is a loaded query. It encompasses basic knowledge to important skills with clients. The credibility (or the perceived credibility) of the representative directly affect how the client sees the product or service.

• Know more than the basic information about the product or service
• Answer questions clearly
• Dress appropriately
• Conduct yourself in a professional manner

Show respect

One of the best ways to sell your self is to show respect. More than just showing respect for age, position or seniority, one must exhibit sensitivity to cultural or even religious differences. Not everything you think is appropriate for you is appropriate for others. Respect is a key ingredient in creating lasting relationships. So when you want your clients to be long-time partners (not in a romantic way), then respect is your ticket.

Communicate clearly

Another essential ingredient in selling your self is to communicate clearly. Being concise and clear with your ideas will help. Moreover, communicating clearly allows transparent conversion that does not rely on assumptions. Once people assume things, misinterpretations can be expected.

Many sales encounters turn out frustrating because communication is not clear. When sales professionals communicate clearly, they offer better understanding for the clients. In addition, it allows the sales person to explore all possible avenues to close the sale.

Clear communication is a dialogue between the sales professional and the clients. What happens in many cases is a monologue of sales spiels that turns off customers.

I often tell sales professionals that the first thing that they have to sell is themselves. Impressions do matter in sales. Once you lose the opportunity to earn the trust of your client, it becomes harder to convince them to say yes.