In this episode of EmpowerBiz: MSME Growth Mindset, we explore proven sales techniques to help you increase revenue and build stronger relationships with your customers. Learn how to actively listen, build trust, leverage social proof, create urgency, and overcome objections with empathy. These time-tested strategies will help you master the art of sales and grow your business. Tune in for practical tips and actionable insights to boost your sales performance.
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Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to episode 13 of season two of EmpowerBiz:MSME
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Speaker 1: Growth Mindset.
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Speaker 1: I'm Abanibhusan Bera, your host, a business growth strategist and sales coach for
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Speaker 1: MSME entrepreneurs.
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Speaker 1: Before I dive into today's topic, let me share with
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Speaker 1: you that from this episode onwards, my podcast shall be
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Speaker 1: published at 5;30 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays till
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Speaker 1: further change is announced. All right,
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Speaker 1: today, we are diving into one of the most critical
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Speaker 1: aspects of running a business and that's sales. More specifically,
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Speaker 1: we will be talking about prevent sales techniques that can
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Speaker 1: help you increase your revenue.
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Speaker 1: Let's face it; without sales, no business can survive, let
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Speaker 1: alone thrive. And as an msme entrepreneur, mastering the art of
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Speaker 1: sales is one of the most important things you can
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Speaker 1: do to ensure the success and growth of your business.
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Speaker 1: But selling isn't just about pushing your products or services.
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Speaker 1: It's about building relationships,
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Speaker 1: understanding your customer's needs and providing value that resonates. Today.
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Speaker 1: We'll go through some time tested methods to boost your revenue
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Speaker 1: and you will find that these techniques aren't just effective.
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Speaker 1: They're also easy to implement. Let's get started.
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Speaker 1: Let me start with the psychology of selling.
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Speaker 1: Before I get into specific techniques,
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Speaker 1: I want to take a moment to talk about the
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Speaker 1: psychology behind selling; sales isn't just about numbers and transactions.
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Speaker 1: It's about understanding human behavior.
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Speaker 1: Why do people buy? What drives their decisions? It comes
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Speaker 1: down to emotion.
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Speaker 1: People buy based on emotions and justify their decisions with logic.
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Speaker 1: They need to feel that the product or service they
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Speaker 1: are purchasing will improve their lives, solve their problem or
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Speaker 1: bring them closer to a goal. As a business owner,
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Speaker 1: your job is to tap into those emotions.
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Speaker 1: That means truly understanding your customer's pain points, desires and motivations.
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Speaker 1: When we approach sales from this perspective, it's no longer
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Speaker 1: about just closing a deal. It's about providing a solution
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Speaker 1: that makes your customers feel understood and valued.
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Speaker 1: Now let's dive into top seven proven sales techniques that
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Speaker 1: can help you increase revenue. These are strategies that have
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Speaker 1: stood the test of time and they work across industries
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Speaker 1: and markets.
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Speaker 1: First, active listening and asking the right questions.
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Speaker 1: One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is doing all the talking.
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Speaker 1: But the real secret to sales success is listening. Really
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Speaker 1: listening to your customer,
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Speaker 1: the more you listen, the better you can understand their needs,
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Speaker 1: which means you can offer them the perfect solution,
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Speaker 1: ask open ended questions that encourage your customers to talk
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Speaker 1: about their needs, challenges and goals. Questions like
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Speaker 1: what are the biggest challenges you're facing? Right? Now what would
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Speaker 1: make this product or service a success for you
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Speaker 1: by asking the right questions and then truly listening to
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Speaker 1: the answers, you will position yourself as someone who cares
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Speaker 1: about more than just making a sell, you care about
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Speaker 1: helping them solve their problems.
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Speaker 1: Second,
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Speaker 1: build relationships, not just transactions, building strong relationships with your
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Speaker 1: customers is key to increasing revenue. People are more likely
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Speaker 1: to buy from businesses they know, like and trust. So
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Speaker 1: instead of focusing on closing a sale as quickly as possible,
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Speaker 1: focus on building a relationship.
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Speaker 1: Show genuine interest in your customers lives, remember important details
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Speaker 1: and follow up after the sales to see how they are doing.
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Speaker 1: Relationships are particularly important for MSME entrepreneurs. Because unlike large corporations,
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Speaker 1: you have the ability to create personal connections with your customers,
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Speaker 1: you can offer that personal touch
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Speaker 1: that many people crave in today's impersonal digital world. When
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Speaker 1: customers feel valued, they are more likely to stay loyal
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Speaker 1: to your brand and make repeat purchases, increasing your revenue
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Speaker 1: over time.
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Speaker 1: Third, the power of social probe,
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Speaker 1: social proof is a powerful tool in sales. People are naturally
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Speaker 1: inclined to follow the actions of others. If potential customers
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Speaker 1: see that other people, especially people like them are using
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Speaker 1: and enjoying your product or service, they are more likely
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Speaker 1: to make a purchase themselves. Think about how often you
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Speaker 1: have bought something after reading glowing reviews or seeing a
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Speaker 1: friend recommended on social media
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Speaker 1: you can leverage social proof in several ways. First, encourage your
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Speaker 1: satisfied customers to leave reviews and testimonials share those reviews
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Speaker 1: on your website social media and in your marketing materials.
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Speaker 1: If you have,
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Speaker 1: case studies or success studies, use them to show how
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Speaker 1: your product or service has made a difference for others.
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Speaker 1: Social proof provides the reassurance that new customers need to feel confident
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Speaker 1: in their buying decision.
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Speaker 1: Fourth,
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Speaker 1: create a sense of urgency. Creating a sense of urgency
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Speaker 1: can be an incredibly effective way to drive sales. When
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Speaker 1: people feel like they might miss out on something, they
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Speaker 1: are more likely to take action. This technique taps into
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Speaker 1: the fear of missing out or FOMO which is a
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Speaker 1: powerful motivator.
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Speaker 1: There are a few ways to create urgency. You could
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Speaker 1: offer a limited time discount, promote a product that's a
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Speaker 1: limited supply or on a flash shell. The key is
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Speaker 1: to make the offer feel genuine and time sensitive without
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Speaker 1: being overly pushy. A well timed urgent offer can prompt
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Speaker 1: customers to make a decision and increase your sales in
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Speaker 1: the short term.
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Speaker 1: Fifth, sell the benefits, not the features. When you are
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Speaker 1: talking to potential customers, it's easy to get caught up
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Speaker 1: in listing all the features of your product or service.
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Speaker 1: But what really drives sales is focusing on the benefits,
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Speaker 1: what your product or service will do for your customer.
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Speaker 1: How will it make their life easier? How will it
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Speaker 1: solve their problems? How will it help them achieve their goals?
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Speaker 1: Customers don't care about features unless they understand how those
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Speaker 1: features will benefit them.
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Speaker 1: So instead of saying this software has X, Y and Z features,
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Speaker 1: you should say this software will save you hours of
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Speaker 1: time each week and help you manage your tasks more
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Speaker 1: efficiently
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Speaker 1: by focusing on the benefits which we call also outcome,
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Speaker 1: you are painting a picture of how your product or
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Speaker 1: service can improve your customer's life, which is far more
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Speaker 1: compelling than a list of technical specs sixth. Overcome objections
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Speaker 1: with empathy.
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Speaker 1: Every salesperson encounters objections, whether its concerns about price timing
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Speaker 1: or the product itself. Objections are a natural part of
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Speaker 1: the sales process. The key is to address them with
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Speaker 1: empathy instead of getting defensive. When a customer raises an objection,
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Speaker 1: acknowledge their concern, say something like I completely understand where you
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Speaker 1: are coming from.
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Speaker 1: Let's talk about that. This approach shows that you are
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Speaker 1: listening and that you respect their perspective, then offer a
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Speaker 1: solution or reassurance that addresses their concern. For example, if
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Speaker 1: a customer is hesitant about the price, you could highlight
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Speaker 1: the long term value and cost savings they will experience by
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Speaker 1: investing in your product or service
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Speaker 1: by addressing objections with empathy and understanding. You are more
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Speaker 1: likely to move the conversation forward and close the sale.
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Speaker 1: seventh. The last one : follow up is key.
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Speaker 1: You have heard it before: "the fortune is in the
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Speaker 1: follow up" and it's true. Many sales are lost simply
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Speaker 1: because there was no follow up; whether you are following
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Speaker 1: up after an initial sales conversation, after sending a proposal
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Speaker 1: or even after a sale has been made, the follow
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Speaker 1: up is crucial to maintaining momentum and closing deals. Make
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Speaker 1: it a point to follow up with potential customers who
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Speaker 1: have not yet made a decision.
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Speaker 1: Sometimes they just need a gentle nudgee or a reminder
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Speaker 1: that you are still there to help and don't forget
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Speaker 1: to follow up with existing customers too. Ask them how
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Speaker 1: they are enjoying your product or service and see if
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Speaker 1: there's anything
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Speaker 1: else you can do to support them.
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Speaker 1: This not only opens the door for additional sales but
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Speaker 1: also strengthens the customer relationship.
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Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me in today's episode on sales techniques.
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Speaker 1: We have explored several methods to increase your revenue from
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Speaker 1: active listening and building relationships to creating urgency and leveraging
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Speaker 1: social proof
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Speaker 1: sales isn't about being pushy or aggressive. It's about understanding
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Speaker 1: your customers providing value and building lasting relationships. When you
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Speaker 1: approach sales with empathy, authenticity and the customer first mindset,
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Speaker 1: you will not only close more deals but also build
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Speaker 1: a loyal customer base that supports your business for years
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Speaker 1: to come.
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Speaker 1: If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe to
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Speaker 1: the podcast. Leave a review and share it with fellow
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Speaker 1: mm entrepreneurs. You can also visit our website,
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Speaker 1: msmegrowthhub.com. It's msmegrowthhub.com for more resources and join the MSME Growth community
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Speaker 1: to continue your journey toward business excellence. Until next time,
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Speaker 1: keep listening, keep learning and keep growing.