Selling Tips for Direct Sales Representatives
The representatives who sell for these companies earn a commission based on volume of products sold. Naturally the more products sold, the more money the representative earns. It is my experience that when a representative can see that selling the benefit of the product is more important than selling the name of the product, the representative will find more sales success. There are three simple tips any salesperson can use to increase their sales volume. The tips I am going to mention in this article revolve around meeting customer needs. Customers need to understand the benefits of the products, see the need to compliment products or have a complete look as well as feel safe making the purchase.
Tip #1
Sell Benefits Not Products
You want the customer to say yes and buy your product. The customer wants to know why they should buy your product. Sell the benefit, not the product. Instead of pushing the newest fragrance, sell how the new fragrance makes the customer feel. Instead of pushing a storage container, sell how long the produce will last inside the container. Instead of pushing your newest lipstick shade, sell how rich and creamy it looks and feels on her lips. If you sell the benefit the customer will understand why they should want your product. If your customer hears that their lettuce will stay fresh longer in your storage container they will understand that they will have greater value by purchasing your lettuce crisper. If your customer can smell your new fragrance on their wrist and it smells good on their skin, they will want to have that scent on them, when they are wearing that new dress they just bought. When your customer feels how soft your rich lipstick makes their lips feel and see how good they look in that new shade of lipstick they will want to own that lipstick.
Tip #2
Combine Products For a Complete Look or Package
Selling more is good for you, the customer sees more as, just more money. How do you get the customer to see more as something they need? Your customer is not interested in how big your commission check will be, so they will only buy more, if more is what will be to their benefit. As a salesperson, your job is to understand what your products can do for your customer and then matches the needs of the customer to your products. Many of the direct sales companies marketing products today, understand that products that can easily bundled together and compliment each other are ideal ways for sales to increase naturally. Understanding which products go together is where the smart representative can turn a single item sale into a multiple purchase.
Let us take a bath line of products for instance. Just as an example; Mrs. Smith wants to order vanilla bubble bath. You could write up the order and be done and make a one-product sale or you can say to Mrs. Smith, ” after you step out of the bath, wouldn’t it be nice to spritz on some of this vanilla bath spray to keep that vanilla scent with you while you are at work?” Mrs. Smith has a visual of her usual stressful days at work, and now she is thinking about how wonderful it would be to smell like she just stepped out of the bath. She loves the scent of vanilla because it relaxes her. The idea of being able to be more relaxed at work is very appealing to her. She now feels the need to purchase both the vanilla bubble bath and the vanilla bath spray. You have turned a one-product sale into a two-product sale.
Selling a complete look is easy when you can show a customer how well a particular eye shadow, blush and lip color look together. Samples can give the customer a look at the complete package so that she can see how well different products look on her. Looking at eye shadow, blush and lip color on a glossy brochure page is not the same as trying on the products in front of her mirror. When a customer can see different make-up products on her skin, she can see how well she looks wearing the products. Colors do not always look on the skin the way they do on a page. Instead of just giving her lip samples, hand her eye and blush samples as well, so she can apply all of them and look at the complete package in the mirror. Once she can see what all the products look like together, it will be difficult to just buy one and not all of them.
Tip #3
Minimize the buying risk.
Customers want to feel safe when buying products. A representative will take away any risk factor, if there is a product satisfaction guarantee, or money-back guarantee. If the company does not offer one, the wise representative will make a guarantee policy of their own. A customer will buy more willingly if they feel they will not lose, if the product is not to their satisfaction. The customer will be more likely to buy, if they know that they will be able to get their money back if they are not satisfied with the product for any reason. Eliminating any risk will increase they amount of buying the customer will do with the representative. Mention frequently any product or service guarantees so that the customer is aware of the fact that they have no, or very little buying risk with your products. Mentioning your guarantee at the beginning, middle and end of the transaction will reinforce this no-risk benefit and help your customer to feel safe making the purchase.
Representatives will increase sales volume if they keep in mind these three selling tips: Sell benefits, create a complete package, and minimize selling risk. Customers buy when they understand the benefits of the products, can realize a complete product look or package, and feel safe spending the money with you. Representatives will be successful in direct sales when they recognize customers have needs when it comes to making product purchase and when those needs are satisfied the products will sell. Direct sales can be a very lucrative career when the representative truly understands that sales will happen when you care about meeting the needs of your customer.
