Sales Training – The Fijian Way
Have you spent thousands of dollars attending courses and training programs on how to sell? On how to increase sales in your business? On the easiest way to sell? Anything to do with selling?
“Well I am telling you right now, one trip to Fiji and you can learn all the lessons you need to makes your sales funnel electric.”
Now I must admit, I am not a sales expert. Heck, I don’t even spend money on advertising. But you know what, I know where my clients find me and how they find me and I target them accordingly (mainly through rewarding those that provide the referrals in the first place).
However, at the end of the day, no matter what business we are in (product based, manufacturing, retail, service or otherwise) we are all selling something. Something physical or our skill. For our business to grow and continue, it is still selling.
So what can we learn from the Fijian people to boost our sales funnel:
1.Know your audience/target market. Seems obvious right? But how often do I hear my clients say “my ideal customer is mums” or “my ideal customers is business owners”. Whilst technically that may be true – that is quite a big field you are playing in. If you can narrow down that focus (even just a little bit) you can easily spot your target in a crowd, making selling easier as you waste less time attempting to sell to those who will never need you.
Today for example, I was walking on the beach in Fiji and a lovely lady came up to me. She instantly knew I was at the conference, that I was a business owner and started to tell me about her small business under the cabana on the beach. Instantly, I was intrigued and wanted to know more. She had spotted me from 200 metres away and she pounced.
2. Tell me what you are selling. I know I know – selling is icky. But you know what, if nobody knows what you are selling, then how on earth are they going to buy from you? You don’t have to do it in a forceful way, and if you have approached your target market, then it shouldn’t feel icky as they totally need what you have got.
Today’s example on the beach, within three sentences I knew this woman ran a massage stall, that her friends had horses if I wanted to go for a ride and that her other friend could take me around the island. I knew exactly what was on offer. No games. Just hard facts.
3. Tell me what it will cost. Now this one is a bit controversial, but I am going to give you my opinion anyway. If I show interest in your services and I ask you how much it costs – if you give me some airy fairy fluffy bullshit answer. You have lost me. Even if you are the best, I won’t buy from you. You have lost my trust.
Today on the beach, I knew if I spent $30 Fijian dollars I could get a half hour massage or if I spent $60 Fijian dollars I got an hours massage. Simple – the only decision for me was “what time have you got free”. It was a no brainer (heck she even told me where the ATM was so I could go and get the cash).
4. Offer Value. True Value. As a business owner it is easy to think you are giving value, but are you really giving your customers things that they actually want? Have you asked them? Or are you giving them things that you think are valuable, but they don’t understand the value so really the value in the customers mind is non existent.
Today the lovely Onny (my new BFF Fijian masseuse from the beach) told me that if I pay for an hour then she gives her customers an extra ten minutes for free, and if I bring other people from the resort the price reduces even more. Seriously, she hit my sweet spot instantly and I am hooked (and booked for 3pm tomorrow).
“Sales doesn’t have to be icky, but it does need to be about your customer. Every step of the process is about them, and not you.”
Take yourself out of the equation and put yourself in your customers shoes. How do they want to be approached, what is their weakness, how do you hit that sweet spot, and what value do they want? Those are the questions you need to solve before you go in all guns blazing and asking people to buy from you.