Surprisingly, regardless of the product being sold, generally, for most sales the same set of skills come into play. Self-published authors may have a talent for writing, but may not know how sell their books. Fortunately, sales skills can be learned, and with practice, they can become second nature.
To be a star salesperson you need to be confident both in yourself and in the quality of the product you’re selling. Projecting confidence (not arrogance) in the goods you are selling is an excellent plan for your initial approach for winning over customers. Believe in yourself!
Star salespeople have the gift of gab and are natural-born talkers. Interestingly, you will have to cultivate super- human listening skills to become a successful seller. Ask your prospective customers questions and listen intently to their answers. You need to show an understanding of what they are looking for.
Salespeople also need to know their market. The self-published author would be wise to identify the public he is writing for, in order to understand who he will be selling to. Research and gather information about what exactly this sector of the public is after.
Build solid relationships, business and personal, so you can develop a strong network of friends and associates. Networking will help you attain more prospective customers than you would otherwise.
Selling successfully is a numbers game. So, the more people you pitch your products to, the higher the potential number prospective sales. Talk to ten people, sell one book. Talk to one-thousand people, sell one-hundred books, and so on.The Internet is another great resource for self-published authors. Not only can you use it to promote through popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but you can also learn more about sales. Search on-line for books relating to successful salesmanship and marketing, if you feel you need added knowledge to approach this area of your business with confidence.
You need to be self-motivated. The drive to improve your sales pitch comes from within, and with enough practice you’ll begin approaching opportunities with increasing ease.
Lastly, don’t give up! Chances are that you will hear the word “No” more than “Yes” when you are selling. Your goal should be never to let a “No” stop you from moving forward. Consider this: if you are not hearing some “No’s,” then you are not working at selling hard enough.