ALMOST always we always or many times we have something to sell; an idea, a vision, an explanation, a thought, a reputation, a service, a product etc. And this makes us all get concerned about our sales.

Selling can be great when it is well mastered. Some people are born with natural selling skills whereas many have to learn them. Some find it extremely easy to convince others while others need to practice.

Although you may not be a sales person by trade or by training, you probably already have many of the basic tenants and characteristics of a great sales person. If you have been able for instance, to go through a successful job interview; then this means you know how to sell yourself.

No matter what you need to sell, the basic requirements are all the same. Here are some of the important things to take into consideration

You need to be prepared

You just don’t wake up and sell your products or ideas just like that without any prior preparation. Even politicians spend huge amount of time in preparing their speeches. They prepare both mentally and physically.

Preparation is simply the key requirement for any sales person. Preparation means doing one’s homework before going to sell. For instance, before going for this important job interview, you need to gather all necessary information about the organization; their vision, their targets, their policies etc.

Know your products

For those who sell products/services, preparation implies that you have great knowledge about those products. Sitting there and having no clue about how the product works shows you are not interested in making money.

Recently in a shop, when I asked the shopkeeper for some information about the product, she told me that all the necessary information was written on the notice and that I should go home and read it myself.

Whether you sell shoes, tomatoes, airtime, ideas etc, do ensure that you know them extremely well - especially their features, advantages and benefits that will be relevant to the prospect you will be meeting. Before the customer comes, put yourself in his shoes and ask yourself the questions that a potential customer might ask before buying your products.

Sometimes being aware of the main features and benefits of your products is just level one. Level two implies that you understand the benefits of these products for your customers. Take time to ascertain the main and unique benefit that your product or service would give to your prospect.

Know your competitor

No matter what you sell, you need to know what makes your product better than what is being offered next door. This is why you also need to know your competitor. Know the strong points of his products. Take time to visit your competitor. It helps you to adapt your product and make it even better.

While training some bank personnel sometime ago, I was surprised to realize that there were people who had never entered some of the new banks in town. Even if you have been working for 10 years and consider yourself a master in that job, you still need to know the new things happening. Take time and go and see for yourself how they take care of customers. That’s the only way you can learn to adjust and improve on your services/products.

Preparation is simply one of the most important aspects of selling. Take time to prepare yourself and you will be surprised by the results when the customer is in front of you.

The writer can be reached at sidossou@theservicemag.com