What you'll Learn
Lesson #1 - Introduction to Selling
It begins with a simple definition, the right mindset and a plan for success. This training will not turn you into a salesperson, but you will become an entrepreneur who knows how to sell.
Lesson #2 - Your 30-second Commercial
When you meet people, you need to tell them what you do in a way that will start a conversation about something they might need from you. We don’t use the popular term “elevator pitch” because it needs to be a two-way conversation, not a pitch.
Lesson #3 - The Importance of a Sales Process
Successful salespeople don't just “wing it.” There's a methodology. They have a series of steps that move from the initial “Hello” to the excitement of getting an order. We'll share some with you and help you modify them to fit your unique business.
Lesson #4 - The Initial Discussion
The first step in any B2B sales process is to get the prospective buyer comfortable talking about themselves, their business, and their goals. It creates the foundation upon which you build all the follow-on interactions, whether live, phone, Zoom, email, text, etc.
Lesson #5 - Uncovering Needs
You can’t sell something that someone doesn’t need. Understanding clearly what they want to accomplish before exploring how your product or service can solve their problem is critical.
Lesson #6 - Spending Your Time Wisely
You're super busy. You need to invest your limited selling time only with people who are likely to buy from you and minimize what you spend with those who won’t. Figuring out who is who is called “qualifying."
Lesson #7 - Proposing Your Solution
You now know they have a need your product or service can address, so you want to introduce it in a way that focuses not on the features, functions, or details of what you have, but instead, ties it to the most important benefits they will receive.
Lesson #8 - Negotiating and Gaining Commitment
Those are often scary words, but they don't have to be. The buyer likely has questions and concerns about your product or service that must be addressed before they can comfortably and confidently commit to a purchase. All too often, the prospective buyer doesn’t voice them and the sale is lost. You'll learn how to not let that happen.
Lesson #9 - Tracking Your Process
Eventually, you may have dozens of potential buyers at different stages of your sales process. Keeping track of it all and deciding what to do next and for whom is called “customer relationship management(CRM)." It can be done with a spreadsheet or an inexpensive web-based CRM system. You'll see both and can choose what's right for your business..
Lesson #10 - LinkedIn Secrets
As a B2B entrepreneur, it’s likely that every person you will ever sell to has a LinkedIn profile. Think of it as a giant networking room where you can reach out to any one of them. The hard part is getting a response. It's very different than Facebook, Instagram, or X. We’ll explore easy ways to make good use of this powerful tool.