Five Steps To A Sales Call

Guest post by Robbi Hess, The Written Marketing Expert at All Words Matter 

You may say to yourself, "But I'm not a sales man/woman," but I am here to tell you, if you are an entrepreneur you ARE a sales person. You have to be. If you weren't selling how would remain in business? 

In my limited experience as a sales person, here are the five steps I've found to be true in my sales

calls on potential clients: 

1. You have to prospect. Sure word of mouth is great, but if word of mouth dries up, you have to jump start your prospecting strategies. Prospect where your ideal client resides -- whether that's at local networking events, on social media or at trade events. 
2. Identify your potential clients' needs. Think back to your last purchase... did you buy it because you wanted it or because you needed it? Most people buy because of need. If you have a product or service that will fulfill a need you may convert an acquaintance/prospect into a client. 
3. You also need to understand what your prospects' pain points are and how your goods and services can address them. Why do they need that better mousetrap? 
4. Let your prospect discover, from the information you've shared, how your business can address his or her needs. Think of this as the time your client is taking your business for a test drive. 
5. Finally, you both need to make a commitment to one another -- the prospect to becoming a client and you to delivering the goods and services you've promised. 

At some point, when you're looking to make a sale you will go through these five steps. How attuned are you to the needs of your prospects?