Last Updated on 29/08/2020 by Steve Wanjie
How to sell product online is what you want to know and that is why you are here. This article is a guide on how to sell products online.
An in-depth tutorial on how to sell products online to increase sales. This article is for eCommerce beginners and professionals who need to refresh.
You don’t sell a product in the 21st-century, you sell a sales experience because the prospect can get a similar product elsewhere.
What they can’t get from another vendor is a sales experience created by a charming, happy, and joyful sales agent. Selling is about relationships.
Once you have a relationship with a prospect, you can introduce your product. It is easy to sell to a friend than to a stranger.
Where to sell your product online
You want how to sell product online answers. But let’s mention a few marketplaces where you can sell products online first.
a) Start your store
This is possible if you start your website. That means buying a domain name and hosting. Then work with Content Management System such as WordPress and Woocommerce.
With your website, you could create a store using Shopify, Woocommerce, etc.
b) eCommerce Platforms
You could choose to work with e-commerce giants such as;
- Amazon
- eBay
- Bonanza
- Etsy
- Chairish
- Jumia
- Facebook marketplace
There are other ecommerce platforms. You can search for them if you need to but you could work with any platform mentioned above.
Now, let’s discussing how to sell product online. It is the main reason you are here.
Know the advantages and disadvantages of the product
The first rule of success in sales is knowing the product. Otherwise, you would struggle in your sales efforts. You need to be able to answer basic questions about the product.
Prospects ask questions, and the sales representative should answer these questions confidently. When you know the product, you talk about it with convincing authority. And the prospect is likely to buy from you.
How to sell product online process
The process of selling a product:
a) Sales Representative Preparation:
Anybody who goes out to find buyers for a product is a sales representative. It doesn’t matter whether you are the owner or not.
To find success as a salesperson, you need to prepare. You start with research because you need to know who your customers are.
Once you know who your ideal prospect is, you need to know where to find them. You must have a sales representation ready to look professional and organized.
b) Searching for Customers:
Research before taking any sales action. It is the best way to prepare for success in sales. You want to deal with qualified prospects only so as not to waste your time.
To deal with potential clients who can afford the product is your goal. Evaluate whether prospect needs and could afford the product. If the prospect is qualified, establish a relationship.
After becoming friends you need to sell the product to him or her. Bear in mind that every prospect is different from the other.
Therefore, deal with each potential client according to the research you did on them. Ask them to introduce you to friends who might need the product too.
Here are places where you could find and mine data about our products’ prospective customers:
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media gives you two important things; potential customers and their information or personal data. You learn what they like and dislike through their social media profiles. Social media platforms to work with include;
The strategy is to befriend them on social media platforms. This allows you to introduce yourself to potential customers.
Do not sell to them on social media because your goal is to establish a relationship. Your profile should state that you deal with a product known as X.
Later on you could start chatting with them. Then you would ask them what they do for a living. This type of conversation will lead to an introduction to products.
What they do and what you sell. Eventually, you could ask if anyone needs your product.
Google the search engine can give you the answer to millions of questions. Anything you want to know? Ask Google because it is her business to give you what you ask for.
Thus, you should use the search engine to find buyers for your product. There are two ways Google could help you sell your product online.
- Search
If you have a website Google will send you potential customers for free. All you need to gain this favor from Google is SEO content on your website.
If you are doing Search Engine Optimization on your site Google will deliver traffic to your website.
- Google Ads
You could choose to use Google Ads to drive to find and drive potential customers to your product. You pay for the ads and you get your customers.
Google will send qualified customers to you if your SEO is right. Advertising your product through Google ads is another solution on how to sell product online.
c) How to approach a potential customer
- Words you never use as a sales representative
The words you should never use with a potential customer are; I, we, and me. Always use the word YOU. This makes the conversation about your customer.
When you start using anti-sale words such as me, us, and I, you lose the ability to close a sale. The word YOU makes the customer the hero of the story. It makes you (seller) the fan of the buyer. You make them feel like the V.I.P they are.
- Blogging
Write Search Engine Optimized blog posts at least once every week. SEO blog posts help you and your potential customers connect via search.
Use blog posts to address your prospect about their needs. Show them how your product can solve their problems. Use a conversational language avoiding words like I, us, and me.
Stick to the word YOU in your articles. At the end of each blog post ask a question. This will lead to a chat between you and your customers. A regular chat leads to a relationship which in turn results in friendship.
- Social Media
Create accounts on social media platforms where your potential customers are. Then use your presence on these platforms to connect with prospective clients. That way you become friends and later turn them into customers.
- Gifts work magic
Give first before seeking to take from them. A gift could be a sample of your product. People love gifts because they are free and gifts signify affection and friendship.
When a person receives a gift they pay attention to the giver. Tell them you value the developing relationship between the two of you.
That is when they start asking you, what do you do for a living? Here you introduce your product.
- Research
Ask questions to see whether a new friend needs your product. We call these questions simple research. Simple research helps gauge a prospect’s chances of becoming a buyer. Do simple research on them. Then you can determine whether to qualify or disqualify a prospect.
d) Presentation
Presenting your product to a potential customer for the first time is an important phase. Here is when you make or lose the sale.
Come prepared with facts and history of the product at your fingertips. Know your product well. Its advantages over its competitors and disadvantages.
Be confident, charming, and joyful. Ask questions to take control and listen well to the answers. Use the answers to address the prospect’s needs and worries. Remember to;
- Keep it personal
It’s about your customer and their needs. Your customer is a human being thus treat them as such. Address them by their name. Give THE PROSPECT a detailed account of your product.
What is the value of the product to the customer?
People ask, “what is in it for me?” Answer that question before the customers ask. Communicate the product’s value to the customer the best way you can. Once they understand what they are getting they buy.
- Sell the uniqueness of your product
There are other similar products in marketing. What makes your product superior to its competitors? What makes you a better salesperson than other sales representatives?
Make your product look unique in the eyes of the customer. Try to sell a unique experience that only your product has. You too are a different salesperson.
A person who makes clients feel special and valued. Charm them. Bring joy into the sales conversation and not sadness. Let there be positive vibes in your sales presentation.
e) How to Handle Objections in Sales
What is a sale objection?
An objection is a reason (or reasons) given by a potential customer not to buy a product or service from you.
Some of the most popular sales objection reasons given by prospects include;
– I can’t afford it
– Trust issues
– Does not need it
– Not now
– Has another supplier
This is where most sales representatives fail. Sale objection (or rejection) is a handle majority of sales personnel fail to deal with.
If you cannot overcome sales challenges you lose sales. If you cannot sell you would not make any money. You quit.
So how do you overcome sales challenges?
SOLUTION 1:
Your answer to some of the objections mentioned above;
“It is fine. You didn’t expect or planned for this. Could you make time to hear about this product? It will only take ten minutes of your time. Then you can decide whether it is valuable.” “Then schedule a meeting in two weeks for follow up, is that ok with you sir/ madam?”
Don’t quit on a potential customer
The fact that they objected for the first time does not mean they can never buy from you. Keep on visiting them to say hello.
When your visits become regular you become familiar to them. They start to know you and a relationship happens. Once a friendship is in place it becomes possible to discuss business.
SOLUTION 2:
establish relationships with potential customers who object to your sales effort. Make sure they don’t forget you by paying them a visit (or calling) at least once every two months.
You could also email them at least once a month. Reason – when their current supplier messes up or they want to change supplier, you are there already. They can also choose to refer their friends to you.
That is the beauty of keeping in touch.
f) How to Close a Sale
Most clients will procrastinate when the time to place the order and payment arrives. To overcome this challenge you could do the following;
- Offer a discount
- Talk of price going up soon
- Talk about product running out of stock
- Offer a one month credit or pay in installments
- A money back guarantee if they don’t like the product
g) Follow up
Once you have booked a new client make sure to keep in touch. Show interest in how they are doing. Find out whether they are benefiting from the use of the product. Get feedback. It will help improve the product.
4. Conclusion
How to sell product online has a few points to clarify before ending this article. Selling is a process. The process begins with identifying the needs and problems potential customers face.
Then finding solutions to these needs and problems is the second goal. Now that you have the mechanism to help potential customers solve their issues. How to reach them is your next challenge.
Develop a sales strategy as discussed above to reach and offer services to your targets. Reminder – most customers don’t buy on the first encounter with your product.
Most will buyer on the 5th encounter. This calls for a persistent engagement despite the objections.
Sales in the 21st-century are about selling, “an experience,” not a product. A sales representative must learn how to sell a “sales experience.”
To sell “an experience” a sales representative has to establish a relationship. Sales come from established relationships.
Thanks for your time
Steve Wanjie
Founder – Dijito Marketing
Sell local – small business resource
9 Quick Ways of Generating Sales for Small Business Products
How to sell items online in Kenya
Steve Wanjie is a digital marketing specialist, SEO Expert, expert article writer, blogger, sex educationist, and businessman. He is the founder of Dijito Marketing and Laikipo.com. He works and lives in Nairobi Kenya.
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