Did you know it only takes 7 seconds for someone to put the pieces together and form a first impression? And whilst you might want to believe that your first impression is based around your knowledge or experience, the honest truth is that quite often that impression is shaped around what can be seen or heard during that initial meeting process.
In a society that is so stretched by time, and becoming increasingly competitive, that first impression is sometimes the only time you will have before someone decides whether to buy from you or not. You may have a fantastic product or service to sell but if you as a person don’t meet the expectations then quite frankly you may as well be selling a dead horse.
So in order to address our image, one must be aware of what people are looking at when meeting someone for the first time.
- Dress – Do the clothes you wear give an accurate personal reflection of yourself? Would you wear a pin stripe suit if you were trying to portray a relaxed figure? Do your accessories portray the type of personality you have?
- Grooming (Hair, Make-up, Cleanliness etc.) – Similar to the first point, does your hair or make up project the image you want to project? Does your scruffy beard or untidy make-up suggest an unorganised work ethic?
- Body Language – Does your body language promote the kind of confidence that you have in your product or service you are trying to sell? Is your hand shake like shaking a limp fish thus damaging a good first impression?
- Verbal Interactions – There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being confident but make sure your confidence does not come across as arrogance which is a big turn off.
Below are our top tips to marketing yourself that relate to the 7 principles of marketing. (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Processes, Physical Evidence and People)
Top Tip #1 – Marketing success doesn’t just depend on the quality of your product, it also very much depends on the ability of the sales person, as an employee representing your brand you are selling whether you know it or not.
Top Tip #2 – How can you expect your prospect to be confident in your product or service, if you don’t exude that confidence in the first place.
Top Tip #3 – With so many similar product and services on the market, if your salesperson isn’t prepared to go that extra mile to win that business more often than not the final decision will be given to the company that did go above and beyond.
Top Tip #4 – Be precise in the message you are trying to portray to potential buyers. A clear message will improve your selling power through the power of communication.
Top Tip #5 – Always reflect on your sales meetings and question whether you can do anything better next time.
Top Tip #6 – Know your product inside out – The more you know about you the benefits your product or service offers the easier it will be to engage your customers.
Top Tip #7 – Buyers will always want to know the features of your product or your service but what they actually buy is you, followed by the benefits your product or service offers.
Top Tip #8 – By having an in depth understanding of the wants or needs, of your prospect, you will drastically increase your odds of making a sale by tailoring your approach to their desires.
Top Tip #9 – Do not underestimate the planning that goes into converting a lead. A series of planned approaches geared towards building rapport and uncovering needs will build trust and gain commitment.
Top Tip #10 – Marketing is a lifelong process. Understand, it is a process that is mastered through years of experience and up and downs. Learn from your mistakes and use it for future success.
We hope these top tips will help you in the future to better market yourself and help you clinch those all-important sales.
