Sales techniques for beginners: a complete guide!

What will we see in this post

Index

1. Help customers understand what they need 2. Use the same language style as your persona 3. Overcome objections 4. Use copywriting techniques 5. Take advantage of the hype when promoting your product 6. Post-sales 7. Learn from the market experts

The most significant difficulty for those who are just starting in business is, without a doubt, to make their first sales or even understand the best sales techniques. After all, we rarely buy something without getting to know it first.

Several questions arise, such as:

“How do I attract the right audience to my page?”
“What do I need to do to convince someone to buy my product?”
“Do I need to have prior experience as a salesperson to operate in this market?”

Every day, people visit our blog looking for a miraculous formula to increase their online sales overnight.

If this is your case, we regret to inform you that there’s no single way to do this.

There’s no magic formula that will increase sales overnight. If there were, you wouldn’t be here. The key to selling is to understand that consumer behavior has changed, and you need to learn new sales techniques.

In this post, you’ll learn the definition of sales techniques and which ones are the most effective. In addition, we share the best techniques to ensure that you create a sustainable and long-lasting sales machine, ensuring the consistent performance of your business.

Let ‘s get started?

What are sales techniques?

Contrary to what many people think, selling isn’t the same as applying sales techniques.

According to the dictionary, selling is the transfer of possession or the right to something for payment.

On the other hand, sales techniques are a model with rules, actions, and processes aimed at helping anyone persuade the potential customer at the moment of purchase. Various techniques have emerged with the growth of the internet and digital marketing, and selling has become less complicated.

But, a technique will only work if it has the customers and their experience as its central pillar.

The reason is quite simple: people buy products or services through journeys. First, consumers realize that they have a problem and look for possible solutions. Then, when they find this solution, they weigh the options available in the market.

The decision is made only after evaluating a series of factors, such as who the company is, how the product/service will help, what other people have said about the company, payment terms, form of delivery, etc.

This is why sales techniques are so important. With them, you’ll truly know who your potential customers are and how to make them feel more confident about your solution.

The pillars of the sales process in the digital market

There’s no doubt that the internet has changed our shopping habits. Although it’s easier to reach the end consumers, getting them to reach the end of the purchase is more complicated. But how do you get around this and make the user get to the end of the journey?

The answer is simpler than it seems: with a well-mapped sales funnel. In the digital world, it’s impossible to think of selling without having one, and with it, you’ll know which sales techniques to implement.

The sales funnel is directly linked to the purchasing journey and can be divided into three stages:

Top of the Funnel: This is the attraction stage, where the user has no prior knowledge of your company. Sales strategies at this stage should focus on exploring the persona’s needs and problems without addressing the product/service itself
Middle of the Funnel: At this stage, the funnel begins to work on conversion. Here, the entrepreneur creates strategies to collect leads and gather the characteristics of an ideal buyer. The landing page is a great conversion strategy!
Bottom of the Funnel: The last stage of the funnel is the time to close the deal. It’s essential to answer all of the customer’s questions and aspirations about your product and show that among all the options on the market, yours is the best!

To learn everything about the sales funnel, be sure to check out our complete guide!

7 sales techniques to implement now!

Now that we understand the concept of sales techniques, it’s time to learn about the best ones, and of course, how to implement them. Are you ready to see a boost in sales? Then, write down the techniques and get to work!

1. Help customers understand what they need

Have you ever noticed that whenever you access an e-commerce website, you aren’t always sure if you’re going to buy a product?

Keep in mind that your website visitors are in the same situation. They might not have detected a problem yet. Your role, in this case, is to show them that your solution is the most suitable for them at that moment.

But how to do this?

By creating relevant content that adds value for those who visit your page! The most common ways to do so are through a blog and on social media.

Whenever you make valuable, free content available to your audience, you increase the chances of being remembered in the future. It also establishes you as an authority in your niche market.

If you’re in the online course market, we strongly recommend creating a clear and persuasive sales video, which also answers all of the prospective buyers’ questions.

Learn how to create a good sales video:

2. Use the same language style as your persona

The sales page is often the first contact that the visitor has with the product. So make sure you provide all the information they’ll need to make an informed decision.

To establish rapport, the language style you use must be in line with your persona’s interests. Study your audience carefully to find out who your ideal customer is. This profile will determine your business’s main choices, including the most suitable social networks for promoting your product.

Visit our post and learn how to create your persona, even if you haven’t made any sales yet!

3. Overcome objections

Potential customers often raise objections during the sales process. But this shouldn’t be seen as something negative but rather as an opportunity to show your product or service’s real value.

Consider your own behavior as a consumer. Do you choose a product and buy it without a second thought, or do you choose a product, research information about it, read consumer reviews and opinions, and only after you’re truly convinced, finalize the purchase?

If you don’t find enough information, resistance to buying something is much higher.

Objections are automatic reactions and come up spontaneously. Any reason can prevent a purchase from being made, and these reasons must be mapped, understood, and have some sort of solution.

To get around these objections during the sales process, here are two essential tips:

Focus on the product’s value

When we talk about value, we’re not talking about price. If the visitor’s objection is the high price, it means that the product’s main benefit is not clear, or that what is being offered isn’t targeted to the right audience.

On the other hand, if the price is considered low, it can be implied that the product lacks quality.

How do we solve this dilemma? The focus must be on the value proposition that the customer will receive. It’s not about being merely another option available in the market, but being the ideal solution for the customer.

Invest in videos showing the product in practice

One of the most common objections from users is not understanding or not knowing how a certain product/service works in practice, and how it can help them.

The best way to get around this, and show your product in action, is through videos.

If you’re an active YouTube user, you’ve certainly watched a product review before buying a product. In addition to listing the main features, the video has the power to highlight the product’s core benefit.

4. Use copywriting techniques

Making your offer attractive requires more than merely writing well. You need to convince visitors that they need your product, and to do so, you need to learn about copywriting.

Certain mental triggers can help you refute your prospects’ objections and convince them of your offer’s advantages. Below, we discuss some of them briefly, and how you can incorporate them into your copy.

Reason

People like to be educated about the purpose of the purchase. Make explicit “why” visitors should purchase your offer and, if possible, use external sources to validate your statements, such as surveys and news.

For example: Are you tired of miracle diets? Check out the dietary re-education method that will help you achieve and maintain results without suffering. An NCBI study proves that dietary re-education is the only effective way to lose weight without harming your health.

Confidence

As visitors realize that you trust the product you’re selling, the more confident they feel that your solution is right for them. This perception is further enhanced when you show other customers’ results with the product.

For example: If you don’t achieve the first results within 30 days, you’ll receive your money back.

Social proof

Before making a purchase, it’s common for users to search for product reviews. And no one better to talk about your offer’s advantages than those who were satisfied with their purchase. Give these people a voice and display their reviews on your sales page.

For example, check out the story of customers who achieved their goals thanks to the “Healthier Life” weight-loss coaching.

Authority

If you’re not a leader in your industry yet, use the opinions of acknowledged professionals to endorse your product.

For example, check out the weight-loss method 5 out of 6 personal trainers recommended.

Affinity

One of the best ways of increasing your sales is to build an affinity with your audience. Use a lot of storytelling to tell the stories with which your persona identifies, preferably showing how your product can solve a problem they share.

For example: Before I changed my eating habits, I also had trouble losing weight.

Scarcity

The principle of scarcity or sense of urgency, which works so well in outbound marketing, consists in convincing visitors that they have to make the purchase immediately; otherwise, they won’t have another chance.

Example: This is the last weekend to purchase the “Healthier Life” course at a 50% discount.

5. Take advantage of the hype when promoting your product

Keep an eye on what’s happening on the Internet. Chances are you’ve read news related to the product or service you offer.

How about using the current hype to attract more traffic to your website? Stay tuned to the events that “go viral” on the internet, whether it’s a news story or even a meme.

You can carry out an email marketing campaign, create articles for your blog, or posts on your social media about the most significant current events and relate them to your product, inviting users to check it out.

News and Events

Imagine that you’ve created an online course about hotel management and you live in New York.

The city attracts many tourists during Christmas. With this in mind, you decide to create a Facebook post with tips so establishments can attract more guests over the holidays.

At the end of the text, you introduce your product and demonstrate how it can be useful for tourism professionals.

Social media

Another strategy that works is to participate in discussion groups on social media, follow the topics that generate the most engagement, and, if possible, relate your product to that topic.

But, merely sharing your sales page link in every post isn’t enough because this is considered SPAMMING.

You’ll need to actively participate in the discussions to understand users’ pains and problems and only then present the solution, which in this case, would be your product.

When you present solutions that add value to people’s lives, you’re recognized as a benchmark in that subject.

Seasonal Marketing

Using commemorative dates to boost sales, seasonal marketing, is also an important lesson that we can learn from traditional retailers.

To have an efficient promotion, you’ll need to create a calendar with the most important dates of the year to schedule your actions in advance.

The selected dates must somehow relate to your business and, of course, to your target audience. A creator with an ebook on weight loss will not post something celebrating National Candy Day, right?

Changing your sales page template and adapting the design according to the holiday in question can also be an excellent way to stand out from the competition.

Product launches

If there’s one moment when a product receives many views, this moment is on the launch day. That’s why it’s worth doubling down on your promotion efforts during this period because this effort will certainly be converted into positive results for your business.

If you’re a creator, come up with complete materials to present your product to the affiliates. After all, they will be your biggest sales allies.
Schedule email marketing blasts to your base, inviting your leads to the product launch.
On launch day, hold a webinar to present your product and make sure you use all the persuasive resources we mentioned in the text, to convince those watching about the quality of your offer.
Affiliates, on the other hand, should follow creators’ launch schedules and select those that are most pertinent to their audience.

>> Take a moment to check out our article on affiliate marketing.

6. Post-sales

Despite having very different activities, creators and affiliates have a common goal: to sell their products. But the larger the digital marketplace becomes, the greater the competition and, consequently, the greater the challenges to attract new customers.

But what about the users that are already part of your base? What can you do to convince them to continue buying your products?

Obviously, communication to this audience should be quite different from the content you share with users who are still at the top of the funnel.

Users who have already converted once are more likely to receive content related to your brand, while those visiting your website for the first time still need to be educated about the product you’re selling.

Marketing studies show that gaining a new consumer can cost you 5 times more than maintaining a customer you already have.

Besides representing a lower cost, loyal customers are your brand’s greatest ambassadors because they end up referring your service to other people. A few simple tips help when it comes to retaining these customers:

Share exclusive content

Assuming that users who have already bought from you, know your product, what kind of content would they be interested in? The answer is: additional materials!

For example, in online courses, you can send supplementary study materials, trivia about the topic covered in class, tips on books and movies on the subject, and keep them updated about what you’re sharing on your page or social media profiles.

Offer advantages in the purchase of new products

Satisfied customers will always come back for more. Offering progressive discounts encourage customers to keep buying. These results can be even better if your offers are related (upsell).

Obtain affordable and efficient support

If the creator or affiliate adds their email address for contact, users assume that they’ll always be available to assist them if they have any questions. When this doesn’t happen, these customers’ most common reaction is to regret the purchase.

Therefore, having efficient support can be a unique feature for your company. Depending on your business’s size, it could be impossible to answer emails.

In this case, the best solution is to implement help desk software to manage your demands and keep track of the requests that have already been resolved.

It’s worth mentioning that if you use Hotmart as your digital product platform, the company’s own system offers a support service to buyers, which is totally free.

Conduct satisfaction surveys

Promote online satisfaction surveys to find out your buyers’ biggest questions and problems. This is the simplest and fastest way to obtain the information that can help you improve your product/service.

The ideal frequency for conducting surveys will vary depending on your business’ needs, but it’s better if you work with longer timeframes, after all, nobody wants to stop what they’re doing to answer surveys all the time.

If you’re worried about the expense, you should know that nowadays there are tools and methodologies that can help you conduct surveys for free, including Google forms.

More important than the format of the survey is the unbiased analysis of the results and proposing action plans to improve your business.

7. Learn from the market experts

Something that makes our journey through the digital market much easier is learning from those who have already experienced what we’re going through now. This way, we achieve the desired results much faster.