I find that most crafters just don’t like to sell. They love to create, but when it come down to going out and pitching their wonderful creations to retail buyers, they freeze up.
Believe it or not, even as ‘seasoned’ as I am at selling, there are still those moments where those same fearful thoughts go through my head: “Maybe they won’t like me or my products.”
Heck, everyone deals with the fear of rejection!
Let me offer up a few tips that can help:
- Remember that the buyer is just friend you haven’t met yet!
As silly as that may sound, it works to calm down before walking into the buyer’s office. Retail buyers are just people — no different than you or me. Don’t give them more power by making them more than what they are.
- Learn to stop talking and listen.
Good salespeople are the ones that talk less and listen more. Of course, you need to present your products, sharing features, pricing and terms, but after that, listen to the response from your buyers. Buyers don’t change their mind just because they didn’t have a chance to speak. But they might reveal what they’re really thinking when you stop talking and let them share their thoughts. . - Train yourself to respond appropriately to rejection.
In other words, don’t settle for accepting a no response at face value. Maybe the negative response is directed at the color, flavor or scent — but not the product itself. Maybe the item rejected is a part of your terms or shipping options. Learn to ask questions. When a rejection is expressed, find out what they don’t like and explore what would work for the buyer. - Focus and visualize the response that you want.
Don’t spend your time worry and fussing over a possible negative outcome. That will create a self-fulfilling prophecy! Visualize the buyer loving your product and placing a nice order. This small exercise helps to maintain confidence during the sales process. - Give them specific choices rather than giving them yes or no questions.
A very effective way of closing a sales is asking them if they would like option A or option B. Better yet, develop an ‘opening order’ which contains a good mix of your top selling items. Now you have the option of asking them if they want product A or product B or your Opening Order option.