How best to effectively sell your

product
For small businesses, getting their products to a wider market
can be hard, but James Caan has some helpful tips



As a new business, breaking into a market and trying to encourage people to buy your product
can be a daunting task and, yet, it's your business's lifeline. How you approach sales is
therefore pivotal when it comes to making your startup business a success.
You must think carefully about the sales journey and how you are going to go about getting
your product to market. Ultimately, your end goal will always be to make as many sales as
possible without overstretching yourself in the early stages. It is, however, vital that you
consider what else it is that you are trying to achieve. How you are going to break into the
market effectively while creating brand loyalty and engaging your customers?
When it comes to effective selling, making purchases convenient for your customers is key.
Spend time exploring how best to reach your customers and ensure that your product is readily
available in the places your target market shops. It is important to consider your brand when
considering points of sale.
Having an online presence is a great way of drumming up sales as a startup business, and
trading online will allow you to capture new customers.
It is extremely important that you sell with passion. People like to buy from somebody who they
feel they can trust. Speak directly with as many potential customers as possible and make sure
your personality comes through; know your product inside out, and act with integrity. When it
comes to pitching your product, make sure you are fully prepared and cut to the chase what
is it that you are selling and why do your customers want it?
Attending trade shows is a fantastic way to start selling effectively. Not only can you build a
rapport with potential customers, you can meet people who may be in the position to offer you
third party sales opportunities. One of our Start-Up Loan recipients, Dominique Baptiste, has
achieved some great results from attending trade shows while representing her
company, Teddy & Lu, which produces gourmet, hypoallergenic pet food.
On one occasion, Baptiste secured a stand at a top pet trade event. Prior to attending, she
contacted the pet food buyer of a leading retailer and invited him along. The buyer accepted
her invitation and was extremely impressed by her and her product. She followed up by
sending some samples across, and has now entered into an exciting opportunity with the
retailer.
Baptiste received a great deal of interest, and sold numerous cases of dog food, having made
the decision to offer it at a heavily discounted price at another pet show, this time aimed at
consumers. This customer engagement has helped her develop brand awareness and loyalty
as she remains in regular contact with a number of these customers through her social media
sites, where people provide feedback and send photographs of their dogs enjoying Teddy &
Lu.
When it comes to getting your product stocked in shops, it is important that you get yourself in
front of the decision maker. Having secured a meeting with the senior buyer at a leading online
stockist, Baptiste made the decision to conduct the pitch personally as the managing director
rather than sending a sales representative, as the company had expected. The senior buyer
made the decision to stock Teddy & Lu's products on the spot.
When you find yourself in front of a buyer who is interested in what you are selling, listen
carefully to what they tell you about pricing, size, packaging and delivery times. They know the
market inside out, so treat the meeting as front-line research.
Once you have closed the sale, you need to work on building brand loyalty to encourage
repeat custom. You may consider offering free local delivery, free returns, or running
promotional deals. Exclusive special offers to online customers won't have too big an impact
on your bottom line, but can strengthen loyalty and improve customer satisfaction. Ensure that
you are meeting the needs of existing customers. Seeking and responding to customer
feedback at the point of sale and after they have used the product is a great way to improve
sales, encourage repeat custom and improve your offering.
James Caan is chairman of the Start-Up Loans Company. Each fortnight he will be tackling a
different business issue. Keep up to date by visiting the network and signing up to our weekly
newsletter. We welcome your suggestions for future topics and questions for James regarding
your own business please share them in the comments thread below






Fuente: http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/may/22/how-to-sell-your-product






Helpful: ltil
Wider: amplio
Encourage: animar, alentar
Pivotal: crucial
Daunting: abrumador
Task: tarea
Approach: acudir
Carefully: cuidadosamente
Goal: meta
Overstretching: estiramiento excesivo
Achieve: lograr
Reach: llegar
Allow: permitir
Retailer: detallista
Through: a travs de
Engagement: compromiso
Achieve: lograr
Aimed: dirigido
Seeking: buscando
Bottom: fondo
Leading: lder
Regarding: con respecto a
Rather: ms bien
Pitch: brea