You will find six different definitions for the word selling if you look the word up in the dictionary. Six. However, not one of them will give you the real meaning of the word you need if you really want to maximize your own or your staffs sales efforts.

So what is selling?

Selling is problem solving through the fulfilling of someones needs.

No mater what product or service you are selling, your clients and customers come to you hoping you can solve their problem. Of course they dont always see it that way themselves, and, all too often, you or your staff fail to recognize it either.

If you really want to totally understand the selling process, one of the best ways to do this is to look at it from the buyers perspective. What problem (need) are they expecting you to solve? Where does it originate? And what is the main motivating factors driving that particular buyers need?

To do this it would help to have at least a basic understanding of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs: Self-Actualization, Esteem, Love, Safety and Physiological. Maslow writes that all human behavior is motivated by unsatisfied needs that fall into one of these general categories. Therefore, buying is motivated by a need based on one of the above elements of Maslows Hierarchy.

For our purposes we can group most, if not all, of your clients needs and Maslows Hierarchy into two different categories:

Physiological Needs - Basic needs such as air, water, food, sleep, etc. For the most part these are needs that one cannot live without.

Psychological Needs - Love, esteem, self-recognition, recognition by others, acceptance.

Think about the products you sell and which of Maslows categories is motivating the need for your product.

For an in-depth understanding I suggest you Google Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and read more. The theory is not all that complicated and should be a must read for anyone making a living from selling.

Selling Benefits not Features.

Okay, so now that you understand that your customer has needs, you have to know how to satisfy them. You satisfy their needs (solve their problems) by giving (selling) them the benefits of your product that go directly to solving their problems, not by trying to sell them features that have little or no value according to your clients needs.

For example, if you are selling automobiles, and your prospect is a young married couple with rug-rats in tow, you probably dont want to be showing them all the fancy features of that really sleek, 2-door, 2-seater sports car. This feature-ridden beauty may mean a nice fat commission to you if you can get them to go for it. But it probably has zero benefits to the couple if their needs are for a family sedan or mini-van to haul the family around and drive the neighborhood kids to school when it is their week for the car-pool.

Frequently, we see sales people trying to sell something to their customers because if fills more needs of the salesman than the customer. Bigger commission, old merchandise that needs to be moved, doesnt have the right product or any other number of reasons will motivate a salesperson to try to sell something that fails to solve the problem the customer was hoping to solve. This, all too often, ends up with a dissatisfied customer.

The next time you wait on a customer, think of yourself as a problem solver. Try solving their problems by matching their needs to the product with the best features that give real benefits toward filling their needs. Solve your customers problems, and it becomes a win/win for both of you.

Remember this and you will close more sales.

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