5 Secrets of Successful Sales

This weekend I did something most introverts and writers wouldn’t dare do-man a booth for 8 hours at a festival filled with several hundred people. Without meaning to, I learned a ton of lessons, not just on life, but on business too.

Here are the Five Secrets of Successful Sales I Learned from the Festival

Show, don’t tell – I learned that if you want to sell something, do it by showing not just telling. The booth next to me was bustling because the owners demonstrated how their product would make potential customers lives easier. They were doing much better than the booth selling a product by explaining why it was good and better than I was giving away my product for free.

Be yourself – I was in awe when I saw the woman next to me work her booth. While I expected people to run the other way when she started her sales pitch to them, I saw smiles instead. Her personality was effervescent and people flocked to her rather than away from her. Her secret was her personality. She was charming, funny and kind. You couldn’t help but want to talk with her. Frankly, I was impressed.

Keep trying – Perhaps the hardest booth, at least in my eyes, was the one that asked for organ donations. I cringed when I looked across at the girls doing it. Even if I didn’t have a tent over my head to block out the sun, I was relieved I didn’t have to do that. Who would stop to fill out an application to be a donor at a festival, in the hot sun, when there were tons of other activities (more fun ones) to do? But again I was amazed when I saw several people not only take their brochure, but stopped and listened and filled out a form. Their secret? They didn’t wait for potential organ donors to say, “Yes, I’ll take that brochure.” They simply passed it out to them. And if they stood long enough to read it, they began their sales pitch. And it seemed to work.

Do your research – Expect questions such as, “How much do you charge?” and be ready with an answer. As the woman of the booth, I wanted to be prepared to represent the publication I was working for. This meant creating possible Q&A’s beforehand.

Offer additional information – My husband joined me for a part of the day and I have to say that I was impressed with his skills. He went above and beyond the call of the duty. Although my main task was distributing free newspapers, he made sure to provide additional information about the paper to everyone he met. As a result, he obtained a potential advertisement from a business and a new contact for the paper.

Do you have any “secrets” that helped you make a successful sale as a freelancer? If so, would love it if you shared that secret here!