We all sell something every day. Whenever we try to influence someone, we’re convincing them to do something as a result of interacting with us. We all do it, whether we’re aware of it or not, we sell day-in and day-out. Some are good at it and others are bad. "Please read my report", "Let's go to the shops," may be what we are selling – if people are convinced, they will 'buy' our request or suggestion and read the report or go to the shops with us.

Selling may have bad connotations for you as you remember a pushy salesperson or a bad buying experience – maybe you bought a poor quality product or one that did not meet your expectations. Because selling is a necessary life-skill, we should not shy away from it, but rather aim to be the best we can be at selling.

Parents try to sell good values and attitudes to their children. Those who are more successful at selling these, achieve their goals by setting an example, rather than merely by words. "Do as I say and not as I do," is not as strong as, "do as I do". The fact that teenagers have also learnt to sell is clear from the success they have in getting extra pocket money from their unsuspecting moms and dads. Next time you’re at a job interview or asking for a raise – guess what? – you’re selling your skills, capabilities and self, and hoping to get the price (salary) you want.

Selling is easy to misunderstand. It’s only as we come to understand selling better, that we’ll grow to enjoy it more and benefit from doing it well.

Every sale requires at least three things: a product or service, a customer, and a salesperson. Selling is a skill that requires listening carefully to the customer's needs, and then helping the customer to discover how your product or service can match their needs. A good salesperson must believe in the product or service they’re selling, but must also remember to ask the customer to buy it.

In his book, The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Success, Brian Tracy states that, "80 percent of sales are closed after the fifth call or after the fifth closing attempt". The most successful salespeople see more customers more often, and always remember to ask them to buy where the product or service matches their needs.  

Just as it’s important to have more than one source of supply, it’s also important to have many prospects and clients or customers. This prevents you from over-selling to a limited base, and gives you more opportunities to sell on reasonable terms.

Having a variety of customers

will reduce a high dependence on any one customer, and thus will spread your risks if any customer stops buying for some reason. Many small businesses get into trouble when a key customer is suddenly not able to pay or pay later than usual. Sometimes, late payment by one key customer alone can cause a small business to fail. Be wise, have many customers to sell to, and attend to them all professionally.

Five stages of making a sale

• Identify your prospects

(A prospect is someone with a high possibility of purchasing your product or service, after which they become a client or customer). Who are they? Where will you find them?

• Build a connection

Show an interest in the prospect. Do this by being professional, friendly and polite. The most successful salespeople listen twice for every once that they speak. This proportion is suggested by having two ears and only one mouth. Moreover, when you do speak, ask questions to be sure that you understand their real needs.

• Mention the benefits

When you believe you have identified the prospect's real needs, mention, explain, or better still – show the prospect how the product will solve their problem.

• Close (get) the sale

Ask the prospect to buy your product. During your presentation you can ask more than once, especially if you phrase the question in slightly different ways. With the final request – try using a closed question that poses an alternative to close the sale. Good examples are, "will you be paying by cash or credit card?" or "would you like the red ones or the black ones?" Bite your tongue here – even if there is a long wait for the answer.

• Follow up on the sale

Immediately after the client has purchased, ask them if they know of anybody else who may also wish to see the product or use the service. Make sure that your service delivery meets or exceeds the client's expectations.

Wayne Mallinson has 22 years of software testing experience, many of which he gained whilst running his own company. Wayne is also the editor in chief of Test Focus – the leading software testing magazine for Africa. He has also delivered numerous testing talks at conferences locally and internationally.