One of the challenges faced by a salesman is not being able to sell the products they offer. I once experienced a situation where sales of a particular product were very steady, but after a sudden change in sales staff, sales began to slow down. This is relatively rare because the product in question is typically a steady seller. What factors influence the sales of a product? Is it true that product sales are influenced by who is selling the product? Are sales skills not something that can be learned and passed on to the next employee?
To answer this question, I’ll draw on ideas from the book *The Catalyst*. *The Catalyst* is a book written by Jonah Berger. It provides a clear picture of how to influence people in the way we want. And when applied to the field of marketing, the ideas in this book can offer a clear roadmap for ensuring our products are well-received by the market. Here are some key ideas from *The Catalyst* that we can explore together.
People who hold on to the status quo
Sticking to the status quo is a term that describes a situation where people tend to be unwilling to change habits they’ve already established. For example, if someone has been using Brand A toothpaste for years, it will be very difficult for them to switch to another product. People tend to think, “The product I’m using now is fine—why should I switch to another one?” People tend to stick with what they already have, even when better options are available.
A customer who is used to selling Product A will be very unwilling to accept Product B. Someone who is used to manual record-keeping will be reluctant if you offer a digital record-keeping app. Everyone is reluctant to change—including you and me. Because we fear the consequences ahead: products not selling, unreliable suppliers, or software that complicates our work. Rather than change, people tend to stay silent and do nothing in order to avoid conflict.
Distance
As explained in the previous point, it’s very difficult to change people’s minds. If you work in sales, you’ll understand how hard it is to sell a new product to customers. Sometimes, even a low price isn’t enough to convince people to buy our product. In my experience, it takes about ten offers to convert a lead into a sale.
As salespeople, we’re inevitably faced with monthly sales targets we must meet. On top of that, our managers demand that sales keep rising, regardless of market conditions. The most common approach is hard selling—essentially forcing buyers to purchase the products you’re offering.
But here’s an interesting point: if we push people too hard to buy the products we’re offering, they’ll become even more unwilling to buy them. Basically, when someone tries to force us into a certain position, we tend to resist; the more you pressure people to buy your product, the more likely they are to resist.
So what if you still want to sell more of your products? What’s the most effective way to boost your sales? Is it by not offering your products at all? Of course not. Sometimes salespeople push customers too hard to buy their products—for example, by addressing them by a specific term such as “boss.” Basically, the harder we try to sell, the less likely customers are to buy. To better understand how people process and accept an opinion, I’ll explain it through the illustration below.
American football field
To make it easier to understand, I’ve created a visualization resembling an American football field. Now imagine that you, as the one offering the new product, are represented as A, while the potential customer is B. You and the potential buyer are on opposite sides of the field. The squares represent the belief that your product is worth buying, while the circles represent the potential buyer’s belief. The larger the visual element, the stronger the person’s conviction. The center is the neutral zone where both parties are not particularly sensitive to the topic.
If you push potential customers too hard to buy your product—in other words, if you go too deep into their personal beliefs—the deeper you go, the stronger their convictions become. The outcome is predictable: potential customers will reject your offer. This is because the more you challenge someone’s beliefs, the more resistant they become to changing their mind. Here are some things you can do to make the sales process smoother.
Give a clear position
If you immediately try to sell your product to a potential customer, there’s a high chance your product will be rejected. Instead, when you first meet them, explain who you are and what you’re looking for. This will give a clear picture of where you stand and where the customer stands. You can start with a brief greeting, such as, “Good afternoon, sir. My name is [Your Name], and I’m here to offer a product [Your product] Business owners often have limited time and need information that gets straight to the point. So don’t waste time with unnecessary small talk. However, small talk can serve as a way to initiate a conversation and make a lasting impression on the potential customer.
Use soft selling (a personal approach)
As explained in the point above, don’t force people to buy your product. However, if simply offering the product in a standard way doesn’t seem to make a significant difference. You can try to build an emotional connection with potential customers. In more common terms, this is small talk; if you ask a question without any context, it will come across as pointless and annoying.
To make small talk effectively, try to understand the customer’s perspective. Identify a problem the customer might be facing and show a little empathy toward their situation. For example, if the market is sluggish, you could say something like this: “Sir, sales are down right now, aren’t they? I see you still have a lot of stock, but don’t worry—I see your competitors have plenty of stock too. It seems like purchasing power has just dropped for now; as far as I’m concerned, it’s okay if things are slow as long as there are other customers around.” Sounds better, doesn’t it?
Once a personal connection has been established, you can try soft selling. If your product is new and hasn’t yet gained customers’ trust, you can use this approach. You can monitor sales trends and promotional programs offered by competitors. For example, Product A is currently facing a boycott and its supply is declining. You can take advantage of this opportunity by offering your product. “Sir, I see that your competitor’s product is out of stock. We’re ready to supply you if you’d like, and our product happens to be on promotion—for purchases of a certain amount, you’ll receive a discount of X percent.”
Uncertainty
Everyone hates uncertainty. The girlfriend you’ve been dating for ten years will leave you if you don’t propose and marry her soon. You hate uncertainty too; you’re afraid you won’t be able to provide for your future wife, so you’ve decided to postpone marrying her. Everyone hates uncertainty, so reduce the uncertainty.
The inventory management app is certainly easy to use, but the products you offer might not necessarily sell. What if the product is defective—is there a warranty? These are the kinds of concerns your potential customers have. They aren’t convinced that your product is good, so they’re hesitant to buy it.
What makes people unwilling to buy your product? There are countless factors if we ask what makes people unwilling to use our product. But if we change the question to “How can we make it easier for people to access our product?”, the answer becomes much simpler. Here are a few points you can consider to make it easier for people to access your product.
Trialability
Trialability refers to a product’s ability to be tested by customers. Customers who are hesitant about the products we offer have not yet experienced whether our products can be beneficial to them. By providing them with a hands-on experience with our products, we increase the chances of them using our products in the future.
I once sold a product that was actually selling well, but the process was slow. Then, one of the brand’s sales supervisors offered a program that involved giving out free samples to everyone. What was interesting was that after implementing this program, sales immediately increased. It didn’t take long—just about three days after the program was launched—for the product to sell faster. What used to take three weeks to clear out the entire inventory now only takes two weeks.
Upfront cost
“Upfront cost,” when translated into Indonesian, is “biaya dimuka”—it sounds quite strange because, to be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard it. Basically, if your product is better than your competitors’ but customers still aren’t ready to accept it, what you need to do is reduce the risks that buyers are afraid of. The programs you can offer to buyers vary depending on the strategy you want to implement. Here are some examples of strategies that are often used.
- Offers a warranty
- Offers free shipping
- Offers product demos
- Money-back guarantee
- Offers a return policy for unsold products
The purpose of my article is to explain how to sell products, with my primary reference being the book The Catalyst. You can purchase it at Gramedia or your favorite bookstore. Overall, the book is excellent. I’ve read many books on marketing, selling, and branding, but this is the first one that has provided a fundamental understanding of how a product can be accepted by the public. This book can serve as a foundation for anyone—not just salespeople—but for anyone who wants to influence others.
Finally, I’d like to summarize the main point of this article: if you want your product to be accepted by the public, don’t just focus on how good your product is; instead, you need to identify what’s preventing people from using it. Once those barriers are removed, everything will run more smoothly.
Also read:How can you improve an outdated business