How to ‘sell like a rockstar’ in Dubai

Does selling like a rockstar entail being one? Literally no. Rhetorically yes.

It is no trade secret that selling has never been easy, and with the years that went past, it has only straitened. A lot of people find sales hard, and rightly so – a decade or more in the sales industry often leaves people dusted and weary.

But as long as you love what you do, you’ll continue to do it again and again.

“If you’re selling elephants in Thailand or homes in Dubai, you just got to love what you’re doing, and then the same [sales] rules apply,” sales trainer Mark Dickinson told Gulf Business.

On the sidelines of the ‘Selling like a Rockstar’ event at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Dubai on January 19, Dickinson cleared the air about different sales ecosystems operating in different markets.

“[The sales ecosystem] is exactly the same as everywhere else; because selling is about the passion that you have for the product you want to sell.”

So, is there a better way of dealing with this labyrinthine art, that is sales? According to Dickinson, yes – it is simple to grow your business, and there are three easy ways of doing so:

1. Keep every customer
Pour your heart into it, and do everything under the sun that’s required to keep him onboard.

2. Get them to spend more
Most sales people shy away from asking for more. Add a bit more to the offerings.

3. Get them to come again.
Perhaps the cynosure of it all: BRING THEM BACK. Customers go back to a brand when they feel special, when they feel well treated, looked after. It is, however, true that curating amazing experiences for customers entails a lot of consistent effort, but if one thrives on a sales job, and loves it, he can create the same magic again and again.

Sales is what drives numbers, and pays the bills, so you need to convince the customer that the product you wish to sell is worth its value, which begs the question – what is value?

“How much I can make [the customer] believe he is willing to pay for what I have – that entails thinking about the customer, thinking about what he needs, and bringing it to him, at a price that he can just about afford, maybe stretch a bit because it is valuable,” said Dickinson.

When quizzed on the few sales tips that he would lend to any person operating in a trying economic climate, Dickinson said: “Forget the economic situation: If you think the economy is bad, you’ll behave as though the economy is bad. Think that the customer is out there, he will buy – you just need to find the customer for your product; also, believe in what you’re selling: Don’t sell something you don’t believe in.

“Ask questions and listen to what the customer is looking for – Don’t just assume and don’t use the cookie-cutter approach where you ram the same solution down everybody’s throat. Also, be good.”

In a nutshell, creating outstanding experiences for the customer each time should be the new sales maxim.

Feedback from attendees

“What I learned today is to be nice and understand who you’re talking to. The first thing he [Dickinson] taught us was how to be nice. One of the key takeaways of the session is to listen, be polite and interact, even with strangers. Apart from sales, these are great everyday practices that he has mentioned, and I am going to make sure I do that” – Rutuja Marfatia, senior account manager, Verve Marketing and Communications.

“Very engaging session; he is trying to shift our focus from product to people. We can modify the product to the needs of the people. [Dickinson] is focusing on building that relationship with people. That is the way forward” – Chetan Mendon, business development manager, Fit on Click.

“I am loving the session because of the personality of the trainer. He is so engaging, he is very knowledgeable, and the session is very informative” – Farah Harb, PR executive, Danube Properties.