Successful sales can depend on many factors, including you as the seller, the products or services offered, and, of course, the price. One effective approach is through soft selling.
Soft selling involves building relationships with customers so they feel comfortable purchasing your products. Taking this approach can determine the success of the products or services you offer.
Here’s a comprehensive explanation of soft selling, including how to sell effectively using this approach.
Definition of Soft Selling
Soft selling refers to a sales approach that uses gentle language and non-aggressive techniques. This method is designed to avoid irritating potential customers and driving them away.
Because soft selling is a low-pressure, persuasive, and subtle sales technique, it may not result in an immediate sale when the product is first presented, but it helps encourage repeat purchases.
Using soft selling techniques doesn’t mean you have to be passive. On the contrary, this method is designed to drive sales of a product or service without appearing pushy. You can adopt a more conversational approach to make potential customers feel relaxed.
With soft selling, you need to maintain the customer’s attention in a friendly manner by repeating key ideas or messages about the products or services being offered.
Soft Selling vs Hard Selling
Unlike soft selling, hard selling is characterized by direct and forceful language.
This is because the technique is designed to make consumers purchase products or services in the short term, rather than evaluate options that might delay their decision.
That’s why hard selling is considered a high-pressure, aggressive technique that many sales experts no longer favor.
Why Is Soft Selling Effective?
Soft selling has proven to be a more sustainable marketing strategy compared to hard selling for several reasons:
- Increases customer loyalty, as soft selling helps build emotional connections with customers, making them more loyal.
- Increases brand awareness, as it’s more memorable thanks to its subtle and easily understood approach.
- Reduces consumer resistance, as customers tend to avoid overly aggressive advertising. Soft selling also makes them more receptive to the messages you deliver.
- Increases social media engagement through content that educates, inspires, or entertains.
Characteristics of Effective Soft Selling
To ensure the success of your soft selling campaign, here are some key characteristics to consider:
- Does not directly push sales; ensure the main focus is on building relationships and providing value.
- Leverage your stories, as a brand with a strong narrative is more memorable to customers.”
Alternatif yang lebih editorial atau persuasif. - Offer value to your audience, which can be in the form of education, entertainment, or inspiration.
- Incorporate an emotional approach to customers to create a deeper connection with your business.
How to Use Soft Selling to Boost Sales
The soft selling approach can be applied to all types of sales, from individual customer interactions to social media content. Here are the steps you can take to use soft selling to boost your sales.
1. Research Potential Customers
First, research your customers and identify their needs. This research can help you prepare questions to ask when starting a conversation and determine whether they have problems that your products or services can solve.
2. Build Relationships with Buyers
The soft selling approach prioritizes the customer and the seller-customer relationship. Just like in friendship, consumers are more likely to become customers if they like and trust you as a seller. Rarely do customers make purchases from sellers they don’t like or trust.
So, when interacting with consumers for the first time, make sure your tone is empathetic and friendly while asking questions politely. Listen carefully to their answers, as this provides information that helps you understand them both personally and professionally.
3. Identify Customer Needs
Next, try to determine whether your product or service can solve the customer’s problem. When discussing what you offer, maintain a friendly and empathetic tone, and be an active listener.
4. One Soft Selling Technique Is Providing Recommendations
It’s very helpful to provide information on how your product or service can solve the customer’s problem. Even better if the price fits within their budget.
Although the soft selling approach is usually informal, outlining the conversation can help you stay on topic and remember key points.
5. Answer Questions and Provide Education
After recommending a product or service to a customer, answer any questions they have. If they request additional information, make sure to respond promptly and provide it directly.
This step demonstrates your professionalism as a seller, while building trust with customers and encouraging them to make repeat purchases.
That’s an explanation of soft selling, which is more consultative than direct selling.
In e-commerce, an example of soft selling is when a buyer leaves items in their shopping cart, and you send an email asking if they encountered any issues or need advice.
That’s an explanation of the soft selling technique you can try. To make business operations easier, try using the Labamu app. It’s an all-in-one solution designed with advanced features to support your business growth.
Over 84,000 entrepreneurs in Indonesia are already using Labamu’s wide range of useful features, from POS Cashier, Product Bundles, QR Menu, to Order Management. You can also take advantage of Labamu Staff, Employee Management, Reports, and Billing features to make your business operations even smoother.
You can also join LabamuHub, a community of entrepreneurs who share knowledge, experiences, and business opportunities.
