In order for your potential sale to conclude with happily ever after, you must know how go from A to B to C in the sales process. Follow this guide to take your sale from beginning to middle to end:

In the Beginning

Before you can get the sale off to an electrifying start, you need to have a knowledge base of both your product/service and your customers.

1. Questions to ask yourself about the product/service - What is your unique selling point? In other words, what makes this product/service stand out from all the other products/services similar to it? Think of the USP as your sales crutch. Without it, your sale will topple like a man with two broken legs.

You must also know how the product or service incites the prospects sense of need. Need is the most powerful motivation, so make a list of all the reasons prospects might need the product or service. Each prospect is different, so their needs will vary. Knowing all the possible needs the product/service can fill will give you the selling advantage.

2. Questions to ask yourself about customers - Who are they? Who wants what you have to offer? College students? Soccer moms? Three year olds? Knowing who your target demographic is will help you narrow your selection of sales prospects. Different techniques work with different types of people, so before you develop one set style, find out who your customers are.

Once you know a little about your product/service and prospects, its time to get down to business and start generating leads.

1. Referrals - Give your current customers a reason to send you referrals. Offer them a reward for each referral they bring to your business, such as discounts or free gifts.

2. Direct Mail - One of the most effective techniques for lead generation, direct mail is relatively inexpensive and it gives you control over cost as you can send as many or as few letters as you wish.

3. Advertising - Try different advertisements in newspapers, magazines, classified sections, directories, the Internet, even cable. Keep track of your results so you can narrow your list of effective marketing tactics and save money.

4. Publicity - Send a press release to local newspapers, trade magazines, any type of press that might be interested in your business. Try to connect your business with something newsworthy to increase the chances that someone will run your story.

The Plot Thickens

Now that you have sales leads, what do you do with them? This is the hardest part of the sales process for even the most seasoned of sales experts.

Your instinct will be to talk your prospect’s ear off about all that your product/service can do for them. Granted, there should be a certain amount of down home, hard selling, but customers need to feel like you understand them and their needs. If you do all the talking, how can you let them know you are interested in what they are looking for?

Ask questions about the customer and encourage them to do their share of the taking while you listen. Not only does this technique give the customer a sense of your interest in their needs, it also gives you a chance to use those individual needs to further the sale. According to Veteran salesman Tim Connor, your prospects will tell you what you need to say in order to make close the sale. So listen carefully!

The End

The selling song and dance can only go on for so long before you have to ask, "So, should I put you down for an order," or "I would like to have you as a client. When can we get started?"

Here are a few techniques to help you wrap it in your and the client’s mutual favor:

1. Ask for the sale after the prospect has invested time and effort in your relationship or in the sale. The more time and effort they invest in making their decision, the more likely they are to buy. Customers don’t like to waste time thinking about products or services unless they plan to incorporate them into their lives, so the more time they spend with your, the more time will be wasted if they don’t buy.

2. Get the prospect to agree to different ideas, concepts, and suggestions before you ask for the sale. These are called incremental closes. Their purpose is to get the client to say yes to a number of mini-proposals before you present the big one. Incremental closes pave the way for the final push.

3. Remove the risk. This is one of the fastest ways to overcome buyer resistance. Take the risk off their shoulders and put it on your own. Stress the fact that they can buy risk-free and you will offer guarantee 30 days, 90 days, even a year. Make the sale as painless as possible for the customer.

4. Ask for the sale. No matter which technique you use to sell, asking for the sale is always a good way to close. Why hint around what you want. YOU WANT THE SALE so don’t be afraid to let the customer know.

5. Once the customer lets you know they are ready to buy, act fast. Ring up the product, place the order, write up the quotation, prepare the contract; do whatever you need to do to close the sale quickly. Don’t give them time to rethink while you doddle around with preparing for the close. Any delay gives your customer time to move on and your competitors time to move in.

Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copywriting. See his 10,000 marketing ideas and popular promotion packages at http://DrNunley.com