Most small business owners set up their company because they are good at something particular and want to profit from it. However, many of them dread having to go out and sell their products and services. They have probably come from a company where someone else did that sort of thing.
Forget your bad experiences with double glazing. The type of sales approach which will gain you loyal customers, who will buy from you regularly and tell their friends about you (presumably that is the type of customer you want) is not about being pushy, or pressuring people into buying things they don’t really want.
The ideal sales approach is all about building relationships. It is less about you selling and more about them buying.
Instead of thinking that you are going to sell, decide that you are going to find out more about a potential client’s business to see if there is an opportunity to provide a product or service that they need.
So ask questions and LISTEN to the answers. Find out who is the right person to speak to. Find out what they do at the moment, what their problems or concerns are.
Once you have this information you can explain (to the right person) how your product can help with some of their concerns. Remember to explain how your product helps them (the benefits) not what your product does (features).
From there it is a simple step to ask them if they would like to do business with you, or, at the very least, have another meeting with you.
You haven’t been pushy – in fact you have offered to find a solution to a particular problem.
And if they don’t need your services right now, they know who you are and what you do. They might just tell a friend!