In the world of small business, sales are critical. After all, all of the advertisements, marketing efforts and customer support in the world can’t make a difference unless you know how to close the deal with a customer. When it comes down to the bottom line, sales matter. 

However, discovering how to make the perfect sale has been a dilemma and argument among professionals for almost as long as business has existed. What one person recommends, another disagrees with. While one sales trend is popular now, it might not be popular in a few years. Things can get confusing. Fortunately, there are some foolproof sales tips every business professional should know. Check out these seven sales suggestions for small business.

1. Know your audience.
Like marketing, knowing your audience is vital to a successful sales strategy. While this might seem obvious, many professionals rush into a sale without fully understanding what their prospects want or need. Take time to identify who you’re selling to, what their potential needs are and ask the right questions to truly know your audience.

2. Be authentic.
Prospects can smell a fishy salesman from a mile away, which is why authenticity is key to a successful sale. You have to fully know and care about your product or service, and what it can do for the customer. Have a genuine desire to help the customer, more than simply wanting to hit your quota. When a prospect believes you’re authentic, they’ll be more inclined to buy.

3. Build relationships.
When you focus on a one-time deal, your efforts are short-sighted, and could hurt potential sales opportunities in the long run. Instead, consider building substantial relationships with customers, so they will want to come back again and again. While customer acquisition is necessary, customer retention truly makes businesses succeed.

4. Understand sales cycle.
Knowing the sales cycle is crucial to an effective sales person, because it makes the process more manageable and less overwhelming. The Balance says, “Get familiar with the seven stages of the sales cycle that go from prospecting to asking for referrals from the new customer, and begin to systemize the process.”

5. Create the elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch is always a useful tool to have in your back pocket for sales. The more comfortable you are delivering a summary of who you are and what the company does, the more sales you will make. Sit down to write out your elevator pitch, then rehearse it to perfection so you can use it over and over again.

6. Teach something new.
With everything customers can spend their money on, you need to find something that sets your business apart from the crowd. For example, teach them something. Bring something new to the table that actually teaches the prospect different or missing information about their business or personal life. Not only will they appreciate it, but they’ll even try your product.

7. Use technology.
Technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so why not use it to your advantage throughout the sales process? For instance, a CRM tool can track your email open rates to let you know who out of the prospects has opened your cold email more than once since receiving it. Evaluate the tools and tech at your company and see how you can use them in sales.

With any small business, sales are crucial to success. When it comes right down to it, you need customers, and closing a sale brings them in. If you want to boost your strategy, keep these seven sales suggestions in mind and see how your bottom line can grow.