Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Selling valentine’s day gifts, Wikipedia. To exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent: We sold our old car for a modest sum. To offer or have available for sale: The store sells health foods.

To give up or surrender in exchange for a price or reward: sell one’s soul to the devil. We sold the proposal to the school committee. They sold me on the idea. Are any of the fruit vendors still selling? To be sold or be on sale: Grapes are selling high this season. An act or instance of selling: ordered a sell of his shares in the company.

Something that sells or gains acceptance in a particular way: Their program to raise taxes will be a difficult sell. To sell all of a supply of something: We have sold out of that model. The bakery is sold out of those pastries. To be entirely sold: Her new novel has sold out.

Slang To betray one’s principles or colleagues: He sold out to the other side. To be purchased as a retail item by a customer: The clothes are in the store, but they aren’t selling through. To contract for the sale of securities or commodities one expects to own at a later date and at more advantageous terms. Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster’s page for free fun content. Please log in or register to use Flashcards and Bookmarks. And then he kept diligently saying to himself all the time: “It’s for only a year.

June, and he laughed merrily, giving to each full measure. When Macalister saw Philip he was pessimistic. 4,175 of that make and the Aveo came in second place with 1,444 sold cars. Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Susan Ward wrote about small businesses for The Balance for 18 years. She has run an IT consulting firm and designed and presented courses on how to promote small businesses.

Learn more about selling and how it works. At its essence, selling is handing over something of value in exchange for money or another item of value. But to get to the point where someone is willing to part with their money to obtain an item or service often requires persuasion. Not all sales transactions are equal. There is a huge difference between buying gas for your car and buying a car. In the first instance of buying gas because the tank is empty, there’s no persuasion involved.

Buying a car, on the other hand, is often not an imminent need. It involves a larger investment to obtain and generally requires a salesperson to assist you. If you’re selling a product or service, you need to focus your selling efforts on communicating the benefits to the buyer. People buy solutions or items they believe will make their lives better or happier or fulfill a specific need. For example, if you’re selling long-term care insurance, the potential buyer should understand the high costs of long-term care and the benefits of not having to worry about paying for those costs.

The buyer needs to understand how the product or service will satisfy a need or improve their lives. Another example is the hula hoop. Did anyone ever actually need a hula hoop? But they’re fun and can be a form of exercise. Promoting the hula hoop as a form of fun fitness is an example of selling benefits. Selling is crucial to business success but is often a task many dread.

Fortunately, sales can be learned and can be done without being smarmy or obnoxious. The ability to build long-term relationships with customers one at a time: Most good salespeople think long-term about how they can leverage the current sale into more business in the future from the same customer or with referrals. The ability to listen to the customer: Too many salespeople spend their time attempting to talk the prospective customer into buying without finding out what the customer actually wants. Customers buy solutions or things that make them feel good.

You can’t do that if you don’t know what the customer needs or wants. Tenacity: A good salesperson knows that it may take several attempts to make a sale and never gives up on a potential customer. Instead, they have a follow-up system to stay in touch with prospects. Somewhere down the line, an email or phone call reminder might close the deal. Self-motivation: Successful salespeople have a high level of initiative. They constantly look for new opportunities and view setbacks as learning experiences. They hold themselves accountable for their performance and don’t blame others or current economic conditions for lack of success.