In order to sell a product or service, you must create attention, interest, desire, and action on the part of the prospective consumer. There are several established sales techniques, many of which may be used in combination for your business.

Direct Sales 
With direct sales, goods and services are sold directly through personal explanation and demonstrations. The advantage of direct sales is the fact that there is no middleman involved. Direct sales can be a profitable way of doing business for these reasons; profits are maximized. The customer also benefits, because there is a one-on-one relationship with the seller. The Internet and the telephone are common ways of using technology to direct sell. The Internet has revolutionized direct sales because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to set up a website and you can get a 24-hour global audience for your product. In-home product demonstrations, group meetings, and parties-used by companies like Longaberger (baskets) and Mary Kay (cosmetics)-are other direct sales methods.    

Agency-Based Sales 
Sales agents (in real estate and manufacturing, for instance) are experienced and knowledgeable in their trade, so they usually have the tools to sell a product better than the average person. They also have an uncommon amount of connections. A disadvantage of hiring an agent is the fact that they may have many other clients, some of whom they may consider to be more valuable than you, so you might not be getting the agent's best effort.    

Consignment 
Consignment sales happen when a person puts a product in the hands of another, but retains ownership until the product is sold. Commonly, this occurs in shipping or at a consignment shop. In this technique, the consignee (person to whom the product is sent) pays the consignor (person with the goods to sell) only after the goods are sold, from the proceeds.

Telemarketing or Telesales 
Telemarketing is a form of direct marketing in which the salesperson uses the telephone to solicit customers. This can be done with live operators or with recorded messages. Businesses use telemarketers because it can quickly generate leads, it is cost-effective, and it's quicker than going door-to-door to sell products. Another advantage of telemarketers is that the consumer cannot see them. Often, there are prepared rebuttal statements the telemarketer can read off of a sheet of paper. Telemarketing is also used in faxes and over the web, which is referred to as "spam." Telemarketers are sometimes negatively associated with scams and can be considered and annoyance because of untimely calls. New technology and caller ID makes it more difficult for telesales to contact prospective customers.    

Retail or Consumer Sales 
Retailing is the sale of goods and merchandise from a fixed location, such as a store, for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailers are at the head of the supply chain. The three major types of retailing are market, shop or store trading, and virtual retail. The market is the actual location where buyers and sellers converge. Store trading is where stores trade goods amongst each other; these goods are not available to the public. Virtual retail is when the buyer purchases goods over the Internet, telephone, or mail without ever actually seeing the product in person. Popular websites for this type of retail are eBay.com and amazon.com.

Door-to-Door or Traveling Sales 
Door-to-door sales is the most difficult form of sales; it consists of a salesperson going from house to house and knocking on doors, hoping to be given the chance to sell a product. The products most commonly sold in this manner includes cleaning supplies, lawn mowing services, cleaning equipment, magazines, repaired roofs, siding, and new replacement windows.

Request for Proposal (RFP) 
A request for proposal (RFP) is a document written much like a contract that solicits interested parties to enter into an agreement that will provide specific services or solicitation under conditions provided by the requester. The request for proposal can also be used to develop publications, soliciting private sector partners to work with the intellectual property of a private, nonprofit organization. An RFP focuses the priorities and values of the group developing it. For example, should a building become available in a community, an RFP can help the community determine its values regarding that building. Can it be used for housing or other economic development use that will both preserve the building and provide a revenue source for its continued maintenance and repair? This is an effective tool in determining the values of local preservation groups.

Referneces:
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales.

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