Have you reminded yourself lately that you are in a crucial and honourable profession?

“Nothing happens until somebody sells something”

All businesses exist for one reason only… to serve a customer

“Selling is the key to all human activity and progress”

The greatest idea, the best system improvement or even the technically superior product is of no value unless somebody buys it.

“Passion is the pusher of progress and desire is the deliverer of destiny”

Unless we can convince all sections of our organization to passionately want to satisfy our customers and strengthen their desire to become the best in their field, someone else is likely to fulfil ‘our destiny’.

HOW ABOUT YOU… RATHER BE SOLD… OR TOLD?

SELL OR PERISH

If the ability to sell is critical to success, how much time are we investing in becoming more proficient at it?

Have you read at least one article on selling this week?

REMEMBER PEOPLE BUY WHAT THEY WANT NOT WHAT THEY NEED!

A notably successful ad from the past shows a hung over man who takes an ‘Alka-Seltzer’ and walks away looking refreshed and invigorated. For salespeople the question should be what did the man buy. An ALKA-Seltzer many will reply. Those with a little better understanding may realize he bought the product of the product, relief from discomfort. This product of the product or PRINCIPLE BUYING MOTIVE is often referred to as the buying NEED. There is however a more powerful buying motive, even deeper than the need, that is the all-important… SECRET BUYING MOTIVE. This ‘secret’ is what the customer REALLY wants. The man in the ALKA-Seltzer needed relief however wanted to be able to feel good and get on with what he wanted to do or achieve.

Remind yourself that a customer’s inner wants are far more powerful motivators than their perceived needs.

Am I finding out what my customers real motivators are or just pitching features?

Am I able through the sales process able to find out what the prospect really wants?

Am I asking questions or just talking?

Good questioning technique is important (and powerful), as people are usually SKEPTICAL ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE TOLD but generally BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY.

OKAY YOU SAY ASK QUESTIONS… HOW DO I DO THAT!

TIP 1: Asking permission to ask questions will work 99% of the time.

A good start is to say… ‘In order to save you time and to ensure I fully understand your requirements, do you mind if I ask you a few questions’?

TIP 2: Some polite a relationship building questions based on what you know about the prospect and his or her company are a wise start. How are you? How many people on your staff? How long have you worked for XYZ? How’s your…whatever is appropriate…?

TIP 3: Effective salespeople do their best (through research) to know what to ask to ensure that their questions will get the answers they want. Example – Don’t ask about the last dealing the prospect had with your company without checking on the success or difficulties that have gone before.

OPEN QUESTIONS GET LONG EXPLANATIONS & CLOSED Q’s GET ONE WORD ANSWERS…

TIP 4: Do I only ask questions that will get yes responses? Can I rethink and rephrase my questions so a YES is the only logical response.

e.g ’Do you see improved effectiveness of your company as a key management responsibility’? The person you are talking to would have to be a very ‘hard nosed’ individual to say anything but YES (or a total idiot).

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS VERY IMPORTANT…

PRODUCT OF THE PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS CRUCIAL

PEOPLE BUY FOR THEIR REASONS NOT OURS

Remember this useful motivation reference point that is common among many buyers.

Buying Criteria Guide: S – Security/Safety

P – Performance/Power

A – Availability/Appearance

C – Comfort/Class

E – Economy/Ecology

D – Dependability/Durability

Example… if the prospect wants a fast car don’t try to sell a safe green one… or if a prospect wants a ‘cheap’ computer don’t waffle on about a Pentium sixteen with 50,000 meg of ram and a 45 inch screen…

DO I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THE SPACED BENEFITS OF WHAT I SELL?

CRITICAL POINT: PEOPLE BUY BENEFITS NOT PRODUCTS!

How do we discover the real benefits of our product or service? The best way is to complete a FEATURES/ADVANTAGES/BENEFITS analysis.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a feature as a – ‘distinctive or characteristic part of a thing’ and an advantage as a – ‘better position, superiority, favorable circumstances’. A benefit is defined as’ ‘do good to, receive benefit (by thing)’.

Product features should be fairly obvious to anyone selling their product for more than a few weeks. Acknowledging that some products are more complicated than others the fact remains we can’t sell what we don’t understand.

List down six to ten of the most important features of your product or service. Check that they only have features listed buy checking if what you have written qualifies under ‘The Concise Oxford’ definition above. Examples may be, this pot has two handles, this traing is conducted over 3 days, it has a 3-litre engine, it has river views, or it has a 1000-hz ‘Pentium’ chip.

Then give each of the features at least two advantages. In the Pentium chip example the advantages could be, faster processing, quicker programme loading, superior movie viewing or quicker web browsing.

Review the features and advantages in light of the definitions and turn the advantages into real customer benefits. To do this it is best to line the three headings up side-by-side and turn the three categories into a sentence joining them with the words (feature) “which means” (advantage) “which gives you” (benefit). In the case of the two handled pot it could be ‘this pot has two handles which means it is better balanced when being carried improving your chance of getting from A to B with out spilling the contents.

SALES – QUICK TIPS

ARE YOU TURNING ONE CALL INTO THREE?

Go next door, both sides, or at least visit two more potential or current customers in the same area.

ARE YOU CROSS-SELLING and/or UPSELLING?

Sell aligned products or a range rather than having only “one product expertise”.

ARE YOU SENDING THANK YOU NOTES?

Everyone likes to be thanked, a quick note saying thanks for seeing me, or thanks for the order, or thanks for whatever can be a powerful relationship builder.

ARE YOU PLAYING THE NUMBERS GAME?

Rule of thumb, ten cold leads will get one prospect, ten prospects will get one customer. How many calls a week is that against the number of customers you are expected to see or sell?

ARE YOU GETTING TESTIMONIALS?

The best way to do it is to ring up the customer (when you know things have gone well) and ask questions that you know will get positive responses. Then ask permission to write the customers experience down, ask permission to send it to him/her and then ask that he/she put it on the company letterhead and send it to you.

ARE YOU ASKING FOR AND GETTING REFERRALS?

All to-do lists and of course sales reports should include a referrals section and if you don’t come back with at least one from each satisfied customer find a sharp object and insert it where it will inflict the most pain.

ARE YOU USING THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED PROSPECTING TECHNIQUE?

Look in the phone book, you think I’m joking, I’ll bet many sales staff have never even thought of it.

HAVE YOU CONTACTED ALL YOUR SOURCES?

Existing customers, suppliers, colleagues, investors, advisors, associates, family, friends, acquaintances, researched leads, past customers, public presentations, civic activities, networking, trade shows, competitors internet sites, next door

IT IS VERY HARD TO FIND NEW CUSTOMERS AT OUR DESK… GET OUT THERE. ARE YOU SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME AT YOUR DESK?

ARE YOU ONLY TALKING TO DECISION MAKERS?

How many secretaries, purchasing officers, clerks and other strange characters are you talking to, I mean wasting time with?

ARE YOU A NO FEAR SALESPERSON OR IS IT TIME FOR A RESUME UPDATE?

Have you overcome their fear of rejection and call reluctance? Do you to understand the biggest risk in your profession comes from developing too few customers and prospects, not from having too many!

Can’t do it?

Need a different career then? While you’re here maybe you should take a look at the free blank resume form!

OR…

Can you accept that as a professional salesperson rejection as part of your life and so you cannot allow a prospect’s rejection to effect and control your mental attitude? Fear can be reduced by planning, being prepared for every step of the selling process through practice and making sure you are backed up with solid product knowledge.