The Selling Process - 3 Stages
Source
Potential
Customers
Prospecting
Opening
The Sale
Building
The Sale
Closing
The Sale
The Sales Presentation
Follow Up
Sale
After Sales
Service
Rules of Selling
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Adopt a Win – Win approach
Know your product – features, benefits & USPs
Sell the benefits, not the features
Research prospect
Know your customers’ needs/wants
Listen to the buyer
Relate what you are selling to the buyer’s wants and needs
Plan your sales and be prepared
Have clear and well prepared sales presentations,
demonstrations and telephone calls
• Make sure you know who the decision maker is
Sourcing Customers/Prospecting
• Internal Sources: • Personal Contact:
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Money
Authority
Need
– Enquiries to
advertising
– Phone/mail
enquiries
– Internet enquiries
– Customer
records
• External Sources:
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Following leads
Referrals/introductions
Community contact
Other organisations
Networks
Newspaper
Directories
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Business contacts
Social networks
Formal networks
Networking
Word of mouth
Personal observation
Cold canvassing
Trade shows
Conferences
Sales seminars
Contacting Prospects – Planning your Approach
Objective
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Make an
appointment
Create an
interest
Immediate sale
How
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Telephone
Person to
person
E-mail
Letter
Visit
Resources
required
What to
say
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Set an
agenda
Opening
statement
Sales pitch
Qualifying
questions
Answers to
objections
Reponses to
questions
Build
confidence &
rapport
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Business
cards
Customer
testimonials
Brochures
Portfolios
Diary
Writing
materials
Next
steps
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Obtain an
appointment
Send
information
Follow up
Sales Presentation Structure
• Opening the sale
• Body/building the sale
• Closing the sale
Opening the Sale
• Make an opening statement
• Introduce yourself/your business
• State the purpose of the presentation quickly
(within 15 seconds)
• Ask qualifying questions
Body/Building the Sale
• Provide information on you/your business
and your product/service
• Relate to the buyer’s needs/wants
• Highlight unique selling points (USPs)
• Focus on the benefits to the customer
• Follow a logical sequence
FAB
Features
Advantage
Benefit
High speed processor
Can compute twice as fast
Provides customer with
more productive time
Focus
of
sales
pitch
Why Objections Occur
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Disbelief/not convinced
Budget/money issues
Satisfaction with a competitive product
Previous negative experience
Fear of making the wrong decision
Misunderstanding
Handling Objections
• Prepare responses in advance
• Listen to the objection
• Check you have understood the
objection
• Answer the objection
• Advance the sale
Buying Signals
• Requesting a sample
• Requesting names of other customers
• Commenting positively
• Indicating problems with previous vendors
• Asking specific questions re: price, features,
availability, options
• Negotiating
Closing Methods
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Assumptive close
Alternative choice close
Immediate gain close
Fear close
Direct request close
Summary close
Negotiation close
Small decision close
Follow Up
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Explain level of service at the time of the sale
Make a courtesy call after the sale
Give customer contact numbers etc
Stay in touch
Use a database
Send customers information on offers etc
Benefits of Customer Care
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Satisfied customers will recommend you to others
Encourages repeat sales
Dissatisfied customers will complain on average to 10 other people
Demonstrates professionalism
Poor customer care will damage your image and reduce your profits