Module 4
Communicating Effectively
Communication to me is,………
Effective Communication can,….
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=109358107575560791&total=42&start=0&num=10&so=0
&type=search&plindex=9
Sales Communication as a
Collaborative Process
What’s the difference between “talking
at the customer” and “talking with the
customer”?
Provide an example!
Listening Skills Inventory
Exercise
How do you measure up?
Effective Listening – page 95
How Well Do We Listen?
 People use 1/4 of their listening capacity
 People use 1/10 of their memory potential
 People forget 1/2 of what they have heard
within eight hours
 Eventually, people forget 95% of what they
have heard unless cued by something later
on
 People usually distort what little they do
remember
In a Selling Context
 Put in a selling context, if you spend six
hours a day with prospects, you might spend
three hours listening to them. Then you
would...

... Hear about 90 minutes worth

... Listen to 45 minutes worth

... Understand 22 1/2 minutes of it

... Believe only 11 minutes of it,

... Remember only 5 5/8 minutes of it
Verbal Communication: Listening
Types of Listening
 Marginal/Social Listening
 Recipients hear the words but are easily distracted
and may allow their minds to wander
 Evaluative Listening
 Listeners are concentrating on what is being said
but do not sense what is being communicated
nonverbally or through more subtle verbal cues
 Active Listening
 A process in which the listener receives messages,
processes them, and responds so as to encourage
further communication
SIER Hierarchy of Active
Listening
Responding
Evaluating
Interpreting
Sensing
Understanding the
Superiority of Word Pictures
 Generate a mental picture in the receiver’s
mind.
“Tropicana juices are bursting with flavor.”
 Use words and phrases that convey concrete
and detailed meaning.
“This new system will increase weekly production by
2,100 units.”
 Integrate relevant visual aids into verbal
communication.
“As you can see by this chart . .
. .”
In-class Exercise – Arco Company
Reading and Reacting
to Nonverbal Signals
 Nonverbal signals are processed at a sub-
conscious level
 There are five major nonverbal
communication channels





Body Angle
Face
Arms
Hands
Legs
Nonverbal Communication
 Facial Expressions
 Eye Movements
Face
Head
 Placement and Movements of Hands, Arms,




Head, and Legs
Hands
Body Posture and Orientation
Variation in Voice Characteristics
 Speaking Rate and Pause Duration
 Pitch or Frequency
 Intensity and Loudness
Feet
Proxemics
Note page 125, Exhibit 4.8, is a guide only,
not always 100% accurate.
Arms
Legs
Posture
Nonverbal Communication
 More information is communicated
nonverbally than through any other form of
communication



Tone of voice and accents
Body language (facial expressions, gestures,
and attitudes)
Choice of dress influences nonverbal
communication
Personal Distance/Proxemics
 Public Zone: >12 feet
 Social Zone: 4 - 12 feet
You
 Personal Zone: 2-4 feet
 Intimate Zone: 0-2 feet
Me
Verbal Communication:
Questioning
Salespeople skilled at questioning take a strategic
approach to asking questions so that they may:
 Control the flow and direction of the
conversation
 Uncover important information (disclosure)
 Demonstrate concern and understanding
 Facilitate the customer’s understanding
Impact of Poor Grammar
 Meaning and credibility of the message are
significantly downgraded.
 Receiver begins to focus on the sender rather
than the message.
 Receiver dismisses the sender and the
sender’s organization as being
unqualified to perform the role
of an effective supplier and partner.
Impact of Poor Grammar
 Presentation will be inefficient and ineffective.
 Receiver will have to ask many questions to
gain clarity.
 Receiver may dismisses the sender as
incompetent.
Verbal Communication:
Strategic Application of Questioning
 Generate Buyer Involvement
 Provoke Thinking
 Gather Information through




disclosure
Clarification and Emphasis
Show Interest
Gain Confirmation
Advance the Sale
Types of Questions:
 Open-end Questions
How do You Feel?
Types of Questions:
 Open-end Questions
 Closed-end Questions
Do You Feel Good?
Types of Questions:
 Open-end Questions
 Closed-end Questions
 Dichotomous/Multiple-Choice Questions
Do You Feel Happy or Sad?
Questions Classified by Strategic
Purpose
 Probing – used for digging, useful during
discovery and objection handling
 Evaluative – uncovers attitudes, opinions and
preferences
 Tactical – used to shift or redirect the
discussion/conversation
 Reactive – used in response to the reaction
of a buyer/customer
SPIN Questioning System
Four types of questions:
 Situational
 Problem
 Implication
 Need-Payoff
Situation Questions
Definition:
Finding out facts about the buyer’s existing situation.
Examples:
How many people do you employ at this location? How do
you manage your customers and contacts?
Impact:
Least powerful of the SPIN questions. Negative relationship
to success. Most people ask too many.
Advice:
Eliminate unnecessary Situation Questions by doing your
homework in advance.
Problem Questions
Definition:
Asking about problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions that
the buyer is experiencing with the existing situation.
Examples:
Have you ever had trouble managing your time & customers?
Which parts of the system create error?
Impact:
More powerful than Situation Questions. People ask more
Problem Questions as they become more experienced at
selling.
Advice:
Think of your products or services in terms of the problems
they solve for buyers—not in terms of the details or
characteristics that your products possess.
Implication Questions
Definition:
Asking about the consequences or effects of a buyer’s
problems, difficulties, or dissatisfactions.
Examples:
What effect does that problem have on your productivity?
Could that be impeding your ability to develop good
relationships with your customers?
Impact:
The most powerful of all SPIN questions. Top salespeople
ask lots of Implication Questions.
Advice:
These questions are the hardest to ask. Prepare for these
questions by identifying and understanding the
implications of various suspected needs prior to the sales
call.
Need-Payoff Questions
Definition:
Asking about the value or usefulness of a proposed
solution. They seek the buyer’s opinion as to what life
would be like if the problem was solved.
Examples:
How would better time & customer management help you?
Would you like to discuss how we can do that for you?
Impact:
Versatile questions used a great deal by top salespeople.
These questions help the buyer to understand the benefits of
solving the problem.
Advice:
Use these questions to get buyers to tell you the benefits that
your solution can offer.
Funneling Sequence of ADAPT
Assessment Questions
Discovery Questions
Activation Questions
Projection Questions
Transition Questions
ADAPT Techniques for Needs Discovery
Assessment Questions
• Broad
bases and general facts describing situation
• Non-threatening as no interpretation is requested
• Open-end questions for maximum information
Discovery Questions
•Build on Assessment Questions
• Questions probing information gained in assessment
• Seeking to uncover problems or dissatisfactions that
could lead to suggested buyer needs
• Open-end questions for maximum information
Activation Questions
• Show the negative impact of a problem discovered in the
discovery sequence
• Designed to activate buyer’s interest and desire
to solve the problem.
Projection Questions
• Projects what life would be like without the problems
• Buyer establishes the value of finding and
implementing a solution
Transition Questions
• Confirms
interest in solving the
problem
• Transitions to presentation of
Reacting During
the Questioning Stage
 Question-based presentations are the link between
salespeople’s ability to listen and to uncover buyer
motivations
 Salespeople who are empathetic are better able to
understand their prospects’ motives
 “Check the pulse” of prospects regularly
 Remain alert for any signals that prospects may send
Responding to Tough Questions
 When your prospect asks you tough,
uncertain questions


Restate the question to make sure you
understand it correctly.
Ask:




“Can I think about that for a while?”
“That is a good question and I do not readily have
the answer”
You could also start with a general reply
Don’t fake it