Day 1

WHAT IS SALES
A sale isn't a thing, it's a process. It isn't standing still, it's moving. It isn't one long job, it's a series of smaller jobs.

SALESMAN OF THE

EAR

CREATING A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

While listening, avoid creating distraction such as playing with a pen or tapping your fingers. It creates competition for your mind. Most people do not communicate, they simply take turns talking. While one is speaking, what is the listener doing? He is thinking of what he has to say next. When the speaker becomes the listener, he does the same thing both are speaking, nobody is listening. So, slow down, listen to the customer, and collect your thoughts before responding. The more prepare you are, the better you will be at responding. Remember, two monologues do not make a dialogue. Dont INTERRUPT. It is bad manners and even if you think you know what the other person is about to say, you might be making a wrong assumption. Acknowledge and encourage the other person by nodding your head smiling and occasionally saying yes or something to that effect. Recognize and acknowledge others feelings. Maintain eye contact without staring at the other person. Dont keep looking around the room or outside as that makes the other person wary. A warm smile shows interest. Ask questions to clarify and make notes Rephrase and paraphrase to show that you understand. Dont finish the other persons sentence. Show respect. Keep the conversation focused and to the point. Dont behave as if you know it all. Dont act as if by listening you are doing them a favor.

This is your Customer

This is you

You deal with a customer & This is what can happen

He can make you

feel like this !

Or this !

But

We all want to

Have our cheese

and eat it too !

Satisfy the need of your organisation !

&
Satisfy the need of the Customer !

Concern for the customer

Strategic advantage threshold

Minimum acceptable threshold

Professional selling skills

Concern for the sale

Concern for the company

Sales Troika Balance

You can do this with the

Programme

ADVANCED SKILLS

THE MOST IMPORTANT SET OF SKILLS THAT THESE PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON ARE S P I N SKILLS

 PROBLEMS

BUYER

PROBLEMS

PROBLEMS

PROBLEMS

PROBLEM S
. . . but what are the implications?

???

INEXPERIENCED SELLER

Solution Solution

Many experienced sellers link solutions to problems too soon

Solution

Solution

Implied needs are a statement of wants and desires?

No???

A customer with a large problem is ready to accept a solution?

No???

But the buyer must be ready to perceive that he has a need and that his problem is serious enough to justify the cost and hassle of finding a solution.

So the seller must establish and build the pain by Implication Questions

YOU HAVE SOLUTION

Our design software allows you make design revisions much faster

BUYER THINKS NOT WORTH COST

IMPLICATIONS New products slow to market Higher design costs Lose best designers

 IMPACT: Most powerful of all SPIN questions. Top salespeople ask lots of them.. THESE ARE THE HARDEST TO ASK AND MUST BE PLANNED CAREFULLY BEFORE KEY CALLS

SEEKING IS MORE PERSUASIVE THAN GIVING. SEEKING MEANS ASKING QUESTIONS GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER NEEDS

UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER PROBLEMS

UNDERSTANDING HOW YOU CAN SOLVE HIS PROBLEMS UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN BENEFIT HIS NEEDS

Preliminaries

Which stage is missing?

Demonstrating Capability

Obtaining Commitment

Preliminaries

INVESTIGATING

Demonstrating Capability

Obtaining Commitment

INVESTIGATING!!

Has direct influence on your success This stage will most impact your success The key purpose is to uncover implied needs Investigating is done through questions

The objective is to Move Implied Needs into Explicit Needs

HOW?

Grow that need!

A solution here has little impact.

A strong need, your solution will have impact!

Problems Difficulties Dissatisfactions

It begins in the form of Problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions. These are Implied Needs.

Clear, Strong When needs have developed into Wants and Desires

Wants or Desires we call them Explicit Needs.

Needs
Need to Outweigh c
o

s!

Buy

Dont Buy

Hassle Explicit Need Explicit Need Explicit Need Perceived value Buyer
Risks
Hidden Extras Cost

The cost of the solution

CONTINUATION & ADVANCE

SIMPLE VS COMPLEX SALES

SALES CALL Possible Outcomes

SALE OR REFUSAL TO BUY

CONTINUATION Discussion continues no action

ADVANCE Agreement on action which moves sale forward

A customer states a problem You can solve it!

Should you immediately offer your solution?

No !

Implied needs!

Implication questions demonstrates

Concern on the effect that the problem is having

Understanding of the issues and their consequences

The timing
Situation Qs. first

Establish the key facts

Problem Qs. next

Uncover the implied needs Implied Qs. last

Develop and extend implied needs

Implication Qs. They...

Ensure your solution has maximum impact ! Build credibility and demonstrate concern !

When you uncover an implied need

Hold back !

Develop it ! Offer your solution only at the very last !

Need payoff Qs.

Qs. which probe for Explicit Needs shifts attentions from

Problems to Solutions

It tells you the value of the benefit

PUTTING SPIN INTO PRACTICE

TWO KEY FACTORS PLANNING Thinking through your SPIN questions and advances and putting them into a call plan PARADIGM SHIFT- Shifting your perspective away from product and towards problem solving e.g. Xerox Corp.

The roadmap

Situation Questions Problem Questions Implication Questions Need-payoff Questions BENEFITS

Implied Needs

Explicit Needs

 I need help in forecasting sales better Im worried about increasing competition Our customers are having to wait too long- weve lost some! We need to be able to send messages automatically to our sales team Our communications systems arent as flexible as they should be

IMPLIED OR EXPLICIT NEEDS ?

Explicit Implied Implied
Explicit Implied

NEEDS ACROSS FUNCTIONS You can increase the strength of the need

by looking at the clients entire business process to link different functions. Link the needs you uncover and help buyers to understand how needs are connected. Look for ways to link individual problems into an overriding one which affect whole organization.

 Are you concerned about increased workload? Problem How has the increased workload affected staff turnover? Implication Have these staff problem led you to lose clients? Problem How have you been handling the staff shortage? Implication

PROBLEM OR IMPLICATION QUESTIONS?

WHAT GOES INTO GOOD IMPLICATION QUESTIONS?

Planning- they do not flow automatically so dont wing it! Business knowledge- You have understand why a problem might be important to the buyer and what the business issue are Application knowledge- You must able to make the link between your product and their problems to be able to select the right Implied Needs Divert the buyers attention from problems you can solve from problems you cant solve Timing. Always before introducing solution to Explicit Need.

NEED- PAYOFF QUESTIONS

They probe the Explicit Needs Reduce objections because cause buyer to explain solution Move discussion forward towards action and commitment

NEED-PAYOFF QUESTIONS? How much would you save annually

Need-payoff
Problem Implication

if we could eliminate your seasonal overtime costs? Are you worried about the unreliability or your current system? Has staff shortage caused you to miss important calls? How important is it to double your response time?

Need-payoff

BE AN I.C.E. MAN (OR MAIDEN)!

Development of Need-payoff Questions

STRENGTH OF YOUR PRODUCT e.g. faster

IDENTIFY How useful would it be to have a faster system?

CLARIFY Is speed important to be able to handle more clients?

EXTEND Could a faster system free your people up to do other things?

Ask these questions after developing the seriousness of problem through Implication Questions but before describing your solution.

Roleplay, videotaping & feedback

Understand the value of closing the sale Learn it !

Close
It starts with a C

C stands for conviction

Take C out and you have Lose

The heart of your sales career

Selling is a transference of feeling

In order to transfer feeling

You got to have the feeling

Believers are closers !

The believers close

we believe so deeply. So completely. So fervently in what we are selling that we cant understand why other people dont buy

A belief base needs to be

Tied directly to the heart

The shortest route is from the heart into the customers pocket

Closers own what they sell

The critical step is the step of honesty

Your total conviction, your belief that it is truly the best buy

Cant afford it

Unless you own it you cant sell it

Own a 747? Well not exactly ! Be loyal to the product. Be loyal to the company

Encouraging closure

Put yourself in the other partys shoes Understand what might be preventing him

Encouraging closure

Emphasise benefits show advantages not previously considered

Encouraging closure

Avoid a win lose situation

look for acceptable outcomes

Closure

Split the difference! partly yours & partly mine

Closure

Or

Or

Suggest acceptable alternatives

Closure

Be assertive not aggressive!

Closure

If not satisfied do not sign!

Closure

??

Does he have full authority?

Closure

If we came up If I reduce the If I give you

If...

First make a hypothetical proposal Hypothetical proposals are not commitments Test the issues important to the opposition

Some closing techniques

The picture close

Been to a 5 star Hotel recently ? Asked for a Green salad ? No ! We dont have that on the menu ! You can however order A sensuous salad. A painters palate. A colourful array of fresh spinach leaves mingled with ripe red tomatoes. Shredded cucumber topped with onion rings and tossed with their superb white sauce dressing ! Yes Sir ! Hotels are word merchants

They know how to throw their words around to describe their food

The picture close

Roleplay

Situation In colouful words describe how you would sell the benefit of a trouble free telephone connection to the customer

The fear close

You walk into a petrol station The attendant lifts the hood of the car. He checks the oil My G-o-d ! You need 3 litres of oil 3 litres? Is there no oil in the engine at all ?

The attendant turns around and tells you

The oil in the car is awfully dirty. It will damage your engine. It wont take 5 minutes I can change it for you.

The attendant has put the fear into the mind of the car owner. The car owner can ignore the attendant but damage the car engine.
What do you recommend he does?

The fear close

Roleplay

Situation You only have a limited number of connections to offer in this territory Use the fear closing technique to sell him the scheme

The post selling close

I recently purchased a car. Less than 72 hours of bringing the car home. This is the letter I received. Dear Mr. Khetarpal,

This is just to thank you for your courtesy and the trust and confidence that you placed in buying the car from Vivek automobiles yesterday. I very much enjoyed talking to you. I am proud that you are now the owner of a car from our showroom. I am sure that you will be pleased with the performance of the vehicle. I shall be in touch with you in the future to see if I can be of any service to you. If you should need any assistance of any kind please feel free to contact me.

Yours truly, This letter gives assurance to me that I purchased the right car. It also told me that the dealership appreciates my needs and will look after my interests.

The post selling close

Activity

You have just made your first sale to your customer What letter post sale would you write to him so that you create a long term relationship.

Other closing techniques The building trust close The Challenge close The Special occasion close The emotional close The opportunity close

Roleplay, videotaping & feedback

Your response !
Look for similarities Wait for the other party to finish

However
Every concession you make is a major loss to you Seek clarification. Paraphrase before your respond Keep the other party guessing

Ask questions. Lots of them

Volunteer information sparingly Make counter offers immediately Counter offer with priorities of least importance

Bargain the substance

Table the issues

Tabling the issues

We tell you
What are we thinking? You tell us What are you thinking?
Your thinking! Our thinking!

Questions. Ask many many questions

Uncovering needs
Uncover needs. Ask why? Clarify !

Turn Implicit needs Into Explicit needs

Clarify
Restate!
Summarise! Check it out!
Recap it maintains momentum it ensures that you understand it ensures agreement

Clarifying behaviour. Use it again and again

Trade concessions
Offer the

smallest concession first

You may not need to go so far

Judge how much you need to yield

I give you... And you give me...

Concede ground only if you receive something in return

Each concession is a serious loss to you

Make major concessions on minor issues

Make minor concessions on major issues

Take a long term view

Cast doubt on the validity of opponents information Test the validity of the opponents claim

Strengthen your position

Power is in the head

Strengthen your position

Cast doubt on validity of opponents information

Strengthen your position

Look for errors of logic. Omissions of fact.

Strengthen your position

Dont attack individual personalities specially competitors

Strengthen your position

Show emotions. Convey feelings!

Strengthen your position

Test the validity of the opponents claim

The price is too high?

Prospect forgets price but remembers quality Good things are not cheap ! Cheap things are seldom good !

ButYou must still close

There is a fear factor

Fear of making a mistake

Are you the right kind of person

Is it the right product?

Using the right technique With the right motive Well you have a good chance!

Closing is a learned skill

Not a natural one

Skill can be acquired

Are you willing to make the effort?

Implementation
On reaching the agreement Put it into your report Draw up an action plan Put the plan into effect

Monda y Tuesday WEDNESDAY

Thursda y Frid SATurday ay

Schedule the implementation

Breakdown

The longer the breakdown The more bitter it becomes The harder it is to restore it

Reestablish communication If all else fails. Use a mediator Someone who can think laterally

Action is vital to prevent a situation becoming irretrievable

The value adders !

Show him sales turnover Talk about inventory holdings Talk about working capital

Show him the customer pull

Tell him about customer loyalty

Are you able to raise the value of the product In the prospects mind?

The minute...
Value equals the price

Value exceed the price

You now have... A hot prospect

Or

The more the features describe The more likely the sale ?

No!

Features!
They are the characteristics of your product
They are neutral

Not very persuasive

They create low impact

to be used restrictively!

Advantages!
Show how your product or service can help the customer
Are more persuasive than features

Can have high impact early in the cycle

Impact dilutes with the sale progress

to be used with caution!

Benefits!
Show how the product meets an explicit need
It is the final step in the need development process The most powerful of sales behavior

To be used only after need has been expressed

FEATURES. ADVANTAGES. BENEFITS.

Hi

Benefits (high impact always)

(initially high but quickly falls off)

Impact on Customer Advantages

(low impact always) Lo Contact Contact

Features
Hi

Features lead to price concerns

Advantages result in objections Benefits receive

Support & Agreement

Commitment !

More often you use the closing technique

The more likely customer will buy?

No!

Commitment !

Ask for the commitment but only after you have built the value

Roleplay, videotaping & feedback