Professional Selling CH 6-9
service strategy
A plan in which a salesperson identifies his or her business and customers, what the customers want, and what is important to them.
direct denial (methods for handling buyer resistance)
A rather harsh response that the prospect is wrong
Sales tactics for selling to groups
AECT arrival, eye contact, communication, tell them
Relate (Four sequential components of effective follow-up)
Apply relevant understanding and insight to create value-added interactions with the buyer.
question (methods for handling buyer resistance)
Ask the buyer assessment questions to gain a better understanding of the what they are objecting to.
Sales Dialogue
Business conversations between buyers and sellers that occur as salespeople attempt to initiate, develop, and enhance customer relationships
Sales Resistance
Buyer's objections to a product or service during a sales presentation
units of conviction
Concise, carefully prepared "mini-presentations" that are used as building blocks in constructing the information the salesperson presents.
Know (Four sequential components of effective follow-up)
Coordinate and interpret information and develop insight regarding buyer's changing situation, needs, and expectations.
compensation (methods for handling buyer resistance)
Counterbalance the objection with an offsetting benefit
Connect (Four sequential components of effective follow-up)
Develop and maintain contact with multiple influential individuals in the buying organization.
each unit of conviction contains...
Feature (A fact about the product or service) Transitional phrase or bridge Benefit (What's in it for the customer?) Evidence or proof statements (primary or secondary) Tie-down (trial close or nail down)
how to requests an appointment
Give the prospect a reason why an appointment should be granted Request a specific amount of time Suggest a specific time for the appointment
Emotional Buying Motives
Includes motives such as security, status, and need to be liked; sometimes difficult for salespeople to uncover these motives.
handling buyer resistance
LAARC listen, acknowledge, asses, respond, confirm
Interact (Four sequential components of effective follow-up)
Maximize the number of critical encounters with buyer and encourage effective dialogue and involvement.
5 need motivations
Need for Affiliation Need for Achievement Need for Power/Domination Need for Cognition Need for Variety
commitment
Often referred to as "closing," gaining commitment refers to the prospect's willingness to make a purchase from the salesperson.
5 Dimensions of Evaluating Sales Proposal
RATER reliability assurance tangibles empathy responsiveness
Working with sales aids
SPES state selling point & intoduce the sales aid Present the sales aid explain the sales aid Summarize
feel-felt-found (methods for handling buyer resistance)
Salesperson relates that others actually found their initial opinions to be unfounded.
Success Story Commitment
Salesperson tells a story of a business that successfully solved a problem by buying his or her products
SPIN selling
Situation questions Problem questions Implication questions Need-Payoff questions
indirect denial (methods for handling buyer resistance)
Softening the blow when correcting a prospect's information.
Proof Providers include..
Statistics - Facts that lend believability to product claims. Testimonials - Statements from satisfied customers of the selling organization's products and services Case Histories - A testimonial in a story or anecdotal form.
why prospects raise objections
The prospect wants to avoid the sales interview. The salesperson has failed to prospect and qualify properly. Objecting is a matter of custom. The prospect resists change. The prospect fails to recognize a need. Prospect lacks information.
coming-to-that (methods for handling buyer resistance)
The salesperson tells the buyer that he or she will be covering the objection later in his or her presentation.
translation or boomerang (methods for handling buyer resistance)
Turn a reason not to buy (the source of the objection) into a reason to buy.
Rational Buying Motives
Typically relate to the economics of the situation, including cost, profitability, quality, services offered, and the total value of the seller's offering as perceived by the customer.
third party reinforcement (methods for handling buyer resistance)
Use the opinion or data from a third party source to help overcome the objection and reinforce the salesperson's points.
Feature
a quality or characteristic of a product or service that is designed to provide value to a buyer ex: fuel efficient V6 engine
Customer Value Proposition
a statement of how the sales offering will add value to the prospect's business by meeting a need or providing an opportunity
organized sales dialogues and presentations (Types of Sales Communications)
address individual customer and different selling situations allow flexibility to adapt to buyer feedback most frequently used format by sales professionals
ADAPT
assessment discovery activation projection transition
up-sell
better quality, more feature/benefit combinations, added programs or applications
cross-sell
bring other company assets to bear on the relationship
assurance (5 Dimensions of Evaluating Sales Proposal)
builds the buyer's trust and confidence in your ability to deliver, implement, produce, and/or provide benefits
3 customer service dimensions
communication, resilience, service motivation
Written Sales Proposal (Types of Sales Communications)
complete self-contained sales presentation often accompanied by sales calls before and after the proposal is submitted thorough customer assessment should take place before
Empathy (5 Dimensions of Evaluating Sales Proposal)
confirms your thorough understanding of the buyer's business and his or her specific needs and wants.
Organized sales dialogues
conversations over multiple encounters including sales calls, phone calls, email, etc convos are customized based on each customer's unique characteristics may include standardized marketing communications material
Situation questions (SPIN)
data-gathering questions, uncover facts and background information
Responsiveness (5 Dimensions of Evaluating Sales Proposal)
developed in a timely manner and demonstrates a willingness to provide solutions for the buyer's needs and wants and to help measure results.
tangibles (5 Dimensions of Evaluating Sales Proposal)
enhance and support the communication of your message and invite readership by its overall appearance, content, and organization.
components of a written proposal
executive summary customer needs and proposed solutions seller profile pricing and sales agreement suggested action and time table
Implication questions (SPIN)
get the prospect to discuss the problem and how it might be improved
Legitimate Choice (techniques to earn commitment)
give the prospect a limited number of choices
Problem questions (SPIN)
help prospects define their needs explicitly
Need-Payoff questions (SPIN)
help to build up the value of your proposed solution in the customers mind
Customer-Focused sales dialogue
initiating customer relationship, developing customer relationship, enhancing customer relationship
Four sequential components of effective follow-up
interact, connect, know, relate
forestall (methods for handling buyer resistance)
introduce the source of the objection before the prospect brings it up.
5 steps in creating value proposition
keep it simple choose 1 or 2 key benefits be specific reflect dimension that add value promise only what you can deliver
guidelines for earning commitment
look for commitment signals ask trial commitment questions resolve "red light" statements made by the prospect
Three steps of sales call
need discovery, sales presentations, follow-up; build more value
major categories of objections
no need, product or service objection, company objection, price is too high, time/delaying
6 Keys to Effective Sales Dialogue
planned and practiced encourage buyer feedback focus on creating value for buyer successfully communicate value gain engage and involve the buyer support customer value through objective claims
trust-based sales process
prospect --> need discovery --> presentation --> earn commitment
Traditional sales process
prospect --> need discovery --> presentation --> get order
reliability (5 Dimensions of Evaluating Sales Proposal)
reflects your (the seller's) ability to identify creative, dependable, and realistic solutions and strategies and match them to the buyer's needs and wants.
Canned Presentations (Types of Sales Communications)
scripted calls, memorized and automated presentations can be complete and logically structured do not vary from buyer to buyer; should be tested for effectiveness
Direct Commitment (techniques to earn commitment)
simply ask for the order
Types of Sales Aids
stats testimonials academic research demonstrations samples web sites videos
5 techniques to earn commitment
success story legitimate choice balance sheet summary commitment direct commitment
Summary Commitment (techniques to earn commitment)
summarize all the confirmed benefits to which there has been agreement
Balance Sheet Commitment (techniques to earn commitment)
summary close on paper
Benefit
the added value or favorable outcome derived from features of the product or service seller offers ex: higher miles per gallon reduces fuel costs
Building Goodwill
the process of converting new customers into lifetime customers by continually adding value tot he product
adding value
the process of improving a product or service for the customer
5 steps in Expediting orders and monitoring installation
track the order, keep the customer informed, demonstrate concern, supervise installation, ensure satisfaction with installation
Response-Checks
used throughout a sales dialogue to generate feedback from the buyer. commonly used to -Confirm benefits and assess buyer's level of interest, and -evaluate the level to which the salesperson has handled a buyer's objection.