Basic Professional Selling Skills

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Basic Professional Selling Skills

• Dr. M. Saleh
• mm1410_h_at_hotmail.com

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Need / Motive

• Need is a state of deficiency which wants to be
  eliminated.
• Need always refer to people, but demand always
  refer to goods and services.
• Motive is what causes people to act.
• Motive triggers an action in order to satisfy the
  need for a while.

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Buying Motives

• To sell to satisfy a need.
• Customer will buy when you appeal to the right /
  real motive.
• To find out buying motives ASK QUESTIONS.
• Sell always BENEFITS.
• Let customer buy for his/her reasons not yours.

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Steps of Sales Cycle
1- Post-call analysis
Follow through, Evaluate
1- Approach 2- Presentation
3- Responses 4- Close

• Secure access gain attention.
• Find out needs present benefits.
• Listen to responses/reactions .
• Ask for order get commitment

1- Prospecting 2- Preparation
Find, Qualify classify Analyze/study Set
objective plan
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Before the Call - Prospecting

• Prospecting sheds light on markets, segments,
  competitors and requirements / needs to be met.
• Prospecting means finding your potential
  customers
• and qualifying them.
• Prospecting provides the basis for lying down the
  strategy for sales call.
• Prospecting allows proper allocation of time and
  determines the frequency of sales calls.
• Prospecting is an on-going process All changes
  must be known at all relevant levels.

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Before the Call - Preparation

• First part Setting your objectives
• What do you want to sell ?
• Set SMART objective
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely limited

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Before the Call - Preparation

• Second part Planning the sales call
• How do you want to proceed ?
• Find out the best time to see the customer
• Prepare the following
• Approach
• Questions to uncover needs and verify assumptions
• Benefits to satisfy needs
• Responses to possible reactions
• Use of visual aid
• Ways of closing / gaining commitment

N.B Good preparation enhances confidence and
leads to more sales
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During the call - Approach

• What is the approach ?
• Is the skill of capturing the customers
  attention and focusing on the sales call
• Why we must use approach ?
• Secure access
• Gain attention
• Create positive interest
• What is ways of approach ?
• Greeting
• Ask a question
• Why questioning in approach ?
• To gain more attention
• Brings customer into presentation
• To comfort the customer with a topic of his
  interest

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During the call - Presentation

• The purpose of this step is to satisfy the
  customers needs /bluing motive with the features
  and benefits of our proposal (product).
• Presentation is to be built on positive TWO-WAY
  communication.

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During the call - Presentation

• First step of presentation
• Uncover customers need by effective use of
  questions.
• Second step or presentation
• To start matching product benefits with
  customers need / wishes in order to find the
  decisive buying motive.
• We help the customer to make a buying decision.
• We know the feature of our product (what it
  has)
• We define as many benefits of our product as
  needed (what it can do )
• We look for the customers buying motive and
  match our benefit with his need

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During the call - Presentation

• Main points of good sales presentation
• Build up two-way communication.
• Know F/B Features / Benefits.
• Uncover the needs (explore the buying motive).
• Match benefits with needs / wishes.

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During the call - Presentation

• Probing
• Probing is the skill of questioning.
• The general purpose of probing is to uncover the
  customer needs and concerns.

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During the call - Presentation

• Probing examples
• Salesman How do you like your car ? (Probe
  No.1)
• Customer I like the sportive cars
• Salesman What kind of problems do you experience
  with this type of cars ? (Probe No.2)
• Customer Well, none to speak of
• Salesman Some customer have told me that they
  bothered by high price of this types of cars.
  Have you seen this problem ? (Probe No.3)
• Customer Yes , Sure
• Salesman It seems that the economical price
  would be an important benefit, is it correct ?
  (Probe No.4)
• Customer Of course

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During the call - Presentation

• Types of probes
• Open probe invites an extend explanation e.g.
  Probe No.2
• Closed probe it can be answered by single word
  (yes or no) e.g. Probe No.4

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During the call - Presentation

• Forms of probing
• Open ended (OEQ)
• To find need / check assumption / demonstrate
  interest
• (who/where/what/which/when/how and careful with
  why)
• Closed ended (CEQ)
• Get quick response/decision
• (yes/no/I dont know)
• Choice (CHQ)
• Ask for information / give information
• (.oror)
• Benefit tag (BTQ)
• To present one benefit matching a need / to
  obtain benefit appeals (Benefit in form of a
  statement followed directly by TAG in form of a
  CEQ)

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During the call - Presentation
Probing Strategy
Communicative customer
Non-communicative customer
Begin with Closed probe
Begin with an Open probe
No Need to Inputs
Need to Inputs
Obtain the customer signals
Continue to use Open Probe
Switch to use Closed Probe
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During the call - Presentation

• Reinforcing
• Reinforcing is the skill of satisfying customer
  needs with product feature and benefits.
• Reinforcing firmly establish you as a problem
  solver and show the customer why your product /
  service is needed.

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During the call - Presentation

• Reinforcing
• What are the steps of reinforcing ?
• Step 1 Paraphrase the customer need
• Express direct agreement
• Restate the customer need
• Step 2 Propose a feature and benefit that
  satisfy this need
• What are the signals that tell you when to
  reinforce ?
• A clear need stated by the customer in his own
  words.
• Confirmation by the customer of a presumed need
  that was first expresser by you in a closed
  probe.

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During the call - Customer response
Customer Response
Non-verbal Body Language
Verbal

1. Positive
2. Positive / Negative
3. Negative (Objection)

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During the call - Customer response

• Positive Customer Response
• Customer The fuel consumption in your car is
  pretty good
• Salesman Im very pleased to hear that you are
  happy with this option, so you will recommend it
  to your friends, wont you ?
• Customer Ill do
• e.g. from customers responses
• It is realty effective
• This price is affordable
• I like your post sales service
• e.g. from salesman responses
• Im very glade you mention this
• Im very pleased to hear that

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During the call - Customer response

• Positive Customer Response
• e.g. to show customer hesitation
• I suppose that
• I probably should ..
• I hardly believe that
• May be .
• It seems.
• I wish I knew could.
• These statements are not a rejection of your
  proposal, they only express hesitation ,doubt
  ,misgiving , but also signs to keep selling

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During the call - Customer response

• Positive Customer Response
• e.g. to show salesman response in customer
  hesitation
• Isolate doubt by questioning , then eliminate it
  and change to another benefit
• In cases of doctor continues talking, but makes
  statements not appealing to you
• Your response that let the customer talk, then
  point out another benefit , might also be an
  opportunity to close

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During the call - Customer response

• Positive / Negative Customer Response
• Customer Yes ,but
• Customer I agree although
• Customer I like that , however
• Customer Its an excellent product, but,,,
• Salesman response
• Pick up on the positive only and use it , just
  ignore the negative part

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During the call - Customer response

• Negative Customer Response
• Too many defects.
• Specialists dont use it.
• Product too well known to the public.
• Evidence on fuel consumption is inadequate.
• Too expensive.
• Too new and untried.
• I have no time now.
• You never bring something new.

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During the call - Customer response

• Types of Negative Customer Response
• As a professional salesman, you must be able to
  identify and respond to these 4 types of customer
  resistance
• Misconception
• Real abjection
• Lack on interest
• Doubt

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During the call - Customer response

• Types of Negative Customer Response
• Definitions
• Misconception An incorrect negative assumptions
  about your product, due to lack of information.
• Real objection Disadvantage of your product.
• Lack of interest Disinterest in your product
  because of satisfaction with a competitor
  product.
• Doubt Disbelief that your product can provide
  the stated benefit

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During the call - Customer response
Resistance type Usually occurs. General Strategy
Misconception Any time Provide correction information
Real Objection Any time Reduce shortcoming and emphasis benefit
Lack of interest At the beginning of the call, after your initial open probe Turn an area dissatisfaction with a competitor product into an area of need of my product
Doubt After benefit statement Offer proof
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During the call - Customer response

• Strategy for dealing with Misconceptions
• Step 1 Probe to clarify the customers concern.
• Step 2 Tactfully provide the correct
  information to resolve the misconception.
• Step 3 Emphasis the positive information you
  have provided.

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During the call - Customer response

• Strategy for dealing with Real Objection
• Step 1 Probe to clarify the customers concern.
• Step 2 Acknowledge the customers concern.
• Step 3 Reduce the impact of shortcoming on the
  customer.
• Step 4 Emphasis the benefits of the product.

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During the call - Customer response

• Strategy for dealing with Lack of Interest
• Step 1 Use a series of closed probes to uncover
  areas of customer needs.
• Step 2 You have sell against the competitors,
  your task is turn an area of dissatisfaction with
  the competing drug into an area of need for your
  product.
• Step 3 When you uncover a customers need your
  product can satisfy, reinforce it.

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During the call - Customer response

• Strategy for dealing with Doubt
• Step 1 Emphasis the benefit.
• Step 2 Proof the benefit.
• Step 3 Explain the benefit.

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During the call - Customer response

• Non-verbal customer behavior
• If he is looking at your visual aid.
• Keep an eye to body language, whether it
  expresses rejection or approval.
• He will often signal interest through body
  language while being verbally skeptical.
• He makes a verbal positive statements and signals
  disinterest through body language.

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During the call - Customer response

• Typical Buying Signals
• Yes I like you product
• I think I could use it ..
• It sounds good to me
• Who else is using it..
• I dont know
• If I used your product .
• How about delivery
• The pack size is convenient
• It is easy to admin..
• No Question about that
• Do u have any credit terms for
• Do I have to decide at once
• Sure, it is a good product
• This may reduce fuel consumption cost
• How much does it cost

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During the call - Closing (Gaining Commitments)

• What is closing ?
• Is a skill of obtaining the customers agreement
  to act by asking a closed ended question.
• Type of requests
• Trial-use
• To get the customer to use the product on a
  trial basis.
• Continued-use
• To get the customer to continue using the
  product at the same level.
• Expanded-use
• To get the customer to use more of the product
  for the same function or to get the customer to
  use the product for a new function.

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During the call - Closing (Gaining Commitments)

• Six Prerequisites before Closing
• Prospect completely understood your offer.
• Real buying motives found out and addressed.
• Customer has confidence in you Company.
• A well prepared close.
• The right timing.
• Customer has the authority to buy.

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During the call - Closing (Gaining Commitments)

• How do people learn ?
• I Hear ? I Forget
• I See ? I Remember
• I Do ? I Understand

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Putting it all Together

• The 10 golden rules of successful selling
• The successful salesman is not a Good or Fast
  talker the opposite is true he is a good
  listener.
• The good salesman does not sell to anybody he
  first find and qualifies the right prospect.
• The good salesman does not go into a call
  blindfold he carefully prepares the call by
  setting objectives and planning his strategy.
• The good salesman looks for a dialogue right from
  the start and therefore begins with an approach
  an question.
• The good salesman does nor present the product or
  service until he learn what prospects needs and
  buying motives are.

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Putting it all Together

• The 10 golden rules of successful selling cont
• The good salesman presents only F/B of his
  product that relate to the prospects need.
• If the prospect raises an objection the good
  salesman does not view it as resistance but
  rather as an opportunity to respond to prospects
  needs in more detail. If it is a real concern ,
  he accept it , deals with real concern.
• The good salesman tries to close whenever he
  hears a buying signal.
• The good salesman knows the post call review is
  already the start of the next call.
• All in all, the salesmans goal is not sell , but
  to help his prospect buy and arrive together at
  WIN-WIN direction.

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Thank You !