Selling Today

The message is simple:- make every sales opportunity count.

To have a happy customer you need to be able to SELL 1st.

So what are some things within your control that you can do to increase the likelihood of someone buying from you v’s someone else?

Before we can effectively answer this we need to understand one thing. Selling is a skill. A skill that anyone can learn.

Let’s break it down.

The sales cycle can be broken down in to 3 simple elements:- Lead. Sale. Service.

First you need to get leads. Then you need to be able to convert as many of those leads to sales as possible. You then need to follow through with outstanding after-sales service which leads to repeat business and referrals. Sounds simple yes? It is.

When you're on the phone, BE PREPARED. Have A4 pre-prepared generic lead sheets always on hand. These prompt you to ask the right questions that head you in the direction of a face to face appointment. As soon as you sense a hint of interest over the phone, you need to be the one to suggest an appointment. Never wait or rely on the prospect to do this. Any over the phone enquiry or prospecting call should serve one desired outcome:- to get face to face with any interested party. Remember the “numbers game”. The more calls you make/take, the more appointments you set, the more sales you make.

Once face to face, follow a simple 5 step process:

1. Meet and Greet:- Good eye contact, warm smile, firm hand shake, small talk, build trust and rapport.

2. Qualify:- Ask questions to determine what’s important to them.

3. Present:- Present your product/service based on what they’ve told you is important to them focusing on the benefits 4. Trial Close:- e.g. “Is this the sort of thing you had in mind?”

5. Close:- Get a commitment. E.g. “Would you like to get the ball rolling?”

Effective selling stems from effective communication. Use customer friendly language and avoid jargon. Emulate the customer’s speech style. If they talk slow you should talk slow. If they talk fast you should talk fast. People like it when you are in synch with their individual communication style.

Be aware of body language. Examples of negative body language include arms folded often meaning negative or reserved feelings; fingers on lips indicate doubt; while clenched fists suggest frustration. Deal with negatives immediately by asking appropriate questions to break negative thought patterns. People can also be snapped out of negative body language by you handing them something. This could be any supportive visual data e. g. a news article, a graph, a testimonial.

Track your progress by recording your ratios of phone calls to appointments and appointments to sales. This will help you to stay focused on becoming the best you can be.

For more information on consulting services or in-house training, contact Angelo Grasso directly on (612) 9712 4333 or email angelo@bigpond.net.au



Selling Today - To learn more about this author, visit Angelo Grasso's Website.

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