To gather information includes both the knowledge of the customer is to incorporate all the signals that the customer gives us to understand how it is evolving the sales process.
This is an important phase of the sale, as at this stage we gather the information, select the best and use them to achieve our goal.
Knowing the customer
Normally it is important to find out as much information about the customer regarding the product you are selling, but do not forget that other news not related to the sale that you are doing can be helpful, but usually these are the most personal information obtained in longer periods but the latter are useful to establish a lasting relationship with the customer.
Be careful though in some cases you end up knowing the life of the customer and they have not sold anything.
So be objective and if you run into a talkative customer be sure to talk after you close the deal and remember that there are still other customers to visit. But be careful how close and disengage from the client while maintaining a good rapport because the customer may judge you “hasty”.
Some useful information to know:
- The client’s taste in relation to the product we sell
- The financial capacity to purchase the product
- How and why the product is important for the client
- The degree of need for the product
If you have friends or acquaintances who want to receive a gift that product
… And many other applications that integrate customer insight
But the main point of vital importance:
What the customer wants to declare itself satisfied with your purchase?
The answer to this question is the key to close the deal and win more customers. In fact, as we know, the product must meet the needs and desires of the customer, then how can we get this information?
In many cases the answer we are given spontaneously by the client, but the important thing is to be totally focused on finding this valuable information.
We can try to ask ourselves this question: What features should my product have to meet the needs of the customer?
Knowing that a good seller will try to exceed customer expectations! But if you have the confidence that the product will not meet those expectations required by the customer and the customer will repent soon after purchase, do not close the sale. This attitude will earn you the respect and trust of the customer for next purchase will probably turn to you. The philosophy in these cases is: lose a sale, but gain a customer.
Job Information
Throughout the time of negotiation the client will give you useful information to carry out the sale and will provide useful information to close the sale.
This information, if recognized and used correctly, you will sell simply because they allow the customer to drive so he feels included and involved.
The basic idea behind this process of gathering information is to discover the decision making process of the customer and customer satisfaction in every phase of it.
The most important information on which we focus our attention is:
- You agree or disagree with the product and what we’re saying?
- It is reasonable or unreasonable with his attitude?
- What are the needs and what is the importance of product characteristics?
Surveys of agreement or disagreement
The ability to detect signs of agreement or disagreement is crucial during a sales process, but also in other professional activities or not.
Of course it is easy to know whether the customer’s agreement or not after you verbally, but in this case it might be late and make up is a difficult and in some cases not possible. We should not be able to know in advance.
Ideally, when a sale is collected in advance the intent of agreement or disagreement with the customer before he speaks and if necessary changes the course of the presentation / expression to obtain the consent.
The only way to anticipate the customer is to find non-verbal signals that will provide you after your every statement.
As of now, during the sales process, avoid getting lost in thoughts and open your eyes, ears and other senses to identify the clues that the client will provide you and take you effortlessly to the end of the negotiation.
The signals from the body
There are several signs that can be used to obtain useful information, such as they keep it in mind two, easily observable and which best indicate the intention of the client.
Nod
If we look at children, we can see how to use his head to affirm or deny something. We sometimes use these same gestures involuntarily, because they are deeply rooted in our unconscious and occur spontaneously and involuntarily.
This is the first non-verbal gesture to which we must pay attention.
For example: if your talking to a customer realizes that there is a disagreement with showing negative signs of the head, he does not expect its external verbal disagreement, but adjusted the route of your statements. If the customer expresses his disagreement will require much more energy and time to overcome and win back his agreement.
To avoid the objections and maintain rapport do the following: while exposing your arguments move the head slightly back and forth (signal arrangement) and if your partner is in agreement with you will tend to lead to reciprocate the gesture of agreement. This is a simple and valid to receive a positive response and continue the process of selling certain that the client is following us.
Facial expressions
Look at the face of the customer is another way to understand what the customer is thinking.
There are some well-defined signals that express approval or disapproval, it is necessary to find out when the person you’re talking about showing these signs.
The expressions most commonly expressed by the face are: the smile, the eyebrows up or down, eyes more or less open, if you are frowning or lying. In some cases the models and expressions common to many can not work with a specific customer, in this case you need to ask the client questions in order to better understand the expressions of a single party.
The identification of patterns of facial expression is done through a method called the gauge. This method speaks to the customer and you make statements with which you are sure that the customer agrees. Then you look at the score and then make claims with which the customer certainly does not agree. Looking at the customer identifies the words in which the customer expresses agreement or disagreement with the expressions we made.
Identify the congruence ol ‘inconsistency
The consistency or inconsistency is another type of information that is transmitted during the time of the conversation from the customer, but little is consciously perceived.
For consistency we mean when all the information both verbal and nonverbal is consistent and mutually reinforcing, that when a person acts in a way congruent with what he says.
Identifies the congruence during sales negotiations is crucial to understanding if the customer really agree with what you are telling or have some unspoken objection, and then he’s bluffing. In fact, based only on what the client says verbally can be a mistake.
For example: At the end of a party the host asks a guest: “I liked the party?” The policy response in this case is: “Yes, wonderful holiday, everything was perfectly organized.”. However, looking at the head of the guest, you can see a typical movement of negation. This passage indicates an ambiguous expression and incongruous!
In addition to head movement, there are other signs that may indicate an inconsistency, some of them are: facial expressions, the asymmetry of the body and eye movements, but the latter are more difficult to grasp if you do not have a training specification.
What to do if you detect a discrepancy
In the case of a negotiated sale, the inconsistency may mean that the customer has still not sure or do not want to express any objections or in some cases is hiding something about it. Usually unconscious signals of inconsistency are reliable, but that does not mean that the customer is in total disagreement with you, it is likely that some details of the negotiation, product or service are not clear. So, if during a negotiation identify an inconsistency in the expressions of the client will not have to do is ask the customer if somehow we can provide further information or which are the points that it is better to review together.
Conclusion
Obtain useful information during the sales process is a crucial point in the talks, because thanks to this information will be able to know the client, to perceive the real needs and satisfy them. Some of this information will be provided voluntarily by the customer, while others will be snatched by the seller through verbal and nonverbal especially the customer.