Author: mmi

Categories
Sales Techniques

Gather information

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.

Categories
Sales Techniques

Establish Rapport

What is Rapport?

The report in the sale process is understood as the creation of a harmonious relationship and trust with the customer, so they are more open to share information and to accept suggestions from the seller.

Surely there will be realized to meet someone for the first time, on the street, in stations or anywhere else, and after half an hour you know a lot about his life or maybe yourself the secrets confided to you that you have not revealed even to your closest friends .

What happened? Simple, you have established a rapport.

Establish a rapport with another person, it generates a feeling of acceptance and trust which is fundamental in the sale. At this point, I think this extraordinary ability to establish rapport is innate in some subject and for others there is nothing to do, well, not so! Each of us can learn to create a rapport with the customer or with the people they know.

First, it is important that there is a desire to understand and want to help the customer; sometimes you just need this small opening of the seller to the customer to begin negotiations in a positive way.

The ways to establish a relationship are many; here we focus on the most popular. The techniques that lists can be used together or separately, at it’s best to focus and use one technique, then with practice you will be able to integrate the techniques and get much better results.

Here’s how to create and establish a rapport:

  • Trace non-verbal
  • Trace para-
  • Trace Minutes

Trace non-verbal

The technique of tracing non-verbal is based on the monitoring of movements and body language of the customer.

This type of rapport is assumed that communication between people never happens on one level and that the way our body communicates is very important, then two bodies moving in harmony, even if unwittingly create a relationship of trust and understanding.

Several studies have shown that, during a presentation, 55% of the effect on the public comes through body language (gestures, posture and eye movements), 38% is due to the tone of voice used, and only 7% came from the content of the presentation. Thanks to this study is to understand the possible role of gestures during a presentation or a negotiation.

But how do you create a rapport with the tracing of non-verbal score?

The non-verbal pacing can be understood as a kind of dance without music, where you should follow the first dance and gestures of the customer and then later you must ride in the ballet.

To do this you must reflect gestures, posture, expressions, body and even your breath.

Obviously this should be done with extreme care, respect and common sense, since you must not notice what is happening. Needless to say, tics, or other oddities should never be reflected.

Having traced the client should start to lead the dance, so start with a few gestures other than those made by the customer (such as touching the chin or arm), and check if the client is following you in a natural way in what you do . If the customer does not follow you then started to trace it and then started again from time to time to guide the process until you have success and he will follow unconsciously.

Once the client is following in the dance, accepting your guide, you’ll know you have created a rapport, continue the negotiations taking care to check every so often that the customer continues to follow and be in “contact” with you, since the process is dynamic, so you may have said or done something that broke the “dance”. You must test and maintain rapport throughout the sales process.

One of the best ways to understand how this mechanism is to observe people, how they behave when they communicate flirt or talk. In bars, restaurants, parks or at parties, observed the gestures and the “dance” of the people. You will understand how people behave, their gestures and movements, you will notice the difference between those who interact in harmony and dialogue in conflict.

To develop this technique, a lot of practice and especially the intent of wanting to understand and helps the customer.

Trace para

The voice is another important factor in communication, the same words spoken with different tones can be perceived by the other party in different ways.

First we must pay attention to the characteristics of the voice, there are many factors that make a difference, and here we mention the two most important: the tone of voice and speed of speech.

Surely you know someone with a voice that, no matter what he says, bothers you, then easily understand the importance of tone. Imagine a person with a shrill voice that presents the news, would be a failure! Now, imagine someone with a voice, quiet, soothing, inspiring trust and reliability. With whom would you stop for a chat?

Now think about the differences between these two items and choose what you like to have as a model.

Regarding the speed of speech, however, there are people who talk so fast that it is hard to understand them and others who speak so slowly that we’re bored. Of course these are extremes, but serve to emphasize the importance of the speed with which we speak and the effect it has on the listener.

Well, once we have given our customers the way he talks, we will put in place a procedure identical to the body tracing, we will change the way we express ourselves up to suit the customer, then slowly edit and test if it is behind us. The main points of this copying process are the tone and speed. Obviously avoid trace foreign accents or speech tics that could jeopardize any possibility of establishing a rapport.

Remember it is not necessary to become a copycat; you only need to follow in the way of talking about the customer, then resumes its rhythm and occurs if the client is behind us.

Trace Minutes

The tracing of the expressions deserve a whole “treaty” on the subject, but here we want to simplify things without losing sight of the ultimate goal which is to establish a relationship of harmony and trust between you and the customer.

In this technique are the words used, the content and meaning of the sentence to be modeled.

With the tracing report we report the customer a sentence equal to or very similar to that which has made by adding personal opinions

Here’s an example of this technique:

Customer: I want something nice and comfortable

Seller: The monster something nice and comfortable that will suit your needs

The important thing is to use the same words of the customer with the order in which they were delivered and then merge them or add your own idea.

This technique is very effective and greatly reduces the time needed to create a rapport.

Again, this technique should avoid the ‘parrot effect, “So, we will create interesting phrases intelligently.

In tracing the expression is very important to keep in mind the words used by our party that are directly related to his senses.

This procedure (as well as other previously mentioned) is based on the principles of NLP (neurolinguistic programming) that each person uses a particular channel (visual, auditory or kinesthetic) to express themselves, and of course to incorporate the information from the outside.

Consequently, a person who communicates mostly using a visual channel, it will use verbs and words associated with that channel, and is expressed using words like: look, see, think, etc.. To get in tune with that person, during the conversation, we will use its own channel “view” by using words associated with it that way. We prefer not to go into details of this argument because we would go to lengthen and complicate our “simple” being sold, but we encourage curious to know more about who we think very interesting.

Here are some of the terms used by subjects in their expressions, according to the predominant channel of communication.

The subject Visual use terms such as:

Looks spectacular, beautiful, beautiful, I see, clear view of perspective, light, reflection, scene, fantastic, etc.. Etc…

The subject Auditory use terms such as:

Listening, loud, harmony, feel, noise, rhythm, emphasis, tone, deaf, dissonant, and so on.

Kinesthetic the subject use terms like:

I think, perceive, understand, recognize, remember, explain, calculate, and decide, and so on.

At this point, we just identify the subject, analyzing the terms used during the conversation and relate to him using the same terms that refer to the same direction. The results are surprising.

In conclusion, I reiterate and emphasize a few key issues to establish a rapport during a sales negotiation:

  • You must be motivated by a sincere desire to understand and help the client
  • You must be prepared and conscientious throughout the negotiation
  • It is necessary to trace the customer as little as possible and then take him in the choices

The report therefore is not merely a phase of the sale, but it is a mechanism that begins when they get attention from customers and ends only when the sale is completed.

Categories
Sales Techniques

The sales process

sales_course

Every sale is a dynamic process from beginning to end. Understanding how it works, it gives the seller the security of knowing at what point in the negotiations have reached and where it is going. Understand the sales process is like having a map with a starting point, a way forward and a point of arrival.

Stages of the sale:

  • Get attention
  • Establish a rapport
  • Gather information
  • Creating an ideal state for the purchase
  • Present the product
  • Managing objections
  • Close the sale

This is a simple way of teaching and to explain how a sale occurs, which obviously has its exceptions.

Get attention

The first step is getting the attention of the customer. The way you get the customer’s attention is crucial because it will facilitate the next steps of the negotiation.

So, let’s see what is the ways we can get attention from the customer:

  • Be creative
  • Ask questions whose answers are “YES”
  • Be bold
  • Say phrases that create curiosity
  • Stopping patterns

Be creative

Creativity is something that varies from person to person and often the creativity does not come at the right where you need to be creative, so you should prepare in advance for creative things to attract customers to you.

Ask questions whose answers are YES

During the negotiations we must seek the consent of the client, you can do this from the beginning of the negotiation by asking questions that can only be answered with “yes.”

For example: A man is driving his car in a rainy day and sees a beautiful woman with an umbrella that seeks shelter from the rain and splashing of passing cars. The man decides to offer a ride to the woman, perhaps because they want to help or maybe just because she’s very pretty.

What is the question that man can do to increase the likelihood of achieving its purpose?

● Want a ride?

The answer, apart from some rare cases it is negative.

● Do you want to take cover from the rain?

In that situation who does not want, the first answer that comes to mind is: “yes, I do”

Another example is the classic call advertising with the operator asks you:

● He wants to save on phone bill?

Who would not, instinctively, the answer is YES I want it

Hence, they are to avoid phrases that may lead to a denial of the potential customer as they could complicate the negotiations.

Avoid the phrases:

● Hi, John and sell household items

Some people have prejudices against the sellers, so the only pronunciation of the word sell can generate a sense of rejection.

● Do you have a minute for me, I would like to show the products

Although this sentence will probably lead to a rejection

Good but these are the phrases that lead to success and create some doubts

  • Do you like this fragrance?
  • Can you help me?
  • Do you like quality products?
  • He wants to save

Be bold

The audacity of the seller depends on the ability to be flexible in reaching their goals. Boldness is also affected by security and by faith you have in the products they sell and the desire to achieve a positive result.

Being bold means going beyond the conventional methods and overcome the limitations common to most people. The audacity is often the key to getting the attention and the opening of closed doors.

Phrases or attitudes that cause curiosity

Curiosity is another way to get attention.

You may have seen someone stop to watch the sky as if something very important was happening. What happened afterwards? Well, after looking at the sky more people curious to know what that person was watching.

So why not use the curiosity to sell?

An old American insurance broker had always on his desk a book by Ernest Hemingway notes placed between the pages of the book. The people who sat in front of him looked intrigued by the book because the insurer had the notes there in the middle of the book. Then the insurer by opening the book and doing some bills flutter said: “Ernest Hemingway is dead.” And then continues: “And when he died, he left his family penniless on the streets and no hope.”, Then turning to the customer: “Now you’re alive and you take care of your family, but who will take care of when they are gone? “. In this way the insurer was selling insurance policies and attracted the attention!

Stopping patterns

People live according to plans, models, the so-called “autopilot”, but when a pattern interrupt people’s attention goes to the cause of Think of how many times we do things without thinking, and while we make our mind wanders, we have a thousand thoughts, we dream with open eyes and think back to situations or things of the past, then a noise, a barking dog, a horn of a car there “break” and take us back in real life has caught our attention.

This is another way to capture the attention that can be used in the sale.

Conclusion

During a negotiation is essential to get the attention of the interlocutor, we discussed briefly some of the methods to achieve it. It important to adapt the methods to their own ways of being and the product that you want to sell, use your creativity to create new methods or simply to improve those that already are using.

So the first step in the sales process is to capture attention, but what is the next step?

The next step is to establish a rapport.

Categories
Sales Techniques

Preparation for sale

So far we have seen how to set our action plan to widen the circle of contacts and succeed in your mission to sell. Now, I will tell you who your most important customer, one who can change your life and the way you sell, well, that customer is yourself!

You and only you can radically improve your sales negotiations, believing in the product, placing in the ideal emotional state and having a technical training on the product.

In fact, all the preparation required can be summarized in these three simple steps:

  • Technical Training
  • Confidence in the products
  • Ideal emotional state to sell


Technical Training

Technical training has to do with the knowledge of the products we sell and the terms of payment and delivery of the same.

Often companies offer their sellers technical training on products, if there is an offer, ask the company on information, often a visit to the company and a conversation with the technicians can help clarify some doubts about the product or service that you are going to sell.

The attendance at courses, conferences and trade shows, you gain knowledge that will allow you to study technical solutions for the customer, also knowledge of the topics that you are going to expose you will have more security during the conversation with the customer.

Confidence in the products

To sell something you must believe in what you sell, so during the negotiations you must be convinced that at that moment, you’re not just selling a product, but are offering a solution, solving a problem.

Have you ever talked to someone who believes in what he does or what sells?

Surely the answer is yes, because that person has affected the motivation and the strong conviction with which you spoke.

So, for starters it takes preparation, confidence in the product and above all be sure that the product or service you are selling is able to meet the needs of the customer.

In fact, some think that a good seller is someone who sells a lot, and this is partly true, but the important thing in sales, to increase the number of customers and retain existing customers is to offer solutions. If the goods or services sold are not valid, your customers not only buy more from you, but also lose confidence, and negative information circulating may put a strain on your business.

Every good salesman sells so that her client is satisfied with the purchase and has no regrets and remorse.

Ideal state to sell

Another important point is not negligible and the emotional state of the seller at the time of sale. It does not matter if, at other times, it was timid, grumpy or you think “are what they are.” When you are at work there are some features that are vital and that makes the difference.

So if you do not have these innate characteristics. It is necessary to prepare and prepare for sale, learning to get into the “Party” when you are in front of the customer.

Richard Bandler, creator of NLP, identified that the ideal state is to sell a mixture of three states:

  • Humor
  • Resolve to act
  • State of seduction

Well, if you have all these features, you’re lucky, use them. However, if your profile is not reflected in any way, do not despair, with the calm and goodwill you can learn everything.

Humor

Good humor is important if you have to work to sell something, you must be a born comedian, it’s important to be positive, and convey a positive mood and also the one who speaks to you. Probably will happen to you to buy something from a seller … grumpy and negative image that is left of him? She returns to buy from that seller? The answer certainly is “NO!”

The humor is greatly increased his chances of being remembered as an interesting person and with which it speaks nicely. Be careful, do not need to tell jokes, it’s important to be smiling and jovial, always remembering to be consistent with your way of being, with ethical values ​​and the messages you want to send to the customer.

Each of us has any problem or concern, but when we work we will strive to maintain a smile and treat all customers with a positive attitude, regardless of the customer in front of you.

Resolve to act

This is a basic feature that every vendor must have, especially the vendors that must begin in the first negotiation. In fact, as is usually the customer who comes into the shop looking for a location to buy and the seller accepts it, for many sellers do not, for they have to do the ‘initial action in search of a potential customer.

Therefore, it is the seller who must act and not hesitate, as the outcome in many cases can be detrimental to the achievement of results to be achieved. Should be involved and take action, achieve and conquer small pieces of something bigger, “success in selling.”

Do not wait; do not be deterred by ‘no’ when you get your business, go talk to your customers! Each of them could take you much higher earnings than those already achieved.

Seduction

Entice the customer. This phrase probably has already heard several times in seminars, courses and conferences. The same companies invest a lot of money in advertising campaigns, training programs and quality of service offered, with the sole purpose of seducing the customer.

But as the seller can seduce the customer?

Well, just remember what you went through the mind and how you have behaved all the times he wanted to seduce someone interesting or attractive. Remember the desire and the motivation that impels you to fulfill the wishes of that person to engage and draw it. When you want to win something or someone, change the posture and the involvement, motivation and, consequently, multiplies the results.

To capture the customer must seduce and involve, without force, since the customer must be aware that its decision is the result of his right choice.

Once able to attract someone, we must act with great responsibility, selling products or solutions and cultivating the relationship with the customer, our goal goes beyond mere sales. What we want is to establish a lasting relationship aimed at selling more products and services over time.

At this point you’re wondering how you can use the three states (sense of humor, determination to act the rule of seduction) at the same time.

Before you start selling, take a moment and do the following:

  1. Imagine the client as an interesting person
  2. Think of the sale as if it had been carried out
  3. Find a way to have fun during the negotiation

The first step you will work with the desire to seduce, the second point you will act without hesitation and the third point will make the selling process more enjoyable. The first few times you do this exercise will seem bizarre, but then becomes easier with practice and the results will not be long in coming.

Categories
Sales Techniques

Relations

relation

To achieve its objective, the seller, it is important to have a sufficient number of contacts to enable him to make the sale or close a deal. Every successful salesperson needs to widen the circle of their relationships by establishing or expanding their network of customers.

In fact, what I noticed is that many sellers with limited time to sell to their customers, thus limiting its range and earnings.

What should a seller is to expand the horizons of the reports and potential clients.
If you think you have a large enough number of customers you can avoid reading the continuation of this article.
One of the most common syndromes in the sellers is the syndrome of lack of customers. This syndrome occurs when you run out of the circle of its clients and for various reasons are unable to expand this circle so as to ensure a satisfactory volume of sales.

This unpleasant situation can cause a frustrating lack of motivation that can also lead to the renunciation of ‘as judged unattainable goal.

A professional sales at this point, it needs to define who is his client and what may be the possible sales channels not yet explored, and armed with good humor and professionalism go to “hit”.

The type of client depends on the type of product you’re working with, begin by making a list of your potential customers, start with the most neighbors and acquaintances and then expand the frontiers of research. Create a list of at least a hundred people / customers to visit. Must be known to sell and promote their products, the number of options open to you are different and depend only on your creativity, determination and flexibility. Hand out samples, brochures, send mail and organize cognitive meetings. Establish a daily plan of activities and weekly or more visits (Plan d ‘action), bearing in mind that such visits allow you to reach your goal. If there is a commitment without getting any results, change your strategy for action (flexibility).

In preparing your plan of action do not forget your existing customers and make sure that they are satisfied with your work and, over time your customer base will be a solid foundation for your business.
One of the best strategies to retain customers is to prepare a file for each customer that you are selling something, the card should record the name, address, telephone number, what products to buy and what was involved, but did not buy, the date of sale. The information may be useful to include some personal or family characteristics of the customer. Usually we have more information the greater the chances of success.

Many successful sellers, after the sale, call their clients whether they are satisfied with the products purchased, showing professionalism and concern for the welfare of the client.

So keep in constant touch with customers and expanding the circle of relationships will increase exponentially the chances of getting the desired results.

Successful salespeople usually have some characteristics / features that they share:

  • He likes to meet new people
  • He likes challenges
  • Define who the potential customer and try to reach
  • They have total commitment to the Action Plan
  • Keep existing customers active
Categories
Sales Techniques

Introduction to the Course of sales

sales

Would you ever work without knowing what will your monthly salary? It ‘difficult to accept a job, work hard and gets paid later this month that it is not considered satisfactory.

Unlike traditional jobs, often, the seller is himself author of his own income. In fact, this activity is primarily dependent on the income from the effort, dedication and commitment efforts of the seller.

Of course you can make predictions about the likely reward that will be perceived. To define it, we must also take into account a number of external factors such as: the type of product you sell, the area of expertise, the exclusivity of the product, competition, etc.. Etc…

But here, in this short but intense course of sales, ignoring the external factors that do not depend on ourselves and focus our attention only on us.

What are our goals?

To be successful in sales you need to know what the goal to be achieved is. Success is getting what you want!

By focusing the goals, you already know what you want to achieve and we will see in later chapters how to get there.

After establishing what is the goal to reach and making sure that this is an attainable goal (it is unnecessary and counterproductive to ask yourself impossible goals), it is time to ask what you are willing to do to reach that ‘goal. We know that nothing we are honored, so if we want something we need to know what is the prices we are willing to pay to get it (the price of success).

Being committed to a goal also means doing everything possible so that we can reach it, be prepared for the weather and storms, looking for something which for us is more important than staying holed up in our safe haven and welcoming. During the journey you must always keep in mind four pillars: commitment, flexibility, action and results.

‘S commitment to ensure the persistence necessary to deal with obstacles, the flexibility will be essential to finding solutions, the action to put into practice, all this without ever losing sight of the results to be achieved.

Many people fail to achieve their “dreams” not for lack of ability, but for lack of effort in pursuing what they want.

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Sales Techniques

The characteristics of the Seller

seller

There are many emails asking us what are the main features that a seller must have to succeed in this profession. Often we read of super aggressive sellers and hungry, ready to do anything to close a contract. In the following nine points will try to list those that we think are the main characteristics of a good salesman.

Schedule visits / phone calls

The best sellers are trying to maximize the number of visits or phone calls to customers. This does not mean it 15 instead of 10, but to program every single visit to the opportunity to score an order are higher. Each visit must be planned as sales and customers are not all alike, so you need to concentrate and look at the product with the customer’s perspective. Before the visit, think about what you want from that visit and what the customer expects from you. Think of what may be the differences between you and the customer and change your presentation to avoid them and make your offer more attractive.

Check Your Emotions

If you are calm and positive everything will be easier, you will be safer, you will find the right words, and will present your offer easily and painlessly. In short, no matter if just before you got a ticket for speeding or if you have an argument with your partner during your “sale” forget everything and concentrate exclusively on the customer.

Manages time

Most salespeople spend most of the time on the road and often there is no one that organizes their work, so to avoid wasting time must have a ‘careful management of time. Only a ‘careful planning of the work can make fruitful the working day. The seller, therefore, must organize their time, schedule appointments and manage their day and focus on priorities.

Create Rapport

The report is the process of creating and maintaining mutual trust and understanding between two or more people. A good salesperson should be able to create a rapport with the customer, this is probably one of the most important skills that a seller must have. No matter if you sell a great product or if you make an excellent presentation, if you create a rapport, an ‘understanding, a feeling with the client, the deal probably will not end with the sale of the property.

Play

We often think of the seller as an incurable talker who tries, with the only talking, placing anything to the customer. In fact, the ability to listen to the customer is another key skills for those who want to pursue this profession. Only by listening to the customer can understand and identify its needs, understand what are the characteristics of the product / service really important to him and what could help it. The preparation of a presentation and questions to ask the seller to allow potential customers to focus on listening rather than on the wording of the subsequent application.

Question

The questions that are addressed to the potential customer are designed to obtain more information about the customer and to identify possible needs. Only by knowing what are the real needs of the customer can bring the products, focusing on the benefits that really matter to him. Through the use of questions during the negotiations we will find out the key points that will bring us to closure.

Language

The correct mastery of language is another key feature. For language we do not mean just the ability to speak correctly, but also the possibility of using the “word” to sell. A product made with the right words will be more attractive, an objection will appear as a well managed advantage. During the conversation can be “moved” the customer’s attention on some items, you can minimize the shortcomings of the product and make the offer important advantages.

Ability to close

To no avail all these characteristics at the end if the seller has not closed the deal. It may seem strange, but many sellers will miss out on large orders just because they did not dare, or because they did not understand what was the right time to close. Needless to extend into rivers of words, even if you still have much to say, even if you have a thousand other proposals and bids to be submitted, when the right time comes close without hesitation.

Professional Skills

Complete the profile skills, be familiar with the industry and the product / service you promote, the seller can offer its customers not only a product but a true counseling. The customer acknowledges that the seller’s advise and guide you leave during the sale.

Only time and the daily practice of the sale will allow you to use all the features above unconsciously, all actions will become healthy habits and close a deal without thinking.

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Sales Strategies

The share of sales

One of the goals of man is the share of sales selling a particular product or product line. The share serves as a reference point of sales and marketing policy of a company. His achievement is a function of several factors, among which we can mention the following:

  • corporate image in the market
  • product quality
  • in service delivery and more
  • price at least equal to the competition.


The term of share of sales also identifies the sales budgets, considered both in terms of quantity and value. The first data meets the production requirements (should be placed on the market that has been produced by the establishment) the second addresses the need for financial data (cash receipts).
A good agent not only looks at business budget is reached in terms of quantity, but also better achieved at the price, the so-called Gross Margin.

In order to determine what could be the share of sales due to a sales agent must be made through the analysis of the following three factors:

  • Sales potential in that area
  • Sales in the last 3 years (if any)
  • Economic prospects in the future 3 years.

The focal point of the situation lies in the ‘analysis of future prospects.

It is almost pointless to think that: given a potential area of ​​100, as sales of the last three years have had a steady annual increase of 10%, it will consequently an increase in the fourth year of at least 10%. If economic prospects are not good or because the consumer propensity to buy is poor (because of the tax burden or other reasons) or because the factors mentioned at the beginning of this topic (corporate image, product quality, etc.. ) are not good, it almost goes without saying that the share of sales in ‘Year X must be Y.

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Sales Strategies

Area Sales

From a practical standpoint, the sales area is the set of actual and potential customers fall within a given limited area. This area can be understood as a political-administrative division: region, province or municipality, and within these areas, market segments to be assigned to different agents.

After defining the area of operation, the sales person can arrange their work tours, preparing a rough itinerary that allows him to reach the equation:

Minimum effort = maximum performance

This result, however, it can only be achieved through the following phases:

-Determine the actual number of customers;

-Prepare a ‘route to be flown each day to reach customers at the lowest cost programmable effects of time and money;

-Insert into the program of visits to customers even some actual visit to potential customers, and this for two reasons:

  • increase the customer base and consequently the turnover;
  • Failure to replace a visit to an existing customer with a visit to a potential customer located in the same itinerary. Regarding the number of customers can be managed, you can not tell precisely, since it depends on several factors :

Operating in a market segment with products intended for mass consumption, the number of daily visits can vary from 6 to 10;

When operating in a market segment with products for the industries, the number of daily visits possible range from 4 to 6.

However, you should keep in mind a very important rule: no matter the quantity but the quality of visits. If the agent has in mind to make 12 visits a day at all costs will be forced to constantly watch the clock, the result will be disastrous because they are forced to deal with the issue with the customer thinking about the next visit and not to the satisfaction of customer’s need in front of him.

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Sales Strategies

How and When to Sell

The term “sell” means to convince the customer the convenience of the deal proposed. To achieve this goal may not be baseless; it should be familiar with the technical characteristics of the treated products, the present or latent needs of the customer, when this need can present this competition. Another very important aspect is its mood; it is not advisable to visit a customer on that day if you are not in perfect shape. In other words, when you want to sell a product should be prepared in all material respects, the sale is not improvisation.

One of the most difficult points of sale is the approach with the client. There are several ways to contact a customer, including those made mention only a phone call or a direct visit:

A) The approach to Phone

The phone is a very difficult to use because the partners do not know. Everything depends on the voice at that time can be more or less influenced by mood. In this case, it is best to introduce yourself and ask politely for a meeting to circulate the products of the company represented. If you know that the customer uses that product and the answer is no, do not get discouraged, but insist on moderation, gave an overview of the benefits that could be achieved only take a few minutes. If the answer is still negative, greet the customer with the understanding of resent after a while ‘time. Often, the constancy of harassing phone call leads nell’OK for the first visit.

B) The approach with direct visit

Here the problem is split into two cases: approach with customers who already know or approach with customers who do not know.

Regarding the first case, there are big problems because there is already an interpersonal relationship.
For the second case, however, if you’re lucky you got to the office of the person authorized to buy and therefore the approach is established and if you have not received it without an appointment or for other reasons, it is always advisable to leave a brochure with the your business card telling the secretary or the person who carries on the concierge to have them delivered to the person concerned (if possible to get the name) with the cartel to call him tomorrow morning. In this way, the person receiving the brochure and business card sets in a psychological process that leads to a propensity approach. If, after the first examination, the result is negative should not be discouraged, even have to reload and continue the visits. Consistency is often rewarded.

From the foregoing, it is clear that the sale is based on communication: speaking – listening – to conclude. To achieve this it is essential to have the security of topics, be aware that what they say is of interest to those who are listening. After talking for a very short time you have to listen carefully to the customer and counter any objections with positive phrases (never negative). The most frequent objection is the price: it is expensive, it is out of business, I pay less, and so on. Well, in these cases there is only one solution: “maybe it is a bit ‘expensive, but the product has features that I am offering the following advantages that give it …”.

At this point nothing else but to conclude with a trial order to prove that what was said or done to see is true.

Since there are plenty of art to sell books, I would like to give one advice to sellers: to be technically minded and always be yourself approach with others.

The professional integrity and naturalness are the best gifts.