Reflection Paper: Aditya Battu, 2016PGP017, Section - A

Advanced Selling Skills and Sales Management ( ASSAM ) has taught me various aspects of
selling to prospective clients in a B2B scenario mostly and also a B2C scenario, in detail. The
basic foundations of each aspect of selling were clear. I have come to understand that the sales of
a product first of all begins with a customer centric approach with a mix of proactive behavior. It
also requires a lot of preparation in advance for a successful pitch and increasing the chances of
converting a lead. I have understood the fundamentals of a selling process in depth and how to
increase the chances of conversion at each step of the selling process right from prospecting to
closing the deal.
The selling process usually starts with prospecting the leads in the first place. We look for leads
who could be the potential customers for our product. There is a need to develop an account
profile of each prospect such as company details, product offerings, policies pertaining to their
operations & contacts such as personal contacts, addresses, assistant names etc.
There are various prospective techniques that could be used for finding prospective clients, either
online or offline. Under offline, various techniques such as cold calling, personal observation,
using the sphere of influence, referrals, direct mail, trade shows etc. could be used for pursuing
the prospective clients. We could also look for prospective clients online through social media
websites such as LinkedIn for B2B customers & Pinterest / Facebook mostly for B2C customers.
After finding out the prospective clients, we then set up an appointment with these clients during
the cold call itself or when you meet in person / or through the assistant. We need to start by
asking if it’s a good time to talk and be generous throughout the conversation. There is a need to
get the attention of the speaker quickly, since we just have the first few seconds of the
conversation to entice the customer and get their attention towards the call. Be as brief as
possible and to the point, since the opposite person does not have all the time in the day for you.
The next step in the selling process is qualifying the prospect. This involves answering various
questions such as if the prospect is a decision maker, their current set of products, how do they
feel about it, how likely are they willing to switch to the new product and if the product being
offered is superior than that they are already using currently. Note down the answers for all these
questions and then qualify the prospects accordingly.
The next step involves the most important part of the selling process, which is presenting your
product in front of the clients i.e. the sales pitch. This is the first time you are in direct contact
with the clients hence it is very important to ensure that you are well prepared for the
presentation and the objections that may arise during the presentation.
Before making the presentation, there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done about the
person and the company that we are presenting to. We could get to know more about the person
from social media websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook etc. LinkedIn also shows us the mutual
connections of the person, so we could actually find the persons who are closely related to
him/her, hence we could find more about the person.

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We could find out more about the company by reading up about the company and the annual
reports have a lot of information right from the mission, vision, strategy of the company in the
near future, what’s working for the company and not working and what are the immediate focus
points for the company to the financial performance of the company.
After the research regarding the company and the person is done, we then move on towards the
presentation. We could use the SPIN method of selling to drive the presentation. Ask Situation
Questions to establish background facts. Quickly move to Problem Questions to explore
problems and dissatisfactions, thereby uncovering the customer’s Implied Needs. Ask
Implication Questions to make the Implied Needs larger and more urgent. Once the buyer agrees
that the problem is serious enough to justify action, ask Need-payoff Questions to encourage
buyer to focus on solutions and describe the benefits the solution would bring.
Some aspects need to be kept in mind while following the SPIN model of selling. We shouldn’t
demonstrate capabilities too early in the call – develop Explicit Needs by using Implication and
Need-Payoff questions before offering a solution. Also don’t make advantage statements like in
small sales. In larger sales, the powerful statements are those which show that you can meet
explicit needs. There is also a need to be careful with new products. We shouldn’t give too many
features and advantages when selling new products. We need to make use of the SPIN questions
to develop explicit needs.
Listening to the customer while they speak is one of the important aspects of the sales process,
this is the minimum that we can do. Some of the techniques or the principles that help in
effective listening are as follows: Stop talking, prepare yourself to listen, put the speaker at ease,
remove distractions, empathize with the customer, be patient, avoid personal prejudice, listen to
the tone, listen for ideas and not just words and always wait and watch for non-verbal
communication.
Next we need to address the prospect’s objections. The objections in the presentation need to
carefully handle. We need to learn from your losses and review your lost opportunities over the
past year and look for themes. We also need to review our near-losses and close calls which are
mostly the opportunities we won but almost didn’t. There is also a need to understand the
prospect’s real concerns as to why is the objection an issue for them, and why are they bringing
it up now at this point of time in the presentation. Also we need to understand the problem
they’re facing and the reasons behind it. We also need to understand if the customer has a vision
of ideal solution. If the customer does have an ideal vision, make her/him realize it and not
distort it by pitching additional benefits, features etc.
We need to Ask, probe and confirm about what exactly is the objection. Experts say that it takes
at least 4-5 layers of questions to really uncover the pain business and personal terms thereby
convincing them that purchasing a product/service to resolve the issue is worth the investment.
There is a need to support with proof & references wherever possible. We need to support our
statements with industry research, customer references or customer success stories to prove the
value of your product or solution. Also we need to find out what analyst firms say about your
industry or product and incorporate this data into your conversations.

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We need to show gratitude and thank our customer. Enquire about all of the concerns and
objections right up front. An objection is better than a “no” because it gives you some place to
begin the conversation. There is a need to empathize in a way that will help further diffuse the
situation. For example as mentioned in one of the articles shared that I quote here: I hear this a
lot, I’m sorry you feel that way, it sounds like this has been very frustrating, I hear what you’re
saying and I think I can help. By empathizing with the customer, they’re more likely to open up
and share more. Discover and try to uncover what’s really going on. We also need to focus on
asking more open-ended questions. If you get stuck as to what needs to be asked, we could just
ask “why?” and then wait for the customer to take it from there.
Also, customers are most likely to raise price concerns in calls where the seller gives lots of
features. Features in reality increase price sensitivity of the customer. Giving lots of Features
works well for low-cost products that are relatively rich in features but for top-of-the-market
products, the price concern created by Features will make customers less likely to buy. The
pricing of the products is never the real issue in any sales call. Learn what customer would need
to see to justify paying more, then show that our product can deliver the required return on
investment.
While making the presentation, the following things need to be kept in mind. We need to look
professional if we want our audience to take you seriously, we need to look serious. When in
doubt, just wear a suit. We need to punctual and get there early if possible. Few things give a
worse first impression than making your audience wait for you. There is a need to build rapport.
We need to find out who exactly will be at the meeting, and try to collect personal information
about the major decision makers as mentioned earlier in the paper. The Internet makes this fairly
simple. Just googling about these folks won’t help, check them out Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,
etc. for more information. Set a time limit and tell your audience approximately how long you'll
be talking, and stick to it. Restrict the presentation to 60 min at the max. We always need to start
with an agenda statement - An agenda statement is a one-sentence summary of your presentation.
It gives you control of the presentation in a friendly way, and makes a great first impression.
Also we need to give specific and not be very generic in our statements. We also need to bring in
case studies / testimonials for e.g. we need to find an example of someone who did exactly what
you're proposing, and tell their story. We need to make it more realistic and illustrate our point.
Have something for your audience to look at – photos, graphs, slides, whatever. Brochures work
well because you can leave them with your audience as a reminder of your presentation. Also we
could ask for feedback when we finish discussing an important point, pause and ask if your
audience has any questions. We also need to speak to various individuals and try to learn as
many people's names as possible ahead of time. Then when someone speaks up, address them by
name when you answer. Also we need to listen for Clues and keep our ears always open. We
need to watch out if someone mentions that they've had a particular problem, stress how your
proposal can help solve their problem. We also need to keep a check on our body language. Also
after the presentation, we need to leave some time for formal talking time with the decision
makers to help build more rapport. This might be a Q&A session, or just a chat.

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Once the objections and everything are handled we come to the closing techniques. There are 3
types of closing techniques that can be used. The first one is the Basic. Under basic, we again
have 3 types that can be used. The first one is the Assumptive Close – for e.g. We assume that
he/she is buying and ask for delivery or color options etc. The next one is the Time-Limit Close
which is for e.g. just put across saying the offer is valid only for a few days or stocks are low etc.
Then there is the third one. The Custom Close for e.g. We could respond saying that read from
the notes the specs you wrote during the disc and inform that I have exact matching model
available . So we tell them that we have the exact model available and will get back to them.
Then we come to the next step of closing which is the Intermediate. In that again we have three
types of closing. The Pact Close for e.g. before you start say, “I am not here to sell, but if all goes
well and you like it can we go ahead?” Then we have the Peer Pressure Close where we get some
testimonials from customers to support. Then the last one which is the If-All-Else-Fails Close –
Say ‘in spite of all the discussions, I could not convince you. Please tell me what went wrong”
The last step of closing a selling process is called Advanced. In that The Hero Close where we
have a satisfied customer ready, call him from the prospective customer’s office. Next we have
the Sour-Grapes Close which is the most difficult among all the techniques but it can backfire. If
at the end there is no response from the customer, start packing with a remark “I'm afraid I've
made a mistake in coming here today. I apologize for wasting your time, but I don't think this
product is right for you.” These are some of the closing techniques that are involved in a sale
process.
Apart from the seven steps in selling, we also learnt about how to train, motivate, compensate
and lead the sales persons. I will be discussing each one of these in detail in the next few
paragraphs.
Proper training can prepare salespeople to meet with Customer Expectations. New salespeople
spend a few weeks to several months in training. Companies view Sales Training important for
protecting their investments in their salesforce. Sales Training Process consists of: Assessing
sales training needs, Designing and executing sales training programs, Evaluating and
reinforcing sales training programs, Assessing Sales Training needs & Sales training needs are
assessed both for newly hired sales trainees, and experienced / existing salespeople
Methods used for assessing training needs are: First level sales managers’ observation, Survey of
salesforce and field sales managers, Customer survey, Performance testing of salespersons, Job
description statements, Salesforce audit (as a part of marketing audit)
Designing and Executing Sales Training Program: For this, sales manager takes five decisions,
called ACMEE: Aim, Content, Methods, Execution, Evaluation which is similar to PDCA cycle.
Aim, Content, Methods and organizational decisions related to designing of sales training.
Examples of Aims / Objectives of sales training: Increase sales, profits, or both, Increase sales
productivity, Improve customer relations, Prepare new salespeople for assignment to territories.
Content for new sales trainees is broader. It includes: Company knowledge, Product knowledge,
Customer knowledge, Competitor knowledge, Selling skills / sales etc.

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Sales Training Methods: Selection of suitable methods for a training program depends upon the
topic and audience. Training methods are grouped into five categories: Class room / Conference
training, Behavioral learning / Simulations, Online training, Absorption training and On-the-job
training
Selecting a Mix of Motivational Tools: Sales manager should know each salesperson and
understand his / her specific needs. For designing or selecting a mix of motivational tools, an
understanding between differing short term and long term needs of customers, salespeople, and
the company management becomes necessary. Motivational tools are divided into (1) financial,
and (2) non-financial. Financial compensation is the most widely used tool of motivation, as
salespeople give highest value to it. Some of the financial tools of motivation are Salary,
Commission/Incentive, Bonus, Fringe benefits or a combination of all the above. Some of the
non-financial motivation tools used are: Promotion, Sense of accomplishment, Personal growth
opportunities, Recognition, Job security, Sales meetings, Sales training programs, Job
enrichment and supervision.
Based on the above tools we need to design the most effective method of compensation that is
apt for the sales persons. Designing a new compensation plan or revising an existing plan
consists of the following steps: Examine job descriptions, set up specific objectives for
salespeople, decide levels of pay / compensation, Develop the compensation mix, decide indirect
payment plan or fringe benefits, pretest, administer, and evaluate the plan. We generally go for
the combination plan, which is a mix of both the straight as well as commission based pay. The
ideal percentage of both these components need to be decided by the sales manager.
Also during the whole sales process, we need to practice ethics at its fullest. Do not intentionally
misrepresent anything, fix any important misunderstandings that you can, work really hard for
your employer, always be willing to trade for a short term loss for a long term gain, do what you
say you are going to do: do not make any false promises, follow the code of conduct of the
company & last but not the least, understand the boundaries and keep within them.
These were some of the important takeaways from the course for me. If I had to summarize each
of the paragraphs under different heads that I have learnt, they would be the following: Sales
process and planning, listening effectively, effective sales pitch, Objection handling &
negotiation skills. Since the job that I would be joining deals mostly with the B2B selling
process, all these above learnings would come in really handy. Before the course I was weak in
some areas of the sales process and now after the course, I feel confident and most of the weak
areas have turned into strong areas. I am waiting eagerly to apply these concepts on the job.
Also the most amazing part of the course was that most of the sessions in the class were less
theoretical and more of practical nature which has helped a lot in understanding the real life
problems faced in a sales process and how do we overcome these. The role plays conducted in
the class were a major source of learning. I seriously believe that most of teaching for this kind
of subject comes mainly through practical experiences and that was the pedagogy that was
followed in this course, so I am extremely satisfied with the teaching pedagogy that was
followed in this course. Also most of the sessions were very interactive, wherein the class has

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actively participated in all the sessions which was again a major source of learning by listening
to the different viewpoints. Listening to different viewpoints in the class actively helped in
realizing the different viewpoints once can have regarding the same. All in all, the whole course
was a wonderful experience in terms of the learning & the takeaways from the course were
plenty. I was extremely satisfied with the way the course has progressed and would suggest
continuing the same teaching pedagogy which was followed.