Sales Management: Shaping Future Sales Leaders

The Selling Process

The Selling Process : 8 Steps

Qualifying &
Preparing

Prospecting
Prospecting
involves identifying potential customers
for a particular product or service
Not an easy job
Can take longer
Frustrating
May face rejection

Prospecting
Successful salespeople develop a strategy that involves an
organized and active system to generate sales leads and
qualify potential buyers.
Networking an active process of acquiring new contacts
and cultivating existing ones.

3 Step strategy
Define Target Market
Generate Sales Lead
Qualify Prospect

Identifying Prospects
Sources
Present Customer
Former Customers
Cold Calling (knocking the door)
Spotters (sales trainee, internship)
Directories & Mailing List

(telephone, trade associations, professional associations)

Referrals (satisfied customers, center of influence, endless

chain

Personal Contacts
Trade Shows
Direct Mailing

Sales Lead
Lead Management
Program to generate better leads and more prospect
information
Telemarketing and direct mail to generate sales lead
20% of all sales lead and inquiries through advertising,
promotion, trade shows & direct mail will result in sales
with in six months.

Qualifying Prospects
Avoid selling to people who can not make a
buying decision
MAN MAD Approach
Money Does potential homeowner have enough money to
buy a new house or department manager has enough budget
for new office furniture.
Authority Has authority to buy
Need or Desire Does the prospect want or need the good or
service

Preparing
Pre-Approach - the salesperson tries to gather additional
information about the prospect & his/her needs

Who is the customer

Who is actual purchase decision maker
Who can influence the decision
Who is responsible for using good or service
With whom the salesperson must maintain a continuing
favorable relationship.

Preparing
Pre-Approach - the salesperson tries to gather additional
information about the prospect & his/her needs

Who is the customer

W/S Retail selling One or two decision makers
Medicines/Medical Equipment Purchase Committee
Industrial Selling Different Persons/Departments
Gatekeepers are helpful - secretaries, admin assistants & receptionists
Economic Buyers CEOs, Users & Technical Personnel

Preparing
The salesperson tries to gather as many additional
information about the prospect, as he can
Personal Information Required
Family background, hobbies, membership of clubs &
professional organizations, credit rating, product line,
industry reputation
Some companies have developed standard
questionnaire to compile relevant information about
the customers

Call Planning
Specifying the objectives
Salesperson MUST establish objective of the call
Why am I going on this interview ?
What am I trying to make happen ?
What am I going to recommend ? (if customer agrees)
Developing Strategy
salesperson MUST develop a strategy or plan of
actions to achieve his sales objectives
Make an appointment
The most professional way

Call Planning
Involves a specific sequence of activities before the sales
interview takes place
- Name & address of the prospect company with all relevant information
- Write down all you know about companys buying policies and procedures
- I f using any competitors product , on what terms/conditions
- Name & title of person to call on
- Write down the precise purpose of the call
- Names of the competitors
- Major benefits offered by competition
- Compare your product with competition, note down advantages and
disadvantages of each
- Make a list of benefit you offer
- Expected objections? How to counter?
- Brief summary of the presentation

Call Planning
Other planning preparation requires knowledge
Product
Company
Industry
Competition
Prices

SMART objectives
Specific
Measurable
Achievable, yet challenging
Realistic
Time bound

SMART objectives
Sets a clear direction, where you want to go
Measurable You can compare your achievement versus
Specific

planned

Achievable

- (yet challenging) - Keeps you motivated, you

can do it

Realistic Makes you confident, you have some basis,

grounds

Time bound Makes you organized, disciplined, you have

to finish the task/job with in time limit

Approach

Approach:
salesperson asks buyer for meeting
Opening statement must get buyers attention

Presentation

First Impression

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First Impression
Wear neat clean, conservative clothes
Be clean and carefully groomed
Know the prospects name and pronounce it
correctly
Be alert and pleasant
Let the prospect offer to shake hands
Forget about your self and concentrate on the
prospect
Avoid smoking or chewing gum
Switch off your mobile

FACTS THAT COUNT

20 FIRST STEPS
20 INCHES OF FACE
20 FIRST WORDS
20 FIRST SECONDS

Well Dressed Confident

Show Positive Expressions,
Smile, Eye Contact
Be Polite, Introduce
Yourself, your company
Talk Intelligently
Put Customer AT EASE
Thank him for the time, as
well as using your
Products / Services

Probing
The key to plan a sales call and successfully completing
a sales is to identify the customer dominant buying
motives

To identify need - Ask questions

Open ended questions
Reflective question
Directive/Leading
Close ended questions

Probing
Open ended questions
Tell me what you had in your mind
Will you please tell me a little bit about your
investment portfolio
What type of car do you want?

Directive/Leading questions
Designed to point the prospect towards area of
agreement

Close ended questions

Put pressure on the prospect to make a
decision

Presentation
salesperson describes the product and how it meets buyers
needs. Applies feature benefit strategy
FEATURE CHARACTERISTIC OF A PRODUCT
Provides/demonstrates evidence
BENEFIT NEED SATISFACTION CUSTOMER GETS
Gets agreement

Presentation
Presentation:

salesperson describes the product and how it meets buyers

needs

Feature

Evidence

Benefit

Agreement

Presentation

What is required to make an

effective presentation?

Presentation
Knowledge
- Company
- Customer
- Industry
- Products (Product expert)
- Competition
- Prices
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Presentation Techniques
During presentation
- Eye contact
- Sales story
- Visual aid
- Samples
- Examples
- Guarantees
- Testimonials (Reports from satisfied customers)
- Demonstration (check the product)

Presentation
During presentation
- Body language
- Third party reference
- Ask questions
- Listen carefully

Buying Signal
VERBAL

- Price, availability, delivery schedule

NON VERBAL
- Facial expressions, physical action, gesture
- Positive actions- Moving forward, nodding head up & down,
open handed gestures, friendly gesture
- Arms crossed over the body, movement away from the
salesperson ?

Handling Objections
Sales resistance Actions or statement by a
prospect, customer, that postpone, hinder
or prevent the completion of a sales

Reasons a buyer offers to not buy

your product
Outward expressions of prospect,
customers doubts or negative feeling
about a sales proposal or product

Handling Objections
Objections
Reasons a buyer offers to not buy
your product
Helpful to identify customers need
Can occur at any time
Salesperson should find out root of
concern and resolve it

Type of Objections
Timing
- Your proposal is ok but I have to discuss it
with my partner, give me some time
- (SR should mention the advantages of the decision
right now)

Price (Prospects Financial Constrains)

- I think I can get a better deal elsewhere or X
company is offering more economical price
- (additional benefits, durability, longer warranty, after
service, convenience of repair)

sales

Type of Objections
Source
- Your company salesperson misled me about
your products performance record or I have
heard that your company has a poor delivery
record
- (SR should not be defensive or argumentative)

Competition
- I am doing business with abc company for many
years and I like Saleem who has done good job
for us. Why should I change?
- (ask questions, identify any dissatisfaction with supplier,
emphasis competitive edge, guaranty warranty period,
after sales service )

Handling Objections

Steps, Techniques, Methods

Keep yourself cool
Listen carefully & show patience
Dont interrupt
Ask questions
Use boomerang technique

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Handling Objections
Respond to the objections
Use yes & but technique
Comparison method
Compensation method
Case history method

Customer Objection - Reasons

Why ?
Poor sales presentation
Lack of knowledge
Customer need, not addressed
Needs more information
Previous experience
Salesmans appearance

Handling Objections

Closing the Sale

Close
When salesperson asks buyer for the order/business
well planned and structured closing techniques move
the prospect into making a decision after he
convinced that he wants and needs the product
When to close
Buying signals

Closing Techniques
Direct Close
(Need identified, benefits thoroughly explained and
asking for decision)

Trial order close How does this sound or In your

opinion

Special offer (gift) close

Alternative proposal close
Assumption close Prospect will make a
commitment

Action close SR take an action which will

consummate the sale

Closing Techniques
One more yes close
(SR restates the benefits & asks for order)

Balance sheet close

(SR & prospect list the reason for acting now against
delaying)

Implementation/Follow-Up
Follow-Up
After delivery, ensure that the customer
has good experience with product
Training, service, after sales service
contract, annual maintenance contract,
policies and procedures
Helps to build long term relations
To remove any post purchase doubt

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Implementation/Follow-Up
Customer Relations
Handle complaints promptly &
pleasantly
Maintain contact with customers
Keep serving the customer
Show appreciation

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Implementation/Follow-Up
Self Analysis
Were the planned sales objectives
achieved?
What could I have done better?
What did I learn from this call that will
contribute to my future success?

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THANKS