When I am asked how to improve a company’s sales, I ask to speak to one of the company’s top sales people. During my conversation with the salesperson, I listen to how he/she represents themselves, respond to what I am asking and adjusts to tough questions. The object of this examination is to ascertain if the salesperson understands the finer points of sales and is applying best practices in closing.Next I ask to speak to a salesperson who is struggling to make goal and repeat the same process.
Finally, I ask to assemble the entire sales team and role play scenarios, have the group examine practices, and discuss the art of effective selling. Effective selling occurs when you give the customer enough information to arrive at a logical decision to purchase your product. This process includes identifying need, providing solutions for those needs and asking for the sale.
Identifying Need
Whether the customer came to you or you to them, once you are in their presence you must understand what their motivations are. This is achieved by asking questions related to the product; how it is to be used, what they are using now, and why they are replacing their current product? The most important thing to do during this portion of the sale is listen! This is a great opportunity to gather information that will aid you in closing the sale, such as urgency, budget, and comparable interests.
Providing Solutions
Once you have determined what the customer’s motivations are, you should begin providing solutions by restating the reasons for their potential purchase and how your product will provide the solution. If you have multiple products, start with the top and let the customer buy which best suits their needs. It is important that you do not try to prejudge what the customer will spend even though they gave you a budget they were trying to stay within.
Ask for the Sale
This is undoubtedly the single greatest stumbling block for salespeople. Many take the time and listen to the customer’s need, they present a fantastic solution and then wait for the customer to say they will buy the product. There are two methods of closing a sale; trial close and a summation approach.
Trial closing involves the salesperson asking the customer agreement question during the presentation. The idea is to have the customer answering "yes" during, so they will say "yes" at the end. Questions such as, "can you see how that will help", not only give you the positive response, but will reveal any objections (overcoming objections is another post), and set the stage for the close.
The summation approach is when you list the solutions and restate what the customer said their needs were. A good example would be: "Let’s see, you said you wanted to move from queen size to king size, we did that, you wanted a pillowtop mattress that was soft on top and firm underneath, we got that and you need it by Friday. Sounds like we are all ready, will that be check or credit card?" Any answer other than how they are going to pay let’s you know they need more information or you have not offered a solution they value.
I know this is only an appetizer and there are many more nuances to the anatomy of a sale, but these foundational steps will increase your effectiveness by 20% if implemented.
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As an employer and hiring manager, I have interviewed and hired many people over the past twenty years. I have had the pleasure of meeting a well rounded group of individuals that represented the full gamut of prospective employees, from Princeton students to former drug dealers. While my past hiring endeavors have been met with great success, my last foray into the hiring pit made me consider what were the common traits of the teams of people I have hired in the past.