SALES & SALES MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Transcription

1 SALES & SALES MANAGEMENT TRAINING Sales are the key to setting up and running a successful business. However, it is not sufficient just to have a passion for your particular product or service. You will need to be able to convince potential customers of the benefits of buying from you, and then staying with you. The basic rules of selling are similar, whether you're dealing with customers in person, by phone, or whether it's in a business-to-business or retail environment. You need to engage the customer, present your product or service to them and then take action to close the sale. Careful preparation on your part is key, you need a process from start to finish, one that is well thought through and includes; how to do basic market research so you are targeting and focused in the right direction, basic sales techniques, how you communicate with your customers, how to conduct a successful sales presentation, the likely objections and how to deal with them, how to negotiate effectively and how to finish the process and retain the customer. Let s have a look at some of the above that you can use straight away. Basic research & techniques When making a sale, it is important to remember the AIDA marketing communication model: get the customer's Attention stimulate the customer's Interest create the Desire to buy confirm the Action to be taken Do your research beforehand, check the prospects website and find out as much as you can that is relevant to your industry, not only will you be better informed and have things about their business to talk about, it will also improve your confidence levels.

2 To prevent your brochure from going straight in the bin, or the listener from turning off, gain their attention with an eye-catching design or a thought-provoking statement. Explain the benefits of purchasing your product or service. Don't just talk about the efficiency of your product/service or what it does. Talk about how working with you or buying your product will reduce their costs, increase their profitability, improve their customer retention or whatever benefits your customers will experience. Explaining the benefits creates the desire to buy. Include a call to action - such as a time-limited offer - which can help prompt a customer to buy, or at least find out more, or simply agree to follow up, a simple phone call a week later to ascertain their views can keep the relationship flowing, even if they don t buy this time. Confirm the agreements reached; the next steps and confirm in writing letter, e- mail or proposal. You should always include your telephone number, address, address, website address or order form on all literature. Talk to your customers When you speak to any customer, your primary aim should be to find out as much about their needs as possible. Knowing what they want to do or achieve will help build a picture of what you can do for them - and open new opportunities for sales. It's worth taking notes of each conversation and referring to them before you call or visit. Find out as much about your customers as possible - the more you know about their work and their interests, the more equipped you will be to form a closer working relationship. Your homework and research will pay off. Learn to listen - often the best sales people are those who listen more than they talk. Being attentive to the customer's needs makes them feel important. You may also pick up on information to help make a sale. This is often the biggest downfall in sales talking too much. You have 2 ears and 1 mouth, use them in that proportion! Use closed questions at the start and finish - if the customer can only answer "Yes" then they will find it harder to raise objections. For example, asking your contact if they would like to increase efficiency or quality is unlikely to get a negative response. Similarly, asking if they now understand how your product will help increase efficiency later on will help you to lead towards closing the sale. Most people know about open and closed questions, but often the most important question is the opening question, the first one you ask, it can set the tone for the meeting and determine how it goes. Give some time to preparing questions. Ask the customer if they have any questions about you or your product or service - if they ask questions such as "When can you deliver?" they are interested and ask more questions such as When would you need your first delivery etc.

3 Successful sales presentations Work out the key message you want them to remember and always focus on their needs..most people recall most clearly what is said at the beginning and end, so build your key points into these sections. Organise what you want to say into sections, building up a logical case to buy your goods or services. Think about any objections that might come up and prepare for them. Have facts and figures to support your presentation and support how your product or service will benefit the customer Know what your competitors are doing, know their products/services and be prepared to answer questions, but never belittle, ridicule or criticise them. Use Case studies or stories about how others have benefited from your product or service in the past. People like stories. Give out handouts at the end, otherwise people will be looking at them during your presentation, and won t be paying attention to you. Handouts should summarise what you have said, have case studies in them, examples, product literature etc. but don t overkill it! If you are using technology make sure it works! Have handouts of the presentation, then if the technology let s you down you have a copy to give out and go through. Encourage questions throughout and at the end agree the next stage after the presentation. The most common objection is likely to be price. Think beforehand about how you can counter it. Will buying save them more money than they spend or can you offer flexible payment terms? Stress all-round value for money and gains in efficiency or time. Also, remember that this objection is sometimes used to mask other concerns, so try to probe the customer for more information. Accepting no for an answer You won't always be able to meet all objections and we can t win them all, the main thing is to preserve the relationship and accept it graciously, so you leave the door open. Let the customer know you'll always be available to answer any other queries and, if they seem at all interested, keep in touch. Remember their circumstances or yours may change, allowing you to make a sale at a later stage. For example, they may leave the organisation and you will have the opportunity to approach their replacement.

4 Negotiating a sale Both you and the customer want to get the best possible deal. Here are some guidelines for you to consider once you have gained the attention of the customer and there is a chance of a sale. Do: Don't: Understand the customer's needs. Use questions to find out as much as you can about their situation and budget. Go into it with a mindset of finding a solution that is good all round i.e. for them and you. Decide how important the deal is. Set out your objectives and decide which are negotiable. Consider price, volume and timing and whether you will give a reduction on a larger quantity or for paying cash straight away. Listen carefully to what the customer is saying. Ask for a break if you need time to think (or cool off!). Summarise the decisions you have reached. Shake on it - no one likes to back out of a deal. Be too keen or forceful, it will force the price down or push them away from you. Be too passive and come across as a pushover, some professional buyers will know this and exploit it! Say you will accept a near offer. Make concessions too easily. Give unnecessary discounts. Other customers may find out and become resentful. Give late compromises, you will come across as yielding. If someone has agreed to buy, don't throw in extras for free. Promise what you can't deliver, it will damage your long-term relationship with them and reputation. If a competitor does this and you know it, accept it gracefully, but make sure you follow up to see if they delivered what they said. Case study The Problem: Sales force very effective at taking orders from existing customers and managing existing relationships, but struggle developing new business, cross-selling and upselling. Solutions: A three tiered approach: Working with the senior management to provide them with the necessary sales management skills and approaches to enable them to effectively manage their sales force in a proactive fashion, resulting in a change of behaviours from a numbers approach to a coaching and business development approach.

5 Secondly, designing and delivering a bespoke structured sales training programme delivered over three months, supported with one to one coaching (brief outline below). Thirdly, designing and delivering a two-day customer retention programme focusing on excellence in customer service. Snapshot of Sales Training Content A six step sales skills development programme, of modular structure and delivered over three months, interspersed by monthly one-one coaching sessions, comprising of: 1. Before the Sales Begins Developing a commercial mind set Eradication of self-limiting beliefs Beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, skills and behaviours of effective sales people Customer research and customers business understanding 2. Powerful Prospecting Creating commonality between sales person and customer relationship building Securing meetings that count Understanding what your customer does, why they do it, and how they do it. Simple and Effective information gathering Preparing for & making good proactive telephone calls 3. Customer meetings Psychology of Human Interaction Building customer relationships Excellence in questioning and listening skills Identifying needs Effective negotiation skills 4. Proposing Specific Solutions Providing specific advantages and benefits High Impact Presentation Skills Handling objections Asking for the business 5. Account Development Creating effective account development plans Proposal writing Ongoing relationship management 6. Account Management Effective Account Management Managing the buyer

6 We can help your sales staff to... Exceed their sales targets and close more sales in less time Overcome the objections that they face with confidence and ease Manage their diary more effectively to free up more time for selling Understand the motivations and wants of their prospects Eliminate their frustrations and stress when it does not go their way Create a step-by-step consultative selling process that works Learn how to build effective relationships and rapport Get referrals from your customers, without hounding them Qualify their prospects more effectively Develop the right questions to use and when to use them Boost their self-confidence and overcome nerves Eliminate all of the activities that are costing them sales, time and energy and implement a new system to make them more sales To either train your managers to manage your sales people well, train your sales people to be highly effective or develop a efficient sales process call us now on or