© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Mar 23, 2016
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
MAKING THE SALES CALL
How should the salesperson make the initial approach to make a good impression and gain the prospect’s attention?
How can the salesperson develop rapport and increase source credibility?
Why is discovering the prospect’s needs important, and how can a salesperson get this information?
How can the salesperson most effectively relate the product or service features to the prospect’s needs?
Why is it important for the salesperson to make adjustments during the call?
How does the salesperson recognize that adjustments are needed? How can a salesperson effectively sell to groups?
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chapter 9
SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS CHAPTER ARE:
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“If it wasn’t for the familiar faces, responsiveness, and addressing the customers’ needs directly with a friendly smile, we would not have been considered for the business, let alone the contract.”
~Chad StinchfieldHospira
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Essential Elements of the Sales Call
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The content of an actual sales call depends on:– The specific situation– The extent of the established relationship
Four A’s selling process:– Acknowledge– Acquire– Advise– ________
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Introduction
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Waiting for the Prospect
Be on time or call if you’re going to be a few minutes late
Make good use of your waiting time
15 minute rule When to reschedule
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Very First Impressions
Making a favorable first impression usually results in a prospect who is willing to listen
How you dress How you look
– Be well groomed– Be confident– Smile
Modify behavior based on prospect’s state
Customer’s name
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Selecting a seat– Be aware of your surroundings– Read the prospect’s nonverbal cues
Getting the customer’s attention– Prospects use the first few minutes to
determine if they will ________ from the interaction
– Salespeople basically have less than ________ minutes to get credibility with the client
– Presentation openings
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Making a Good Impression (continued)
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Introduction opening: Simply introduce yourself Referral opening: Tell about someone who
referred you to the buyer Benefit opening: Start by telling some benefit of
the product Product opening: Demonstrate a product feature
and benefit as soon as you walk up to the prospect Compliment opening: Start by complimenting the
buyer or buyer’s firm Question opening: Start the conversation with a
question
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Openings That Salespeople Can Use to Gain Attention
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Developing ________ – Should be the goal of every salesperson– Small talk– Office scanning– Consider cultural and personality differences– Share goals or agenda
When things go wrong– Maintain the proper
perspective and a sense of humor
– Apologize– Think before you speak
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Making a Good Impression (continued)
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________ in selling is a close, harmonious relationship founded on mutual trust.
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After capturing the buyer’s attention, it is time to identify the buyer’s ________
Use transition sentences Don’t be surprised if the buyer is
reluctant to provide confidential information
Discovering needs is part of qualifying the prospect– This process can be uncomfortable for the
prospect
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Identifying the Prospect’s Needs: The Power of Asking Questions
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Discovering the Root Cause of the Need
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Asking Open and Closed Questions
Open questions require the prospect to go beyond a simple yes-or-no response
Closed questions require yes, no, or short “fill-in-the-blank” type response
In most cases salespeople need to ask both open and closed questions
Summarize the prospects needs
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Situation questions– General data-gathering questions– Many situation-type questions can be answered
through precall information gathering and planning
Problem questions– Questions about specific difficulties, problems,
or dissatisfactions Implication questions
– Help the prospect recognize the true ramifications of the problem
– ________ the prospect to search for a solution to the problem
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SPIN® Technique
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Need payoff questions– Questions about the usefulness of solving a
problem– ________ centered
Conclusions about SPIN®– Encourages the prospect to define the need– Prospect views the salesperson more as a
consultant trying to help than as someone pushing a product
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SPIN® Technique (continued)
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Reiterate needs you identified before the meeting– Both parties can agree about the problem they
are trying to solve Prepare a set of questions that maximize
the use of available time Develop a ________ for the presentation
– Prioritize buyer needs– Discuss features that address buyer needs
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Reiterating Needs and Developing a Strategy for the Presentation
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Offering Value: The Solution to the Buyer’s Needs
Relating features to benefits– Feature: quality or characteristic of the product
or service– Benefit: the way in which a specific feature will
________ a particular buyer– FEBA (feature, evidence, benefit, ________ )
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Assessing Reactions
Using nonverbal cues Verbal probing
– Allows the salesperson to stop talking and encourages two-way conversation
– Lets the salesperson see whether the buyer is listening and understanding what is being said
– May show that the prospect isuninterested
Making adjustments– Changing direction– Collecting additional information– Developing a new sales strategy– Altering the style of presentation
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Clearly delineate the time she or he thinks the call will take and then stop when the time is up
Offer concrete ________ to back up verbal statements
Avoid making statements that do not have the ring of truth to them
Make a balanced presentation that shows all sides of the situation
Recognize sub-cultural differences
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Building Credibility During the Call
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Demonstrate product expertise Keep it ________ Be willing to say, “I’m sorry, I was
wrong on that,” or “I don’t know the answer to that, but I’ll get it to you.”
Never use a word unless you know the exact definition
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Building Credibility During the Call (continued)
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Selling to Groups
Groups behave like groups, with group standards and norms and issues of status and group leadership.
Salespeople should discover (for each prospect group member):– Member status within the group– ________ – Perceptions about the urgency of the problem– Receptivity to ideas– Knowledge of the subject matter– Attitude toward the salesperson– Major areas of interest and concern– Key benefits sought– Likely resistance and ways to handle it
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Selling to Groups (continued)
Salespeople should also discover the ego involvement and issue involvement of each group member
Develop objectives and plan Learn the names of group members and
use them when appropriate Listen carefully and observe
all nonverbal cues
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Make every possible effort to create a good impression during a sales call.
Use any of several methods to gain the prospect’s attention.
Establish the prospect’s needs before beginning any discussion of product information.
Translate features into benefits for the buyer.
Make any necessary adjustments in the presentation based on buyer feedback.
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Summary
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Build credibility. When selling to groups, the
salesperson should:– Gather information about the needs and
concerns of each individual who will attend
– Uncover the ego involvement and issue involvement of each group member
– Develop meeting objectives and individual prospect objectives
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Summary (continued)
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