Professional Basic Selling Skills

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Professional Basic Selling Skills

Professional Salesman

Professional Sales call

Prepared by:

Pharmacists_coffee magazine

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Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to :

- Understand the meaning of the sales call.- Practice sales call planning.- Identify buying motives.- Practice sales call planning.- Implement different approaches and presentation

techniques.- Transform features into benefits that satisfy partner’s needs.- Sharpen questioning techniques.- Handle customer’s responses and resistances.- Develop various types of closes.- Use visual aids.- Utilize observation skills.- Practice how to sell to a busy customer ( short call ).

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Objectives

• To sharpen the skills, abilities & behavior in selling for participants in order to sell better & improve professionalism.

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What is selling?

Personal or Impersonal

Based on WIN – WIN situation

Personal : Face to Face communication.

Impersonal : Involve no face to face communication.

- Act of persuading another person.

- Process of inducing & assisting.

Selling a situation of persuasion

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Need / Motive

Need

Creation or UncoverNeed

Satisfaction

Motive Is what causes people to act

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Features / Benefits

Specifications of a product or service.Features:

Benefits:Value to the customer.

Customer always buy Benefits

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Buying Motives

• To buy = To satisfy a need.

• We know 6 buying motives which are EQUAL IMPORTANCE.

• To find out buying motives, ASK QUESTIONS.

• Let customer buy for HIS reasons, not yours!

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Buying Motives

Possession

Experience

Recognition

1- Making a Gain

2- Avoiding a Loss

3- Having pleasure, enjoyment, comfort ,convenience

4- Avoiding pain, worries, problems

5- Boosting self-satisfaction, pride

6- Gaining social approval, prestige

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Steps of a Sales CycleBefore the call

1- Prospecting.

2- preparation.

During the call

1- Approach

2- Presentation

3- Responses

4- Close

Post call

1- Analyze

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Before the call

Prospecting

Qualifying, classifying / categorizing them

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Before the call

Preparation

First part : Setting your objectives

What do you want to sell?

SM

A

R

T

Objective

Specific

Ambitious

Measurable

Realistic

Timely limited

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Before the call

Preparation

Second part : Planning the callPrepare :

1- Approach

2- Questions to uncover needs & verify assumptions

3- Benefits to satisfy needs

4- Responses to possible reactions

5- Use of visual aid

6- Ways of closing / gaining commitment

Plan your work then work your plan

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During the call

1- Approach

2- Presentation

Probing ( Open & closed )

Reinforcing

3- Customer Responses

4- Closing

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Approach ( Opening )What is Approach ?Skill of capturing the customer’s

attention & focusing on the sales call.

Why ?Secure accessGain attentionCreate positive interestParts ?1- Greeting / Introduction2- Techniques Address buyer’s needs Step 1 : Identify a known or

presumed customer need Step 2 : Propose a feature &

benefit that satisfy this need3- Ask a questions

Why Questioning in Approach?

1- To gain attention

2- Brings customer into presentation

3- To confront the customer with a topic of his interest

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Presentation

-The purpose of this step :

To satisfy the customer’s needs / buying motives with the features & benefits of our proposal ( product ).

-Built on :

Positive Two-Way communication.

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Presentation

First step of presentation :

-To uncover customer’s need by

Effective use of QUESTIONS

Second step of presentation :

-To start matching product BENEFITS with customer’s NEED / WISHES in order

(Reinforcing)

-To find the decisive BUYING MOTIVE

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Presentation

We help the customer to make a buying decision!

We know: The feature of our product ( What it is/has ).

We define: As many BENEFITS of our product as needed or as enough ( 6 buying motives! ) ( What it can do ).

We look for: The customer’s BUYING MOTIVE and match our benefit with his need.

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What is probing?

Probing is the skill of questioning

To uncover customer needs & concerns

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Type of Probes

Open probe : A question that invites as extended explanation.

Closed probe : A question that can be answered in a single word, often “YES” or “NO”

Never start with closed probe

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Forms of probesForm Objective Construction

Open-ended -Find/Clarify needs.

-Check assumptions.

-Obtain information in breadth.

-Demonstrate interest.

Who Which

Where When

What How

Careful with: WHY

Closed-ended -Get precise, quick response/decision.

-Ask for information.

-Give information.

Yes / No

I Do not know

Benefit-Tag -Present one benefit matching a need.

-Obtain decision if benefit appeals.

Closed-ended questions following one benefit

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Probing Strategy

Begin with an open probe

Need Input No Need Input

Continue to use open probe

Stated clear need

Switch to a closed probeTo direct conversation to

A presumed need

Confirmation of presumedneed

With non communicative customer

With communicative customer

Customer

signals

Selling Skills

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Sequence of Questioning

Open-Ended Questions

Closed-Ended Questions

Benefit of Tag Questions

Close ,Ask for order/Commitment

If answer is NO ask another open-Ended

Question

Here you should know enough

Questioning phase discover customer

needs/buying motives

Presentation phase, Check

if specific benefit meets

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CorrelationSales Success/ % of Questions

Versus Statements

0102030405060708090

100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

%

Sales

Success

Average

Most sales reps

Ideal for most successful sales calls!

% Questions

(versus statements)

Ideal composition of a conversation

80% questions 20% statements

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Reinforcing

Reinforcing is:

The skill of satisfying customer needs with product features & benefits.

Reinforcing firmly establishes you as a problem-solver and shows the customer why your product is needed.

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Reinforcing

What are the signals that tell you when to reinforce?

- A clear need stated by the customer in his own words.

- Confirmation by the customer of a presumed need that was first expressed by you in a closed probe.

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Reinforcing

Steps of Reinforcing :

Step 1: Paraphrase the customer need

-Express direct agreement

-Restate the customer need

Step 2: Propose a feature and benefit that satisfy this need.

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Customer Responses

1- Positive customer responses.

2- Positive / Negative customer responses.

3- Negative responses.

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Positive customer responses

A) Prospects voice inflections and positive comments.

Seller’s reaction:

Praise and show approval for “Nice” comment / answer

Examples:

- I’m very glad you mentioned this.

- I’m very pleased to hear that.

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Positive customer responses

B) Statements which show hesitationUsing terms or starting statements like:-” I suppose that…”-” I probably should…”-” I hardly believe that…”-” May be…” -” Perhaps..” -” It seems...”These statements are not rejections of your proposal. They

only express hesitation, doubts ,misgivings ,but are also signs to keep selling; the prospect wants to know more about your product/proposal. Perhaps move on to another benefit.

Seller’s reaction:Isolates doubt by questioning, then eliminate it and change to

another benefit / advantage.

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Positive customer responses

C) Prospect continues talking, but makes statements not appealing to you

That means he is talking without dissatisfaction.If the prospect is still talking about the product, he

has some interest in it. Statements that do not directly state a dislike or a disapproval of your proposal or product, should be considered positive.

Seller’s reactionLet the prospect talk, then point out another

benefit; might also be an opportunity to close.

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Positive customer responses

D) Non-verbal customer behavior- If he is looking at your visual aid, sample, plan.- Keep an eye on body language, whether it

expresses rejection, inquisitiveness, approval.- He will often signal interest through body

language while being verbally skeptical.

Or

- He makes a verbal positive statement and signals disinterest through body language.

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Positive / NegativeCustomer response

Statements with a positive and negative aspectExamples:- “Yes, but…”- “I agree although…”- “I like that, however…”- “It’s an excellent product, but…”

Seller’s reaction:Pick up on the positive only use it, just ignore the

negative portion!

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Negative response

There is four types of customer resistance:

- Misconceptions.

- Real objections.

- Lack of interest.

- Skepticism.

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Negative responseDefinition

Misconceptions An incorrect negative assumption about your product due to a lack of information or misinformation.

Real Objections Legitimate shortcoming or disadvantage of your product.

Lack of interest Disinterest in your product because of satisfaction with a competitor product.

Skepticism Disbelief that your product can provide the stated benefits.

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Strategies for dealing with resistance

Resistance Usually occurs..

General Strategy

Misconceptions Anytime Provide correct information.

Real Objections Anytime Reduce shortcomings and emphasizes benefits.

Lack of interest At the beginning of the call, after your initial open probe.

Turn an area of dissatisfaction with a competitor product into an area of need for your product.

Skepticism Directly after a benefit statement

Offer proof.

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Misconception

A misconception is a customer’s incorrect negative assumption about your product or company, due to a lack of correct information.

Strategy for dealing with Misconceptions:Step 1: Probe to clarify the customer’s concern.Step 2: Tactfully provide the correct information to resolve

the misconception.Step 3: Emphasize the positive information you have

provided.

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Real objection

A real objection is resistance based on a legitimate shortcoming or disadvantage of your product.

Strategy for dealing with real objections:Shift the balance in favor of your product benefits.Step 1: Probe to clarify the customer’s concern.Step 2: Acknowledge the customer’s concern.Step 3: Reduce the impact of the shortcoming on

the customer.Step 4: Emphasize the benefits of the product.

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Lack of interest

Lack of interest in your product is almost always due to satisfaction with a competing product.

Strategy for dealing with lack of interest:- Use series of closed probe to uncover areas of

customer need.- Selling against the competition.- Turn an area of dissatisfaction with the

competing product into an area of need for your product .

- When you uncover a customer need your product can satisfy, you reinforce it.

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Skepticism

Skepticism is disbelief that your product can really provide a benefit that you say it can.

Strategy for dealing with skepticism

Step 1: Emphasize the benefit in question.

Step 2: Prove the benefit.

Step 3: Explain the benefit.

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Typical buying signals

- Yes, I like your product …- I think I could use it …- It sounds good to me …- Who else is using it …- I may need to order 100 packs.- How about delivery.- It’s easy to apply.- Do I have to decide at once.- How much does it cost …

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Closing ( Gaining Commitment )

It’s the skill of obtaining the customer’s agreement to act by asking a closed ended question.

Type of requests:Trial Use: to get the customer to use the product

on a trial basis.

Continued-Use: to get the customer to continue using the product at the same level.

Extended-Use: to get the customer to use more of the product.

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Types of closes

1- Direct close.“ How many packs of this product do you need this month?”2- Either /or close.“ Do you want red or blue one?”3- Step-by-step close.Help the customer to decide.4- Summery close.Review by summery the accepted benefits only ( Don’t add

anything new )5- Incentive close.“If you order now, you'll get additional 5% discount”

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Six Prerequisites before closing1- prospect completely understood your offer.

2- Real buying motive found out and addressed.

3- Customer has confidence in you & company.

4- A well prepared close.

5- The right timing.

6- Customer has the authority to buy.

Win-Win Situation

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Post call analysis

Main objectives of post-call analysis :

- To initiate action / follow through on promises.

- To make a personal evaluation of your sales call.

- To help you in your prospecting.

- Set sales call objectives for your next call.

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Visual Aid

We remember 10% of what we hear

We remember 20% of what we see

We remember of what we see & hear simultaneously65%

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Visual Aid

10%

20%

65%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

We remember

Hearing only

Seeing only

Hearing &seeingsimultaneously

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Visual Aid

When using a visual aid:- Illustrate one point only.- Relate to prospect’s needs.- Keep control of visuals.- Make it coincide with what you say/want to

stress.

Keep it clean & ready for use.

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The Short Call

Purpose:

To male maximum use of limited time with the customer.

Constraints:

A time-pressured customer will want information, not conversation.

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The Short Call

Strategy:

1- Present product features & benefits to meet known or presumed needs;

2- Ask for action as soon as possible;

3- Attempt to expand the length of the call whenever possible.

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Practical steps for Short CallIntroduce yourself

Customer gives a time limit signal

Open the call

Present additional features & benefits

Ask for action

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Building Rapport

Keys to success :Project competence, confidence, interest

Methods :- Offer service.- Be responsive to needs.- Fulfill promises promptly.- Be courteous and professional.

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Bridging

What is Bridging?The skill of managing the sales conversation

by making a smooth transition between subjects.

Principles of Bridging:Avoid abrupt transitions, and bridge

smoothly and naturally from one subject to the next.

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Putting it all togetherThe 10 Golden Rules of Successful Selling

1- The successful salesperson is not a “Good” or “Fast talker” the opposite is true – he is a good listener.

2- The good salesperson does not sell to “anybody”; he first finds and qualifies the right prospect.

3- The good salesperson does not go into a call “blindfold"; he is carefully prepares the call by setting objectives and planning his strategy.

4- The good salesperson looks for dialogue right from the start and therefore begins with an approach and question.

5- The good salesperson does not present the product or services until he has learnt what the prospect’s needs and buying motives are.

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Putting it all togetherThe 10 Golden Rules of Successful Selling

6- The good salesperson presents only those features and benefits of his product or services that relate to the prospect’s needs.

7- If the prospect raises an" objection” the good salesperson does not view it as resistance but rather as an opportunity to respond to the prospect’s needs in more detail. If it is a real concern, he accepts it, deals with real concerns, satisfies the customer’s need, responds by picking up on anything positive.

8- The successful salesperson tries to close whenever he hears a buying signals indicating that the prospect could be ready to buy.

9- The good salesperson knows that the post call review is already the start of the next call.

10- All in all, the professional sales person’s goal is not to sell, but to help his prospect buy and to arrive together with him at a Win-Win situation.

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Thank you

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Prepared by:

Pharmacists_coffee magazineFor all Arabian pharmacists

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