Eight Steps To A Successful Sale

The author breaks down the selling process into eight stages. During each stage, the salesperson should assume a specific role in line with the customers need at that point of time.

In the first role, the student kicks off the exercise. Before starting on your spiel, study the customer, and find out what has changed in his environment. The change is your opportunity for making a sale. The selling has to be tailored according to the seniority of the person - CEO, core management team or the support group. Each has a different concern that you need to identify and address. For instance, the core group is primarily concerned with improving operational effectiveness while the CEO would worry about cost pressures. To get a convincing reason why the prospect should meet you, forget about your product and imagine that you work for your customer.

 

It is time to become a doctor who has to recognise the problem or opportunity that is causing discontent in the prospects mind. Dont ask questions to uncover only problems, which look exclusively at what has already happened. Remember that you are selling against your prospects inertia, their desire to avoid change and to keep things moving in the same direction. At this stage, you are still not selling against your competitors but fighting this resistance to change. Find out the seriousness of the problem, and present it to them. The prospect would immediately be curious about your solution. At this stage, do not present too much information. Also, the prospect will want to know the cost of your solution.

Now you are ready to fulfil the role of architect. At this stage, the customers focus shifts to selecting the best solution for his needs. It is here that the competitive activity has to be tracked closely. Now the prospect is thinking about picking up the best choice available. Offer a solution that showcases the unique capabilities you have to offer. Determine the must-have requirements, refine the solution by identifying nice-to-have elements, figuring out the relative importance of each element for the client. The trick is to design a solution that locks out your competition before the your buyers talk to them.

The coach then takes over at this stage to ensure that there is no overselling when the competition also jumps in. They key is to expect that your competition will be involved in every sale, and to plan accordingly. Analyse your strengths and weaknesses, develop a game plan to position yourself against the competition. In your sales presentation, correct the customers misconceptions and look for weaknesses in competitors to close the deal. Look at angles in which your solution can be linked to your customers existing infrastructure but never challenge the importance of your opponents strengths. This approach will lead to the criteria in question to go up in the importance list of your client, not down. It helps to plan an opening that will grab attention.

Jump into the therapists garb quickly. At this stage, the customer might be rethinking whether he made the right buy. Be on the lookout for indications of nervousness. A serious concern might come in a casual or joking way. Be sensitive, explore the clients concerns and discuss alternatives. It is important to empathise with him at this stage. Remember, at this stage, you are dealing with emotion, not logic. And more often than not, the fear develops when you are not in front of your prospects.

The negotiator should now lay out his cards. It is time to discuss the specifics of the agreement, only after the customer has expressed a firm desire to buy. Be careful about the consequences of any concession you make at this stage. Salesmen often confuse service with sales to to satisfy the customer at all costs. In trying to meet all the needs of the customer you will end up abdicating your own needs. So negotiate diligently. In fact, never give a concession without getting one in return. Dont propose a solution with an already discounted price. And most importantly, be patient. Many salesmen cannot handle the pressure and think the prospect has all the power. They dont. Otherwise they would not be negotiating with you.

Now that the Need, Learn and Buy stages are over, the customer is now thinking about the value of the deal. The teacher has to define the expectations of this value. The values, for most inexperienced buyers, are intangible, vague and undefined. Further, the client is watching you like a hawk because he has high, often, unrealistic expectations from you. Therefore, set realistic objectives and expectations at the outset. Identify specific terms what the customer can expect immediately after the purchase. The benchmark helps to measure and judge your success. The post-sale process is crucial. So show, and then help the customer how to use the solution. Often customers get frustrated in trying to use the product. So be visible even after the sale is made.

Finally, you become a farmer! The customer is wondering, Am I getting the results I expected?, Is the product performing as expected?. So nurture a productive relationship with your buyer. It will help cultivate a new account for the next season. Get references from satisfied customers. Regular account reviews, feedback from the customer at a later date should be done. Try and become the one-call, first-call information resource. If your customer sees you as an expert, you will be the first one to learn of new sales opportunities. It helps to plan for the next season.