|
Favorits •
Web Domain Directory •
ODP •
Annuaire FR •
Directorio ES •
Directory EN •
Diretório PT •
IT Katalog •
Czech Katalog •
Polski Katalog •
Maps •
Satellite Photos •
View Card
|
||
|
|
Sales |
|
|
| ||
 |
Selling the Dr. Seuss Way
"I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green eggs and ham? Would you like them here or there? Would you like them in a box, would you like them with a fox?" I think most people have read this Dr. Seuss tale either as kids or to their children. What is interesting is the relevance this story has to selling. First of all, Sam is selling a product and although his prospect is not initially interested, Sam doesn't let that deter him from asking. Secondly, Sam consistently offers the prospect a choice when trying to close the sale. Thirdly, he refuses to give up. No matter how many times his prospect says 'no' Sam keeps offering alternatives. In fact, he offers fourteen options before he finally closes the sale. Now, I am not suggesting that you pester your customers or prospects but I do believe most people give up too early in the sales process. We hear a few "no's" and decide to turn our attention elsewhere. It is your responsibility as a sales professional to ask the customer to make a decision - you cannot expect a customer to do the work for you. If you have been effective in learning about their specific needs and current situation and presented the appropriate solution to your prospect then you have earned the right to ask them for their money. Here are a few ideas that will help you reach this point: Avoid launching into a lengthy discussion of what you can do for your client until you thoroughly understand what business challenges they face and the problems, concerns or issues they need resolved. Use open questioning to gather this information and avoid making assumptions or jumping to conclusions too quickly. Instead, listen carefully to what they say and clarify anything that is not clear. Ask them to elaborate by using prompters such as "uh-huh," "tell me more," and "what else?" When it comes time to present your product or service, try not to limit the prospect to one option. Provide a choice of solutions that meet their specific concerns. Explain the benefits of each option, and when necessary, also discuss the drawbacks of each alternative. However, do not present so many options that the decision becomes overwhelming or difficult. Be prepared to tell your prospect which option best suits their needs if they ask. Speak in terms they can understand, avoiding the use of terminology they may not recognize. A case in point; as I developed my web site, I found myself talking to people who were extremely knowledgeable but they used terminology that sounded like a foreign language to me. I found myself getting frustrated, and in some cases feeling a bit dumb, because I had to keep asking them what they meant. Be very cautious how much jargon you use in your presentations and make sure your customer understands what you are saying. Recognize that objections are a natural component of the sales process. It's common for a customer express several objections before she makes the decision to commit to the purchase. Don't take these objections personally and do not assume that it means the other person is not interested. Understand that your prospect will likely have specific concerns about making a decision particularly if they have never done business with you. Clarify their objections to uncover the true hesitation - do not hesitate to probe deeper to explore the real issues preventing them from making a decision. In most cases, your prospect will give you the information you need providing you keep your approach non-confrontational and neutral. Learn to handle objections in a non-argumentative manner. When you uncover their true objection keep your response brief and to the point. Talking too much will seem that you are trying to justify your product or price. Plus, you can sometimes talk yourself out a sale if you aren't careful. Ask for the sale. In many cases, your prospect expects you to ask for the sale. And as long as you do not pressure or try to coerce them into making a decision, they won't be offended by your request. Develop the confidence to ask for the sale in a variety of ways and begin asking every qualified person for their commitment. Recognize that many people want to be given permission to make a decision and look to the salesperson for that permission. Lastly, take a lesson from Sam and learn the importance of polite persistence. The most successful sales people ask for the sale seven or eight times and don't give up at the first sign of resistance. Research has shown that these individuals consistently earn more than their coworkers and peers. Copyright 2004, Kelley Robertson Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of "Stop, Ask & Listen - Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers." Visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com and receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine.
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Relationship Between Colour & Sales Make no mistake that emotions are the driving force behind sales, and customers making buying decisions can be influenced through visual elements towards a particular behaviour or emotion that will encourage more sales.Not convinced? Have you noticed that a lot of restaurants are decorated in/heavily feature reds and/or oranges? Still not convinced?Pizza Hut Frankie & Bennys Burger King Little Chef TGI Friday Bella Pasta (one of the few to focus on Orange rather than red)These major players understand the psychology behind colour and its relationship to marketing which dictates that red and orange specifically encourage restaurant patrons to eat faster; thus yes you guessed it - increasing sales within the same period of time. Dead Silence From Your Prospect: The Worst Sound Of All Could this be the worst moment in your selling cycle?You've done all the right things with your prospect:? You've identified a real need and developed a reasonably solid relationship.? You've determined that your prospect is interested in your solution. Use Bundling To Increase Your Profits And Sales Use Bundling To Increase Your Profits And Sales An effective way to increase your profits and sales is to bundle many products or services together into one package. This gives people more reasons to buy your products and services. Sell More Products and Services with Testimonials Testimonials are all-important to sell anything. You may already have testimonials for your new book and service, but do you have testimonials for other promotional pieces? Next time you check out a Web site, notice the testimonials. How to Create Material That Will Get You Sales Now! WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS BROCHURE OR SALES LETTER? A great deal of money is wasted each day putting out useless sales and marketing material. Material that was written for the wrong reason or the writer forgot its purpose after he started writing it or fell in love with his own words. Creating More Effective Proposals The need for good proposals - the business kind, not the marriage kind - struck me again a couple of days ago, when I received a poor proposal. I had talked on the phone with a sales rep, and then she followed up with a proposal. Open Your Introduction With A Firecracker Moment The number one requirement, whether you are a business owner or an employee, is to be able to say what you do, and say it with influencing results. Through testing, I have seen, experienced, and received feedback that an elevator speech no longer works. Your Clients Buying What Youre Selling Linda felt like she had reached a plateau in her cleaning business. For the past 3 years, she'd run the same ads in the same publications with the same results. Write Fundraising Letter Overlines That Donors Cant Resist (Includes Samples & Examples) The headline that appears over the salutation in a fundraising letter is known as the overline. Overlines have one goal: to persuade your donor to read your letter. Smooth Sailing (Selling) In The Second Half of The Year You can make a difference in the second half! You can't do it by doing the same things the same way.You can make a difference in the second half every year! You can do it by thinking differently and being different. How To Get Your Mail Past The Gatekeeper And Into The Hands Of The Decision Maker GUARANTEED There are several ways to get your information into the decision maker's hands.Use "The Stealth Mail Method". Color Psychology Will Make Or Break Your Sales Success Color psychology is the biggest question I receive on a regular basis. The reason being is it's importance. The Top 10 Ways to Add Extra Value Everyone wants the best possible value in every transaction, but each of us defines "value" in different ways. Some customers want the lowest price, while others will place a higher value on reliability, convenience or things like color, popularity (think Pokeman cards!) or durability. Writing Effective Sales Messages A sales letter is a document designed to generate sales. It is a distinctive type of persuasive letter. If I Wanted To Sell For A Living, I Would Of Majored In It In College By a show of hands, how many of you grew up as a kid saying to yourself, "I can't wait to grow up until I become a salesperson"?Why do people go into sales? Here are some reasons people have given to me and sales managers when they apply for a sales position:? I don't know what else to do in life, so I might as well sell.? I'm tired of my present job of (you fill in the blank), so I guess I'll go into sales; anybody can do it. The Force That Drives Buying Decisions What do people buy? They don't buy your wonderful presentation. People buy solutions and visions. Selling Your Way To Success I wonder when we decided to become a sales person. I know when I was at school all I ever wanted to do was join the Navy and see the world. Expert Qualities in Sales If you went to see your doctor, and he mentioned a particular over the counter drug to you, or a particular type of food that was healthy, chances are, you would listen to this advice, than go out and buy the product.Why is it that when a doctor recommends a product, people buy it without any hesitation, without talking it over with their spouse, and without asking any questions. Five Keys to Make Your Cold Calls Sizzle Do you clam up on the telephone? An advertising rep called the other day to sell some ad space in a local news magazine. After I said, "Hello," there was nothing but monotone dialog until I interrupted him a minute later. Quotations Tell... Proposals Sell! The traditional "Quotation" was originally devised during the Industrial Revolution of the 1850's and has changed little to the present day. It is a totally Dickensian format and absolutely out of date in a situation where supply so completely outstrips demand.
|