The Art of Selling: The Six-Step Process
(1) PREPARATION: This is the what goes on before the sales call. It's where you research the account prior to a sale. If you don't you might end up way over your head. What is needed is an outline and some general knowledge of the company regarding whom they were calling. With the advent of the Internet, this is inexcusable. The ability to research a specific company or industry has become as easy as clicking a mouse. In my day, I had to read journals, look in the phone book, or ask around to get even a glimmer of information. But I would arm myself with whatever was available before entering the business.
(2) THE "ICR": Assuming you have made an appointment to see the client or customer, or you are about to try to make a sale over the phone, you must begin with an ICR or "interest creating remark." It's the very first thing you say after you've introduced yourself and your company. Often times, its sets the mood for the entire structure of the sales call. Depending on what you're selling, the ICR can be very powerful. Here are a few examples:
Can you spare five minutes to make $10,000?
I noticed that you firm is allowing it's biggest competitor an unfair advantage.
Do you know where you are wasting money the fastest?
(3) FACT-FINDING: You can help control the early part of the sales call by doing your fact-finding right up front. If your get the Q & A out of the way, the call will go smoother. It accomplishes a few things. First, the business person will feel you have a genuine interest in their company. It shows you are concerned and it shows you can absorb what is said. I always had a memo pad open and made copious notes. Even if it was just gibberish, it made the customer think what they were telling me was important. Many times I would uncover a gem or point I could relate to later in the call.
(4) THE PRESENTATION: In order to get the sale, you have to make the presentation. Whether it's selling a line of shoes, tires, or insurance, you will be putting your proverbial cards on the table. It's the show and tell portion of the sale. Over a period of 25 years, I saw an average of 300 customers a year when I was a sales consultant for the Yellow Pages. That's 7500 sales calls and therefore 7500 sales presentations. I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do. One suggestion is, don't end the sales call with, "What do you think?" Instead, make a strong sales statement. You should end with assertions that assume the sale is made. You might try: "You must agree this is just perfect for your company" or "You can see we've thought of everything you could need. How many do you want to order?"
(5) OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS: When I first started with the Yellow Pages, we were given a list of the 100 most popular objections and some typical possible answers. We were supposed to memorize this list which was somewhat impractical. We were told to keep it with us. I couldn't imagine that the customer that had just told me it was too expensive would wait for me to scan the list to find the appropriate response. Here are the main objections: It's too expensive. It doesn't suit our needs. We are going out of that business. We already have a good source. We are gong a different direction. I'm retiring next year. I can I trust you to do what you say? You competitor prices are lower. We only buy from minority-owned businesses. We don't like long-term contracts. My account says to cut back. We're in a recession. We've already spend our budget for the year. Overcoming objections is as simple as changing the perspective. If they told me that direct mail was cheaper, I would tell them that our product covered a larger base and reached more potential customers for far less per 1000. Focus on the positive aspects of the products.
(6) THE CLOSE: This is when one asks for the sale. It follows a terrific presentation and assumes that you had overcome all the main objections. It's the point where there is nothing left to say except, "Can I get your signature on this contract?" Okay, not exactly like that, but it means that you feel the customer is ready to buy what you have offered. But there are exceptions to every rule. If, after you have covered the other five steps and there are too many objections you can't control or answer, you have another option. You can back out of the call before the close. There were many times that I felt uncomfortable and decided to abandon the meeting and asked if I could come back at a later date. You could say, "I can see you still have a few questions but we've run out of time. Can we meet again?" or "I would love to show you another idea for your business at a second meeting." Use your own judgment and decide what's best for you and your customer.
If you are curious about how I sold and how I was a top performer for 25 years as a Yellow Page consultant, you can visit my website at www.poweradbook.com and learn more. You can then order one of Amazon's best-selling books about the Yellow Page industry, my life in the publishing business, and the art of selling, and designing better ads.
Related Tags: selling, sales, art, overcoming, presentation, objections, hauser, close, icr, six-step
Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix." His latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com Currently, he is the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
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