- The objective of selling is not to push something on to someone who doesn’t really want it. It is to find out what they need and then to show them how you can help them.
- Be a great listener. You can’t help them unless you can first find out what their needs are. Other advantages of listening are that they will feel more important, they are more likely to like you, and also that you have control of the conversation if you are asking the questions.
- Use the questioning funnel – start with open questions, then move on to probing questions like “How do you mean exactly?” and “Tell me more”.
- Adapt to each of the four types: Analytical, Controller, Enthusiast, Amiable. They want to know about details, saving time, novelty/fun, and safety respectively.
- Link your solution to the customer’s needs: once you know what they want you can select the best solution for them, and show how the solution that you recommend will help with these needs. Only talk about the features that will benefit them, and for each feature use the phrase “which means” to show the benefits that they will get from the features.
- Objections, if any: The first objection they come up with is often not the real one so there’s no point trying to overcome that. Find out the real objection by peeling the onion – “Apart from that….” For example “apart from the price, is it perfect for what you want?”
- There are many other ways to overcome objections. Make sure you know what the commonest objections are and have answers ready. For example, answers to the price objection might be cost per use, cost over time, benefits outweigh cost, other alternatives cost more, safety, essential to survival, intangibles which you can’t put a cost on, etc
- A useful way to overcome objections is by using feel/felt/found: “Yes, I know how you feel, in fact I felt the same way at first, but what I found was…”
- Close: ask for the order. Ideally the close would not be sudden but a gradual crossing of a line where buying slowly becomes inevitable. Have a favourite close and use it comfortably.
- After the sale make sure they are left feeling comfortable with their decision.
- Keep in touch with them for referrals and future sales. These are much easier than getting new customers.
- If you don’t make the sale keep the next action with you, so that you have a reason to call them again.
- Efficiency: always be on time, always bring the things you need, prepare information on the customer, have a system where you always keep your promises, phone them back when arranged, no spelling mistakes, etc.
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