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Selling All-in-One For Dummies
Selling All-in-One For Dummies
Selling All-in-One For Dummies
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Selling All-in-One For Dummies

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Tried-and-true information and tips for selling like a pro

Are you looking to enter the world of sales, or are you already a salesperson who's looking for new tips and tactics to expand your business? Whether you're in charge of your own selling career or you're responsible for training and managing a professional sales force, Selling All-In-One For Dummies features everything you need to know to improve your results.

This valuable selling resource includes new ways to effectively network and prospect through the power of all the social media networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as ways to optimize sales success through Webinars; the latest tips and advice to build an appealing image; proven questioning methods that close sales; updated advice on keeping clients' business and building their loyalty; and how to adapt presentations and techniques.

  • Proven methods and techniques that will lead to bigger sales and more loyal customers.
  • Advice on separating yourself from the pack.
  • Plus four chapters on selling in specialized areas from biotechnology to real estate.

Selling All-In-One For Dummies is the authoritative guide to navigating the ever-changing and growing sales arena.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherWiley
Release dateJan 5, 2012
ISBN9781118236291
Selling All-in-One For Dummies

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    This book is definitely a mini dictionary for anyone serious about success in the sales business or any business for that matter.

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Selling All-in-One For Dummies - The Experts at Dummies

Introduction

Welcome to Selling All-in-One For Dummies, your one-stop guide for everything you need to know about selling products and services to businesses and consumers. Because selling is both a science and an art, we don’t stop with the simple nuts-and-bolts information, like how many prospects you need to call to generate the right number of follow-throughs, or what resources you can tap into to gather the information you need, or what kinds of things your sales presentation needs to cover. This book also delves into the art of selling, which is the key difference between good (or even very good) salespeople and great ones.

So, what is the art of selling? It’s people skills. After all, knowing how to get along well with others is a vital skill — especially if your career involves persuading them toward ownership of your ideas, concepts, products, or services. To be successful in sales, you must be able to cooperate, have good listening skills, and be willing to put others’ needs before your own.

If you have in your arsenal the selling skills covered in this book, you’ll have more happiness and satisfaction in all areas of your life, not just in your selling career (although your selling will certainly benefit, too).

About This Book

Selling All-in-One For Dummies can help you get more happiness and contentment out of your life right now by helping you gain more respect, more money, more recognition for the job you do, more agreement from your friends and family, more control in negotiations, and, of course, more sales. Above all, this book is a reference tool, so you don’t have to read it from beginning to end. Instead, you can turn to whatever chapter contains the information you need when you need it.

Each book focuses on a particular topic and is divided into chapters that deal with the various aspects related to that topic. For example,

check.png If you struggle with prospecting in general, you can read any of the chapters in Book II.

check.png If you have a presentation coming up and want to make sure it goes smoothly, head to Book III, Chapter 3.

check.png If you’re looking for a variety of closing techniques, head to Book IV, which is devoted to that topic.

check.png If you have a negotiation coming up and want to bone up on your negotiating skills, look no further than Book V.

check.png If you sell in an industry like biotech or financial services, you can find chapters specific to those, as well as other specialized industries, in Book VI.

check.png To find out how to tap into social media as a way to beef up sales, go to Book VII, Chapter 7.

The point is, you can keep coming back to this book over and over as you need to throughout your selling career.

Conventions Used in This Book

To help you navigate this book, we use the following conventions:

check.png Boldface highlights key words in bulleted lists and key instructions in a numbered list.

check.png New terms and emphasized words appear in italic.

check.png Web addresses appear in monofont. If a web address breaks across two lines of text, no extra spaces or hyphens have been added. Just type in exactly what you see as though the line break doesn’t exist.

check.png We tried to alternate the genders of pronouns used to refer to both salespeople and customers, but we didn’t take out a calculator and tally them up, so rest assured that if you notice an imbalance, it wasn’t intentional.

What You’re Not to Read

Because this book is a reference, you really need to read only what you want to read, which means that you can skip everything else. If you’re in a hurry or are a just the facts, ma’am type of person, you can easily identify information that, although interesting and helpful or enlightening, isn’t strictly necessary in order to understand the discussion at hand:

check.png Anything marked by the Anecdote icon

check.png Sidebars, those shaded boxes that you see sprinkled throughout the book

Foolish Assumptions

In putting this book together, we made some assumptions about you:

check.png You’re either already in sales or considering going into sales. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling corporate jets or cookies, the basic selling strategies apply simply because you’re selling to people.

check.png You like people in general and enjoy working with them. In other words, you’re not a hermit or a recluse, you don’t have an extreme case of anthropophobia (fear of people), and you aren’t painfully shy.

check.png You want to be a better salesperson. Whether you’re brand-new to sales and find yourself struggling or you’re an experienced salesperson who already makes a decent living, you’re committed to becoming even better.

check.png You’re interested in learning and willing to experiment and apply the strategies in this book. If you’re not serious about at least trying something new to get different results than you’re getting now, you might as well give this book to someone else. This book contains answers, strategies, and tactics for successfully selling products and services, but they won’t work unless you put them to work.

How This Book Is Organized

Selling All-in-One For Dummies is organized into eight books, each dealing with a particular sales-related topic. Each book is divided into chapters that deal with specific subjects related to that topic. Here’s a quick preview of what to expect from each book in this All-in-One so that you can turn to the one that interests you the most.

Book I: Laying the Foundation for Selling Success

Every industry or business requires that its professionals have a solid foundation. If you want to be a physician, for example, your foundation would be in the anatomy of the human body and its processes. The foundation for electricians is built on the general properties of electricity, wiring, and circuitry.

A solid foundation in sales means understanding the selling cycle and knowing what you need to know about your product or service. Read this book to bone up on (or review) the basics.

Book II: Prospecting for Gold

Very few sales professionals will tell you that prospecting (finding the right buyers for the product or service and selling them on their need for your product or service) is their favorite part of the job. And it may never be your favorite part of the job. But it’s a vital part of the selling cycle, and it’s why we’ve devoted an entire book to it.

To prospect well, you need to know where to look for potential customers and how to approach them. Perhaps even more important, you need to remember that prospecting isn’t about waylaying some poor unsuspecting Joe or Josephine and talking that person into buying whatever you’re selling (an all-too-common perception). Prospecting is all about finding someone who has an actual need that your product or service can really, truly, honestly meet. In this book, you find all the strategies and advice you need to prospect with confidence.

Book III: Turning Prospects into Customers and Clients

Prospecting is just the beginning of a selling cycle. Now you have quite a job in front of you: turning that person into an actual customer or client. Doing so requires a series of steps: qualifying that person (making sure he has a real need for what you’re offering and the authority and resources to make the buying decision), presenting your product or service to him, and addressing any concerns he may have. This book tells you everything you need to know to accomplish each of these tasks in a way that leads you closer to your ultimate goal: the closing.

Book IV: Closing Like a Champ and Getting Referrals

So, you ready to sign your life away? is not a good closing strategy. Nor is Let’s get this thing done or That’s all I got. Whadaya think?

In fact, no matter how beautifully you execute all the other steps in the selling cycle up to this point, if you handle the close poorly or too quickly, you can lose the sale in a heartbeat. Even if you approach the close well, the potential client may still be resistant to making that final decision to invest in your product or service. So, not only do you need to know the best time and the best way to approach a close, but you also need to know multiple closing strategies.

In this book, you find out how to determine the best time to approach the close, specific closing strategies to use depending on the particular scenario, and how to avoid the traps that too many salespeople fall into. This book also includes information on getting referrals, because one of the best times to ask for referrals is at the conclusion of a successful close.

Book V: Negotiating Skills Every Salesperson Should Have

Face it: As a salesperson, you often find yourself in situations where you have to negotiate. But the truth is, many people lack the negotiating skills that could help them be more successful when trying to close a deal. Most people assume that they know a great deal about negotiating because they’ve done it so often, but that isn’t the case. For this reason, this entire book is dedicated to the fundamental skills, the key strategies, and the good advice every person in a negotiation situation should know.

The mission of this book is to help you negotiate from strength. Understanding the structure of every negotiation in which you’re involved transforms you into a confident and successful negotiator. After you’ve mastered the basic skills of negotiating and achieved this position of strength, every tough situation you encounter becomes easier to analyze and conquer.

Book VI: Selling in Specialized and Growing Fields

No matter what you sell, the information, instructions, and advice shared throughout this All-in-One are applicable, but in certain industries, you may need to adapt or refine your approach. If you sell pharmaceuticals, for example, your prospect pool is more targeted than if you sell washing machines. Selling in the biotech industry requires that you be aware of any controversies that may impact your products.

This book provides targeted information for selling in several specialized and growing industries.

Book VII: Becoming a Power Seller

Inside every great salesperson is a power seller just waiting to come out. A power seller is a great salesperson who is a money-generating machine. Becoming that salesperson requires not only having mastered all the components of your profession, but going beyond and thinking creatively about how you can maximize your impact and reach.

This book shows you how to reach the pinnacle of your career. We cover how to exploit change to your advantage; how to expand your influence through self-promotion, personal partnering, and branding; how to use the latest technologies and social media to expand your reach; and more.

Book VIII: The Book of Tens

The short chapters in this book are packed with quick ideas and advice that can help you avoid common mistakes, boost your skills, break your slumps, and more. Go to this book when you need a quick recharge or refresher.

Icons Used in This Book

This book uses icons (those little pictures you see in the margins throughout this book) to draw your attention to specific kinds of helpful and interesting information. Here’s a list of the icons used in this book and what they signify.

anecdote_rremploy.eps This icon points you to stories from top salespeople who’ve been in your shoes and who encountered challenges you’re likely to encounter. Although interesting and illuminating, these personal anecdotes are not strictly necessary reading. Feel free to skip them if you’re in a rush or on a mission.

tip.eps When you see this icon in the margin, the paragraph next to it contains valuable information on making the sales process easier or faster.

remember.eps Some things are so important that they bear repeating. So, this icon — like a string tied around your finger — is a friendly reminder of crucial pieces of information and skills you’ll want to commit to memory and use throughout your sales career.

warning_bomb.eps An important part of achieving success is simply eliminating the mistakes. And the information marked by this icon — which highlights those things you want to avoid — helps you do just that.

international_black.eps We live in a global world, and knowing how to accommodate the expectations and traditions in cultures other than your own can help you meet the needs of a broader customer base. To find information that gives you insight and strategies to use when you’re in a culturally diverse environment, look for this icon.

telephonesales.eps Despite all the more-advanced technology that lets people communicate remotely (think video conferences, social-media platforms, even the no-longer-newfangled capabilities of e-mail), many sales tasks still involve the good old-fashioned telephone. This icon highlights advice on how to make your business calls effective (and keep them legal).

Where to Go from Here

Because this is a reference book, you get to decide where you want to go. If you’re looking for general topics, glance through the table of contents or the index. Or you can simply flip the pages until something catches your eye.

To make the most effective use of the material in this All-in-One, do a little self-analysis to see where you’re the weakest and then go to those areas first. Doing so will bring you the greatest amount of success in the shortest amount of time. Not sure what your weakest area is and don’t want to take any time figuring it out yourself? Then think about this: Studies by Tom Hopkins International have shown that most traditional salespeople lack qualification skills. They waste a lot of time presenting to people who can’t truly make decisions on what they’re selling. So, why not try that topic first? You can find it in Book III, Chapter 2.

Still not sure? Then start at the beginning and read through to the end. We promise you’ll find lots of good information from the very first page to the very last.

Book I

Laying the Foundation for Selling Success

9781118065938-pp0101.eps

In this book . . .

Whether you’re just starting out in sales or you’ve been at it since the beginning of time, Book I provides great information you can use to strengthen your foundation of selling skills. Here you find the seven steps of the selling cycle and discover how to put these steps to work for you. This book also fills you in on what you need to know about your product and your potential clients, as well as how to find that information.

Chapter 1

The Seven-Step Selling Cycle

In This Chapter

arrow Getting leads for prospective clients and customers

arrow Making a positive impression during the initial contact

arrow Giving engaging presentations and overcoming client concerns

arrow Closing the sale and getting referrals

Selling breaks down neatly into seven steps. After you master these seven steps, you may be inclined to think of selling as a cycle because, if you do it correctly, the last step in the cycle (getting referrals) leads you back to the first (making contacts for new prospects). Your new, happy client or customer will give you the names of other people he feels would benefit from your product or service, and then you have your next lead or prospect to work with.

The seven steps in this chapter are an overview of what you’ll find available in greater detail throughout the rest of this All-in-One. Each step is equally valuable and plays a critical role. Rarely can you skip a step and still make the sale. But if you perform each step properly, it leads you to the next step in a natural, flowing manner — and that leads to sales success.

Step 1: Prospecting for the Next Potential Client or Customer

Prospecting means finding the right potential buyer for what you’re selling. When considering your product or service, ask yourself, Who would benefit most from this? and then look for ways to make contact with those people. Consider these examples:

check.png If the end-user is a corporation, you need to make contacts within corporations. Usually, a purchasing agent is assigned to make buying decisions on behalf of the company, so you need to find a way to get in touch with that person. And if the purchasing agent isn’t the decision maker, keep looking until you find the person who is.

check.png If your end-user is a family with school-age children, you need to go where families are (for example, soccer games, grocery stores, dance classes, the park, and so on). Alternatively, you can acquire a list from a credible source (turn to Book II, Chapter 2 for more information on that strategy) and start contacting those prospects at home.

The following sections provide a very general overview of how to prospect for clients and customers. Head to Book II for more detailed information.

warning_bomb.eps Don’t start prospecting until you have something of value to share with your prospects — something you’re confident is worth their while to investigate and, hopefully, purchase. To determine whether you’re ready to begin any selling cycle, take a few moments to put yourself in the shoes of the other person. Look at the entire situation through the buyer’s eyes. If you were the buyer, what would motivate you to invest your valuable time reading a letter about this product or taking this salesperson’s call? If you can’t come up with solid answers, you may not have enough information about your product to even be selling it in the first place. Or you may not know enough about your potential audience to sell to them. If either is the case, spend some additional time studying both areas until you’re comfortable being in the buyer’s shoes.

Prequalifying your prospect

To make an informed decision about which prospects to approach, you need to find out some information about the people or companies you’ve chosen as possibilities. Do some research about any prospective client company at the local library or online. This legwork is sort of a prequalification step in prospecting. You’ll do even more qualification when you meet a prospective client, but why waste time on an appointment with a company or person who wouldn’t have a need for your offering?

tip.eps Prequalifying your prospects helps you in the same way that market research helps companies determine their target markets. In fact, one of the best places to begin your research in finding the most likely candidates for your product or service is your company’s marketing department. The marketing department has done research during the product development stage to determine what people want in the product or service you sell. Study their results, and you’ll get a handle on where to begin.

Finding — and taking advantage of — a variety of prospecting resources

If your company engages in advertising to promote your products, you’ll likely receive leads (names of people who called or otherwise contacted the company for more information about the product). Treat any client-generated contact like gold! What better person to contact than one who has called you for information first?

Other valuable assets are your friends, relatives, and business acquaintances. Tell them what type of product or service you’re selling. Listen to the ideas and suggestions they come up with. Who knows? One of them just may know people at one of your prospect companies who would be happy to talk with you. If something good is going on, people are always willing to share their stories with others.

Getting through to prospects

tip.eps If you ever face challenges getting through to potential clients, you may need to take a somewhat unusual approach to get their attention or bring about a positive response. Think creatively about how you can catch the prospect’s attention. Here are some ideas:

check.png Enclose a photograph of your warm, smiling, professional self. If your goal is to arrange to meet with these people in their homes, they’ll need to make some sort of connection with you other than seeing your John Hancock on a cover letter.

check.png Enclose a tasteful comic about the situation your potential clients find themselves in without your product or service. Your prospect will recognize the relief or benefit the product provides much sooner.

check.png Add a clever quote or anecdote to the bottom of your cover letter. You can find books that have quotes for nearly any occasion. Check out BrainyQuote (www.brainyquote.com) to find just the right quote online. Taking a few moments to find this kind of attention getter can make your letter stand out from the rest.

check.png Use letters in place of numbers for your telephone number to make it easier to remember. If your telephone number is 344-6279 and your name is Mary, you can use the alphabet on the telephone pad to ask your prospects to call 344-MARY. (If your name is Agamemnon, this approach won’t work for you.) Use PhoneSpell (www.phonespell.org) to find out what your phone number spells.

These ideas may be a bit gimmicky if you’re selling corporate jets, but they can work for salespeople marketing everyday products and services to the average consumer. The idea is to open your creative mind to unusual ways of reaching people and capturing their attention.

remember.eps To ensure that your name gets in front of the prospective client more than once, send a thank-you note the day you make your first contact. Thank-you notes always are read, and if the prospect hasn’t had the time to review your letter and/or brochure when she receives your thank-you note, don’t you think she’ll go looking for your name among the stacks of other mail she’s received? You’ll have made a positive first impression that will very likely bring you closer to getting an appointment.

Step 2: Making Initial Contact

You’ve found the right people to be your potential buyers. Now you actually get to meet them. To persuade another person to give you his valuable time, you need to offer something of value in return. For example, to gain entrance to someone’s home, you may want to offer a free estimate or gift in exchange for his opinion on the demonstration of your product. With a business-to-business appointment, getting an appointment may be a bit easier because you’re often working with a purchasing agent whose job it is to meet with and gather information from people like you. If you offer anything remotely like a product that her company may use, her duty is to investigate what you have to offer.

tip.eps Because your goal is to make agreeing to an appointment as easy as possible, give your prospect two options with regard to dates and times. Say something like, I have an opening on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., or would Wednesday at 3 p.m. be better for you? This makes the prospect look at her calendar and consider the open blocks of time in her schedule. Whereas, if you just say, When can we get together? she’s likely to look at how busy she is and hesitate to commit.

When you get a commitment, confirm all the details, such as the following:

check.png Where the meeting will take place: Get directions if you haven’t been there before. Sure, you may be able to get directions from an online map site or by using a GPS device, but only the people who drive there every day will think to tell you whether the street in front of the prospect’s home or building is under construction and you have to take an unusual route.

check.png Who will be present: If you sell products to consumers and you know you need to have the agreement of both spouses, for example, confirm that they’ll both be present. If you’re talking with a young, single person, he may decide to have a parent or other adult present to help him make his decision.

check.png Any necessary login information, such as access codes and passwords: If you meet via phone, video, or web conferencing, be sure all attendees have the correct phone number or web address and any necessary login information (such as an access code or password). Also, be sure to confirm the time zone for the meeting.

When you visit with a potential client, be sure to appear at ease so your prospect is comfortable with you. After all, the number-one need of people is the need to be comfortable. If you’re uncomfortable, chances are, unless you’re a really good actor, your discomfort will show, and it may make your prospect uncomfortable, too.

remember.eps Overcoming any tension at this point in the selling cycle is very important because if you don’t get past the tension, you can end up turning a potential win-win situation into a lose-lose one. You won’t make the sale, and the potential client will miss out on having your talents and fantastic product to benefit from. So, what can you do to avoid or break any tension? Consider the following guidelines:

check.png Consider how you look to your prospect. This item appears first on this list because it’s so important. We all know the old saying You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When in doubt about what to wear to an appointment, err on the side of conservatism. Your goal is to be dressed like someone your potential client turns to for advice. So, if you’re selling farm equipment, pass on the business suit; jeans or khaki slacks and boots may be perfectly appropriate. If, on the other hand, you’re selling to a corporation, you’ll want to choose more formal attire.

You want to look your best, but remember to be comfortable. If your new shoes are too tight or they squeak, you’ll be conscious of that fact, and you won’t be able to put all your concentration into the visit.

warning_bomb.eps In a prospective client’s mind, any shabbiness in your appearance translates into shabbiness in work habits or a lesser-quality product or service.

check.png Think twice before you wear your favorite cologne or perfume. Subtlety is the motto here. You never know if you’ll meet someone who is allergic to your added scents. If the potential client opens the window, goes into a sneezing frenzy, or just plain keels over, you went a bit heavy on the fragrance — and you probably lost the sale.

check.png Avoid distracting jewelry. If your jewelry is attractive, that’s great. But if it could be considered distracting, like a diamond tiara, that’s bad. You don’t want to be remembered as that person with the humongous earrings or the gold chains. You want your prospect to remember your competence and professionalism.

check.png Avoid distracting backgrounds. If you’re video-conferencing, examine the background of your office environment and get rid of any items that may be distracting or cause the participants to question your professionalism. Similarly, if your office is in your home, eliminate disruptions from pets, children, and so on.

remember.eps check.png Be prepared to shake hands, make eye contact, and build rapport. After all, this is a business situation, and building rapport is the getting-to-know-you stage that comes with any new contact. You must immediately begin building trust. People buy from people they like and trust. You want your prospects to feel your trustworthiness as early as possible during the initial contact.

See Book III, Chapter 1 for more details on getting an appointment and putting prospects at ease.

Step 3: Qualifying Prospective Clients or Customers

When you finally sit down with your prospect, you need to find out whether she’s qualified to be your client. In selling, qualifying your prospects means finding out not just who they are but also what they do, what they have, and what they need in order to confirm that your product or service is a good fit for them and they have the resources to invest in it.

remember.eps You don’t have to take on every client who qualifies for your product or service. If Mr. Big Bucks could become your biggest client, you’ll likely be investing a large amount of your time with him. If you can’t stand the guy after your first meeting, consider how well you’ll really serve his needs and whether someone else may be better suited to the potential stress this client could cause you.

If you’ve done your homework and looked up information about the prospect, you’ll know what questions to ask. You’ll eventually have to know a lot of information about the prospect, providing you get the account, so if you’re truly convinced that this is a good match for you, you may as well ask questions now. The more specific your questions, the more impressed your potential client will be with your expertise. Asking pertinent questions shows that you’re interested in more than just a closed sale and that you’re looking into the future as a valued business partner with your client.

remember.eps Your prospects will be qualifying you, too. So, be aware of what you’re showing them. Most clients are looking for people who are dependable, loyal, trustworthy, intelligent, competent, and even a little fun. Do your prospects see that when they look at you? If you need to communicate a trait that’s difficult to see, short of wearing your scout uniform, figure out how you can bring those images to mind in the answers you give to their questions and the information you offer in your discussion of their needs.

The goal of your qualification discussion is to determine how well suited your product or service is to their situation — whether they can afford it and who the real final decision makers are. Ask questions to get them talking about what they have now, how it’s not fulfilling their current needs, and how much of a budget they have for making an improvement. These questions are the same whether you’re selling to a business or an individual consumer. (Flip to Book III for the full scoop on the qualification process.)

Step 4: Winning Over Prospects with Your Presentation

Your presentation of your product, service, or idea requires the most preparation. In your preparation, practice your answers to common questions with a family member or fellow salesperson. Make a list of the benefits you think are your strongest persuaders in placing your product. Then figure out a way to work those points into responses to the common questions that potential clients ask.

For example, suppose you’re selling a brand-new service where busy people can dial up a number to hear all of this week’s grocery sale items at their favorite store. Then they can speak into the phone the quantity they’d like of each item (whether on sale or not) and have the items delivered to their homes. Because the service is new, you don’t have a track record of success to brag about. So here’s where you may start:

PROSPECT: Well, it sounds like a good idea, but how can I be sure I’ll get the items I ask for? I’d hate to be a guinea pig and end up having to do my shopping anyway because it didn’t work out.

SALESPERSON: Because this is a new service, we’re paying special attention to the orders that come in. In fact, we have two people who listen to the recording of each call to confirm that your verbal request is what shows up on our shopping list. One of them will even give you a quick call to let you know that your list was received in good order, ask whether you’d like to add anything else, and arrange the best delivery time for you.

The real issue is not that the service is new but that the client doesn’t feel he would have the time to shop if the service didn’t end up working out. By showing that you have backup systems in place to ensure that the order is handled properly, you’ve answered the quality-control question that triggered the prospect’s guinea pig reference.

remember.eps Your clients buy more than your product — they buy you. To demonstrate personal dependability and trustworthiness, tell the prospective client an anecdote from another client situation or even from an outside activity of yours. For example, if you were an Eagle Scout as a kid, that says a lot about you, doesn’t it? Even if you didn’t make Eagle Scout but were active in scouting for a number of years, that fact presents a positive image, one that says you stick to things and honor your commitments. Find a way to bring up those kinds of activities.

anecdote_rremploy.eps Amazing things can happen during the rapport-establishing phase of a meeting. Consider the story of the salesperson who, during an initial meeting, noticed a small golf figurine on the prospective client’s desk. She asked whether the decision maker liked to play golf — a fairly general and safe question. The guy gave her a brief answer that didn’t carry the conversation too far in that direction. Then she remembered a brand-new type of golf club that her husband had talked about. She asked her prospect whether he had ever heard of these new clubs and briefly explained why she was asking: Because her husband was so crazy about them, she wanted to get him a set for his upcoming birthday. It just so happened that the prospect’s son was a co-founder of the company that developed and marketed those particular clubs. Suddenly, this prospective client was very interested in hearing the salesperson’s husband’s thoughts on the clubs, and a deeper level of rapport was established.

Check out Book III, Chapter 3 for additional pointers on making winning presentations.

Step 5: Addressing Prospective Client or Customer Concerns

How do you handle any negative comments or concerns your prospect may raise during or after your presentation? Answer in simple, unemotional terms and have recommendations in mind. For example, if your product is available only in certain colors, and none of them quite fits the décor of your prospect’s office, be prepared to point out the least offensive color as being somewhat complementary to his décor. In fact, when you get around to discussing the colors, suggest something like this: Based on your color scheme, the Sunrise Blue would best complement your décor. That way, you’ve already seen and addressed the objection before the prospect brought it up.

warning_bomb.eps If you sidestep obstacles during your presentation, there’s a good chance they’ll come back to haunt you if you do get the sale. Find a way to bring up and elaborate on any concerns about fulfilling the needs of the buyer as early in the presentation as is appropriate. Don’t let unfulfilled expectations bring your potential for a long-term relationship with a prospect to a bitter end. Cover all her concerns and make sure that she understands how those concerns will be handled — and that she’s comfortable with it.

The most common concern you’ll encounter in your entire selling career is the good old standby stall: I want to think it over. When someone says he wants to think it over, that means he’s interested in owning your product. He wouldn’t waste his time objecting if he had no interest in it at all, would he? And if he’s interested, you need to strike while the iron is hot. Find out exactly what he wants to think over. Sometimes, he needs a little more information or some clarification of the finer points of your presentation.

In the majority of cases, however, you’ll find that the client is stalling because of the money. Surprise, surprise! Everyone wants a bargain. Unless your product or service is severely underpriced, most of your potential clients will want to negotiate or will hesitate just to see whether you’ll offer to include something else to get them to buy. This and other aspects of addressing client concerns are covered in more detail in Book III, Chapter 4.

Step 6: Closing the Sale

If you’ve researched your prospect properly, given yourself enough valuable preparation time, and handled all the previous steps in a professional manner, you’ll likely close the sale. Closing should follow naturally and smoothly after you address your prospect’s concerns. But if your prospect doesn’t automatically pick up a pen to approve your paperwork or write a check, don’t panic. You don’t have to turn into Joe Typical Salesperson and apply pressure to get what you want. Getting your prospect’s business can be as simple as saying, How soon do we start? At this point, if you’re confident about being able to give her what she needs, you should begin taking verbal ownership of your future business relationship with assumptive statements and questions.

You also may want to use analogies, quotes from famous people, or today’s news to persuade people to go ahead and do it today. Use similar-situation stories about other clients who got involved with your product or service and are happy they did. Be prepared to show the potential client how she can afford this product or service if that’s her area of hesitation. Often, that’s just a matter of doing the math to show her how affordable the item is compared to the benefits she’ll receive.

When it comes time to close, you’ve hopefully reduced any sales resistance the person had early on and increased her level of sales acceptance so that it’s just a matter of agreeing on the details of startup or delivery dates and/or financing arrangements. You can find many methods of getting that final agreement in Book IV.

Step 7: Getting Referrals

After you close the sale, take a moment to ask for referrals. Getting referrals can be as simple as asking, Because you’re so happy with this decision today, would you mind if I ask you for the names of other people you know who also may be interested in learning about this product? If the client has mentioned other family members in the area, ask, Who in your family would also enjoy the benefits of our fine lawn service? or, Which of your neighbors takes the most pride in his yard?

In a corporate situation, ask about other departments within the company that may need your same service. Then ask about other office locations that the same company has. Finally, ask about associates of the purchasing agent who may work at noncompeting companies.

tip.eps When you’re given the name or contact information of a new potential client, always ask for an introduction to the new party — by phone or in person. If the client seems uncomfortable with doing that, at least get a quick letter of introduction that you may use when you contact the person.

If for some reason you and the prospective client find that this isn’t the best time to go forward with the sale, instead of just walking out the door and saying goodbye, make the contact a part of your network of people who can help you find more people who may benefit from your product or service. For example, another department in your prospect’s company may have people who could benefit from your product or service. Or the prospect may know of other companies needing your product. Don’t ever just walk away from an opportunity to network.

tip.eps Immediately upon leaving the premises, drop a thank-you note in the mail to the person. This note guarantees that your discussion stays fresh in his mind for at least a few days. During that time, the right lead for you may come his way, and if you’ve left a good impression with your thank-you note, he’ll be more likely to give you the referral.

Turn to Book IV, Chapter 8 for additional information on getting referrals.

Chapter 2

Understanding and Connecting with Potential Clients

In This Chapter

arrow Gaining the information you need about your potential customers

arrow Responding effectively to your clients’ personalities, backgrounds, and cultures

arrow Using language that lets you connect with prospective clients

arrow Listening your way to successful interactions

Now’s the time to jettison any inclination you may have to follow the old adages Ignorance is bliss and What you don’t know can’t hurt you. Although these maxims may have made sense in people’s personal lives during simpler times, they have never been sage advice for people who were trying to sell or persuade others. In fact, the loss of sales and the personal career damage caused by ignorance can be so disastrous that some people give up on selling altogether. Fortunately, this trap is easy enough to avoid. In the world of selling, preparation is key.

In this chapter, we provide strategies that help you learn what you need to know about your clients and customers so that you can serve them better. Of course, learning as much as you can about the product you’re selling is just as important; head to the next chapter (Book I, Chapter 3) for more information on that.

Getting to Know Your Clients

You research your prospective clients and their businesses so that, at the moment of truth — when you’re giving a presentation or getting ready to close the sale — you aren’t tripped up by lack of knowledge. The purpose of all your research is to prepare for that final moment when your prospect has to make a decision to okay your product and start building a long-term relationship with you — or not.

Suppose, for example, that you sell air-treatment systems to homes and businesses. By learning about the unique needs of each of your prospective clients, you can tailor your conversations to highlight that potential customer’s needs and demonstrate how your product can meet them.

Imagine that, in the course of your research, you discover the following bits of information about one of your potential business customers:

check.png The company must manufacture its products according to exacting standards. With this info, you know that the company must have a high level of concern for cleanliness and precision. And your air-treatment system can help the company get there.

check.png The company is growing, but it hasn’t expanded its work site. In this case, you can probably count on the fact that the company’s employees are working in close proximity to one another. And the closer the proximity, the greater the likelihood that germs can be spread rapidly from one employee to the next. No employer can afford to have its people taking a lot of sick time, so your air-treatment system can help.

check.png The company’s financial reports show solid growth and explosive future plans. With this information, you know that the company is poised for change and probably open to new ideas. Show the company that your air-treatment system is state of the art and expandable, and you’ll be more likely to get its interest.

As this example illustrates, researching a potential client or customer not only gives you myriad opportunities to show how your product or service can meet a multitude of the customer’s needs, but it also reinforces your own standing as a competent, knowledgeable professional worth building a relationship with.

remember.eps The same principle that you use when you sell to businesses applies when you sell to individuals or families: The more you know about their background, the better. People will warm up to you faster when you talk about their hobbies, jobs, and kids than they will if you know nothing other than their addresses and phone numbers. Using the preceding scenario — you sell air-treatment systems — if you know that one of their children has allergies or asthma (information you gleaned through a survey-type phone call or purchased through a list broker — see the section Getting information about individuals or families, later in this chapter), you can use that knowledge in your arsenal of benefits when you present your product.

To be successful at selling, you must be constantly on the prowl for information. What type of information? Everything and anything about your product, your company, your competition, and, most important, your prospect. And with the Internet just a mouse click away, you really have no excuse for not being well informed. An abundance of information is available, quite literally, at your fingertips. All you need is the commitment to locate and internalize it. The following sections offer advice on where to look to find the information you need.

Gathering information

The most important thing to remember when you’re selling is the benefit of being able to walk in someone else’s shoes. You can’t be of any help to a prospective client with what you’re offering him until you truly understand what he needs and where he’s coming from.

So, where do you begin in your quest to walk in your prospects’ shoes? Not at the shoe store. Instead, you need to do some basic research into your prospective clients and their goals. The following sections tell you how.

Getting info about businesses

tip.eps A lot of information is available about potential business clients. You just have to know where to look. Start by following these tips:

check.png Gather as much literature and other information as possible on a company before approaching it with your offering. You want to be as prepared as possible before you make that first approach; that way, you’re starting off on the right foot from the very beginning.

check.png Visit the business’s website. Pay particular attention to the business’s online product catalog (if one is available) and look for press releases so that you’re up to date on the most recent news related to the business. Look for an About Us link on the website; the information you find here often gives valuable insight into the management team and their backgrounds. And who knows? You may find out that you know someone who works at that company or you know someone who knows someone there. You also can find valuable info by clicking the Contact Us link (such as the location of the company headquarters, the number of offices, and so on) or the Media Relations or Public Relations link (such as annual reports, mission statements, and future plans).

check.png Get copies of the company’s product brochures and/or catalogs. Talk with one of the company’s customer-service representatives about what the company offers. Remember: Being familiar with the products that your prospective client sells enables you to better sell her your product.

check.png Go to the library or surf the web and look up past news articles on the business or its industry. Being familiar with what’s been happening in the industry in the past few months lets you work that information into your conversations with the people you’ll be contacting. Being able to converse competently about the customer’s industry gives the prospect the sense that you’re knowledgeable not only about her industry but also about your own products. And that’s exactly the impression you want to make.

check.png Check out the business’s financial report, if it’s available. Get the names of the company president and other key people, and find out how to pronounce and spell their names. For the pronunciation, simply call the company and ask the receptionist for that information. Pronouncing names correctly is vital to making a good first impression (see the section Getting names right, later in this chapter, for more information).

Getting information about individuals or families

If your prospective clients are individuals or families, you need to gather information in a less formal manner. If you’re learning about someone by referral, ask as many questions about the potential customer as you can without seeming overzealous or intrusive. You can certainly ask for his contact information, where he lives, how the referrer knows him (through their kids’ school, church, another social venue, and so on), and what brought him to mind. It could very well be that the last time they spoke, the subject of getting a new car or having the house painted came up.

You also can use a list broker. List brokers often have enough information about a potential client that you can find out what types of pets she has, which cleaning products she purchases, and whether she makes a lot of long-distance phone calls. How do these brokers get this information? Think about it. Have you ever filled out a survey about the products you use in order to receive free grocery coupons? Do you send in for rebates on products? The companies that ask for that information don’t just send your coupons or rebates and toss your reply card. They store that valuable purchasing information about you in their databases for future reference.

tip.eps Finding a good list broker may take a fair amount of legwork. Getting a referral from someone in a noncompeting business would be great. But if you don’t know anyone who’s used a list broker, start by asking for suggestions from a local quick-print company. These companies, which offer economical printing of postcards and possibly even mailing services, may have clients who’ve had great success with particular list companies.

tip.eps Readily available public sources of personal information include social-networking sites like LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com). And don’t forget to Google the person’s name to find other sources (websites, articles, and so on) in which that name appears.

Considering different personality types

To successfully connect with a prospective customer or client, you need to know a little about that person’s style. There are ten basic personality types of buyers; we cover them in the following sections. Identifying the personality type of the person you want to sell to enables you to respond appropriately so that you can work successfully with whomever you encounter.

remember.eps Your delivery style must be flexible enough to relate to all the different personality types. Never settle for having one presentation style. Having only one style severely limits the number of people you can serve.

Note: These personality types are exaggerated for the purpose of example, and they’re not limited to any particular gender; nor do people you meet in the real world fit into boxes quite as neatly.

Buyer #1: Believing Bart

Believing Bart is already sold on your company or brand. He knows just what to expect from your products — and he likes their reliability. He’s easy to work with, and, after you convince him of your personal competence, he’ll remain loyal to you and your product. If he isn’t convinced that you’re competent, Bart won’t hesitate to call your company and request another representative.

To this personality type, don’t short-sell the product or service just because he’s already sold on its quality. You need to exhibit great product knowledge to garner his trust and belief in your ability to meet his needs. Providing dependable service and follow-up helps you close the sale and gain Bart’s repeat business (and referrals from him).

Buyer #2: Freebie Freddie

Freebie Freddie is a real wheeler-dealer, the guy who won’t settle until he thinks he has the upper hand and you’ve agreed to give him something extra. Today’s market is full of these types of buyers. If you give Freddie any extras in order to consummate the sale, he’ll probably brag to and upset others who may not have received the same benefit.

To handle this type, let Freddie know that he’s important and special — that he drives a hard bargain and that you admire his business savvy. If you think Freddie’s business is worth giving something extra to, consult with your manager or the business owner about the best way to handle it. You may not have to give away your company’s back 40 to entice this guy to buy. The enticement can be as simple as providing a little extra TLC (that’s right — tender loving care), such as sending him thank-you notes or making a few extra calls after the sale to let him know how important he is.

Buyer #3: Purchasing Polly

Purchasing Polly is a distant, matter-of-fact type who carries a high level of responsibility. (You’ll find her in business-to-business sales situations.) As with many other purchasing agents, she may have little personal contact throughout the day besides the contact she gets from the salespeople who parade through her office. She can’t risk liking you too much because she may have to replace you with the competition at any time.

When you’re dealing with Purchasing Polly, give a no-fluff presentation. Don’t try to become too familiar. Stick to the facts and figures. She’ll be grading you every step of the way. By being low-key, you’ll be different from the other all-too-typical salespeople she encounters — and she’ll remember you for that. Let her know that you understand how important and challenging her position can be. Send her thank-you notes. Present all figures to Polly in the most professional manner possible. And do everything in writing; she needs the certainty of documentation in case she needs to present it or defend her purchase to upper management.

Buyer #4: Evasive Ed

Evasive Ed is your most challenging buyer. He refuses to return your phone calls, postpones appointments or reschedules at the last minute, likes to shop around and keep you waiting in the meantime, and tests your patience at every turn.

If you’ve found yourself up against an Evasive Ed, enlist the aid of his secretary or support staff. (If you have an Evasive Ed in a consumer sales situation, enlist the aid of his spouse or another family member who knows him well.) They may be able to tell you how to get and keep his business. If they tell you that’s just the way he is, you’ll need to work on creating urgency in your presentations so he’ll see the benefit of making a decision quickly and, just as important, what he’ll lose if he doesn’t make the decision. A good example of this would be a special reduced investment or closeout on a product where you can offer it only for a short period of time or on a first-come, first-served basis.

Buyer #5: Griping Greg

Griping Greg always has something to complain about or something negative to say. The most important thing you can do for the Gregs of the world is listen and be empathetic. (Maybe he can’t afford a therapist, and you’re the next best thing.) To limit your exposure to Greg’s negativity, call him a few minutes before his normal lunch hour or just before the end of the day, so he won’t want to talk long. If he calls you at other times and begins to cost you valuable selling time, find polite ways to get off the line.

warning_bomb.eps If you’re dealing with a Griping Greg, you have to decide whether the income his business generates for you is worth all the energy he’ll steal from you. If his business is not one of your bread-and-butter accounts, you may want to consider finding other clients who don’t take so much out of you. Remember: No client is worth risking your mental and physical health for.

tip.eps Stay pleasant and helpful; after all, that’s why Greg gives you his business. If Greg gets to be too much to handle, the easiest and least costly thing to do may be to refer him to someone else in your organization. The person receiving this new client may not be as strongly affected by Greg’s personality and may be able to get along with him just fine.

Buyer #6: Analytical Anna

Analytical Anna knows exactly what she wants — and she wants it written in blood or at least carved in stone. She nitpicks everything and needs to feel as if she has complete control.

Disorder in any form shatters Anna’s day, so don’t be a source of disorder for Anna if you want to get and keep her business. When you’re dealing with Analytical Anna, be very organized. She appreciates — nay, she craves — organization. Handle every detail in writing. Be punctual. Double-check everything — and let her see that you do. When she knows she can depend on you, she’ll do just that. Confirm appointments and always reconfirm details of your meetings with her in writing. Fax or e-mail a recap to Anna of every meeting you have with her. Also, contact her ahead of every meeting to let her know what information you need for your next appointment. In other words, treat her as she treats others. We all want to be around people who are just like us.

Buyer #7: Domineering Donna

Donna is a strong-willed ball of fire who most likely has designs on a more powerful position in the company. She often hides her needs because she expects that you’ve already done your homework and you know her needs. Domineering Donnas also appear in consumer and retail sales (for example, as a spouse who wants to be sure you know she has a major say in the purchase).

In talking to Donna, perhaps the most important thing you can do is to compliment her on her importance and remind her of the value of her abilities to her company. She likely bowls others over with her ambition for power — and most people try to avoid working with people who dominate like this. But you don’t have that option. Besides, Donna can become a positive force for you if you have challenges with billing or want to sell your product to another department or branch of her company. If Donna believes in you and your product, she’ll be your best supporter.

Buyer #8: Controlling Carl

For Controlling Carl, it’s his way or the highway. He’s a self-proclaimed expert, even though his expertise may be limited to his own company. He’s also poor at delegating authority. Carl wants everyone and everything to be reported to him. He also may be rude and interrupt your presentation while he takes calls or gives directions to his subordinates.

When dealing with a Controlling Carl, be extremely polite, prepared, and concise. By all means, don’t make any assumptions. Let him know that you value his time. If the interruptions become too distracting, offer to reschedule your meeting off the premises (choose a neutral location) — for, say, a lunch appointment — so that you can have Carl’s undivided attention. Or you can simply enlist the aid of Carl’s secretary or assistant in keeping interruptions to a minimum during your appointment. Unless Carl has a rule carved in granite that he takes all calls and sees all visitors, you’re likely to get the assistance you want just by making a polite request.

You may encounter Carl in a consumer setting as well. He’s the guy who asks you a question and then takes a call on his cellphone before you can engage him in conversation. Be agreeable with him and say things like This will only take a minute or Let me take you directly to that product. This strategy lets him know that you’re cognizant of how valuable his time is but keeps you in control of the sale.

Buyer #9: Cynical Cindy

Cynical Cindy is the first to say, "But we’ve always done it this way." She fights change, is suspicious, and questions your every move. She’s very likely part of the old guard where she works — a long-term employee. In consumer sales, Cynical Cindy may be an unwilling spouse or even a child. She has no interest in whatever the other party wants and will do her best to make your job more difficult.

Welcome Cindy’s objections — even compliment her for being smart enough

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