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By now,
you have seen the latest sales figures and you know your team
is falling behind. Not only is your team lagging behind the
rest of the company, the company is losing ground on the rest
of the competition. Maybe it is time to join the 21st Century.
The prevailing sales model these days is all about consultative
sales – the idea of asking your customer what he needs
and wants before ever bringing up the products and services
you have to sell. We offer a wide variety of Sales
Training workshops that can help you, your team, and your
company get into a 21st Century groove. We can even customize
an organization sales training program and conduct at your
location and at your convenience. That is the way we do things
in the 21st Century.
Psst!
Think you know everything about sales? Here's the inside scoop
on mastering one of the most important skills you'll ever
need.
Selling is perhaps the greatest skill
of all time. The ability to persuade, communicate and influence has been the
basis of personal and financial success throughout the ages. Learning to sell
well, therefore, will open doors for you and your sales team, and will make
it possible for your business to succeed.
Steps to Sales Success
Thousands of articles and
books have been written on selling, and almost every one of them contains one
or more nuggets of wisdom. Some are classics that convey ideas, techniques and
strategies that salespeople can use in almost any market. Nonetheless, there
are three steps to sales success that have stood the test of time: prospecting,
presenting and closing. They form the three points of the "iron triangle"
of selling.
To prospect effectively, you and
your sales team must first clearly determine what it is your company is selling.
Most people only define their product or service in terms of its qualities,
characteristics, features and the way it is produced, distributed and delivered
to the customer.
However, the most important part
of your product description is what the product does for your customer. People
don't buy products or services; they buy the results (or "benefits")
they expect to experience by using your product or service. You must therefore
determine what your product or service really does for your customers. Find
out what makes your product superior to other products or services. Only then
are you ready to tackle the three key steps to sales success:
1. Prospecting: Of all the prospects
in your market, which can benefit most from what your product does better than
the competition? The rule is that although there are many prospects, they aren't
all your prospects. You must be specific about which prospects you can sell
your most important benefits to the most effectively.
Expert Advice You Can Use
Need tips that'll bring your sales and marketing efforts to the next level?
Visit our Expert Center.
2. Presenting: The ability to design and give a good sales presentation will
determine your success as much as any other factor. Based on more than 30 years
of experience, I can say every sales presentation could use some improvement.
A good presentation shows prospects
that your product or service is the best choice for them. After highlighting
a feature of your product or service that's relevant to the customer, ask a
question to invite feedback, such as "Is this something you would use in
your situation?"
If you've given a good presentation,
the prospect should fully understand the offering and be ready to make a buying
decision. If you don't get this reaction at the end of your presentation, rework
your presentation until it is so overwhelmingly conclusive that the sale almost
falls into your hand at the end.
3. Closing: It is absolutely amazing
how many sales are lost because the salesperson fails to follow up and ask for
the order at the end of the sales conversation. The best way to close a sale
is to set up the closing question with the words "Do you have any questions
or concerns that I haven't covered so far?"
If the prospect says no, you can
then ask for the sale: "Well, then, why don't you give it a try?"
If the prospect is unsure, say "I really think this would be ideal for
you, based on what you've told me. Why don't you give it a try?" You will
be amazed at how many people are on the verge of buying and simply need an invitation.
The iron triangle of selling has
always been the same: prospecting, presenting and closing. Rate yourself on
a scale of 1 to 10 in each of these areas, with 10 being highest. If you score
below a 7 in any area, that is what's holding you back more than any other factor.
By Brian Tracy
"Organization Sales Training - Know the Steps to Successful
Sales"
Sales
Training Quote
"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do. "
Henry Ford
Suggested Reading:
The sales
manager as a trainer
by National Society of Sales Training Executives
Sales
Training Basics (Crisp Fifty-Minute Series)
by Elwood N. Chapman
Trade Show
Survival Guide : A Tongue-In-Cheek Sales Handbook : Training
Made Fun
by Matt Hill
Sales
Training Handbook: A Guide to Developing Sale Performance
by Robert Craig, Leslie Kelly
Sales Training
Activities: For Sales
Mangers and Trainers
by Graham Roberts-Phelps
Pharmaceutical
selling, "detailing," and sales training
by Arthur F Peterson
Advanced
Sales Survival Training
by Tom Hopkins, Hopkins Tom
Fifty Activities
for Sales Training
by Philip Faris
Successful
Sales Training: How to Build a Program That Works
by Ian E McLaughlin
High-Performance
Sales Training: 64 Interactive Projects
by Lee Boyan, Rosalind Enright
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