The following keys will unlock the power in selling of every person involved in sales:
- Innovation-This is the spirit to test new ideas, new techniques. In salesmanship, it is the new ways of creating interest, new ways to win the confidence of the buyers.
- Smile at obstacles-Cultivate the attitude of “damn the torpedoes” and push head onto the charted course. Obstacles can be the key to generating sales power. Accept obstacles as challenges that may lead to other opportunities.
- Ignore the No-No Forces-Sales people encounter those “joy killing no-no” influences in any field of selling. When negative forces defy, develop the art of ignoring them. When a prospect growls no to suggestion, do not wilt. Try to pick-up the challenge. Crush the negative forces when sales ability is being tested.
- Exploit the positive-Capitalize on positive angles. Demonstrate to the prospect how he stands to go in buying what is being sold. Present the evidence.
- Make objections pay-off-Objections may provide a blueprint for closing a sale. Objections often reverse the prospect’s thinking. Permit objections to be an stimulant to be able to innovate. Welcome objections. Keep an open mind. Think about selling not losing the sales.
- Set high goals-Every salesperson have a very definite income objective. They believe in setting up definite goals. They make attainable goals, yet they make them high enough to be exciting. They work hard with confidence. They build sales volume by targeting a high and higher goals. They place their goals on the escalator and go after them.
- Ban excuses-Excuses for losing a sale are escape hatches. Keep them closed. Dig to uncover reasons why a sale was lost. Only by doing this a sales person can gain by a lost sale.
- Be fearless-Only fearful salesperson contemplate sales loses. Concentrate on closing the sales not on losing them. Obstacles will arise but this should not be an excuse to give up.
- Do self evaluation- Many problem solvers do this to generate sales power after doing self-evaluation.
Whatever product is sold, there is objection every salesperson is certain to encounter from time to time, the price of the product.
How to cope with the challenge can make a great deal of difference in the volume of products sold and more importantly, the profitability of the business.
There are guidelines or tips designed as to how to meet price resistance head –on and come up winning the sales.
- Believe that the price of the product is right. Apart from selling oneself first, a salesperson must totally believe and be convinced that the product being sold is outstanding and one of the best in the industry..
- Make sure the buyer’s real objection is price. The buyer might be citing high price as a disguise to some other objections which the salesperson failed to highlight in his presentation. This could mean not being able to explain the major features and benefits of the products.
- Sell the product and some add-ons. Do not sell the product alone but everything that goes with it i.e. company support and services.
- Highlight the dangers of false economy. The attraction of supposedly low-cost products could be more costly when the product bought is of inferior quality that would need untimely replacement.
- Sell more aggressively during uncertain times. Slump periods offer the salesperson special opportunities that don’t exist at other time of year. When the business is slow, there is more time to prepare for presentation and tailor it to the customer’s special concerns and needs.
The salesperson who combats resistance most effectively is the one who will sell more successfully.
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To a certain extent, a number of sales people have the tendency to be complacent to their jobs brought about by varied reasons i.e. too long in the position, not promotable, absenteeism, tardiness, etc. Not all can be motivated despite the company’s effort through their superiors.
When this situation happens, as superiors, it is better to give-up on the individuals than to be blamed later on.
There are distinct types of salespeople who resist motivation and all are incurable:
- Those with limited field of interest. A salesperson may like meeting with customers, but usually reluctant to do daily, weekly field reports. No matter what effort impressed and required from this individual in order to increase productivity in the low-interest areas of the job will encounter difficulty.
- Low-performing individuals. These are people who do only the minimum amount of work necessary to keep their jobs signaling that they don’t care much about work. Most likely they have other plans or interest outside work and just put in their time and collect their paychecks. Don’t expect them to do any better.
- The inhibitors. These are the people with inhibited feelings and do not care about their work anymore. Psychology won’t work on them because no one can ever find the right button to press.
- Those that are on the firing line. If a highly unproductive salesperson fails to respond to warnings of termination, stop wasting time. It’s about time to look for a better replacement.
There is one thing that seems generally true during period of economic difficulties and the belief that things are really bad. Successful salespeople believe otherwise. They have done and are doing activities during slow periods to maintain and even improve their sales.
- They don’t quit making calls even if it’s quite predictable that no sales will be made. They believe that today’s call may set up tomorrow’s sales.
- They use creative approach instead of the conventional way of doing business. During hard times, other salespeople back-off while the aggressive ones continue to move on.
- They line up advance orders. Contact the right person and find out what are future or pending requirements. Make some pencil pushing to find out how much cost savings may be made for advance orders.
- They are persistent in following-up customers using updated records where buying season or habits are also indicated.
- When things are tough, they work harder.
The following are some principles or ideas that when applied may help cope-up over the down market effectively:
- Be realistic. It helps guard against actual problems and real opportunities. The coming month may not look good, but there are some possibilities that deserve continued effort.
- Keep working at it. When business slow down, it seldom comes to a full stop, unless the salesperson does.
- Take another look at the market field. Spend time exploring the business climate with clients. If it does not result in today’s sale, it will be in the immediate future.
- Be a problem solver. Buying motives of customers change during tough times. There are terribly price-conscious accounts that may still be interested in a good price, but are willing to pay a little more to buy smaller volume or to take advantage of an improved delivery schedule.
- Try new approach. Change new call schedules. Introduce new product or service. Suggest new use for an old product. Offer different terms or arrangement.
- Be available and spend time helping. Substitute a telephone call once in a while for a personal face-to-face visit. When there is an opportunity to help like solving business related problem, explore new opportunity or just by being a sounding board. The time invested with a client will result to signed orders.
- If one work harder and smarter it is always advisable to go “back to basics” in selling.
There is no guarantee that any of the ideas will work, but one thing is sure, not doing them will simply make it worst.
A survey was conducted among hundreds of top performing salespeople from different areas and industry. As a result, here are some of the best ways to get and keep new customers:
- Thorough knowledge of the job and keep up with commitment when something has to be done. A salesperson must know his basic functions and products. Provide prompt solution to customer problem.
- Sell the product/s based on customers’ need, satisfaction and value not on price consideration. A lot of customers buy products based on benefits they get and not primarily on its price.
- Always say “thank you” after booking the orders. Thankfulness is a gesture that can motivate the buyer’s sensibilities to reorder from a grateful salesperson.
- Should there be unavoidable delays in delivery, the customers must be informed properly but give guarantee on immediate action or feedback. Every disappointed customer can be a loss in business.
- Learn to know more about the customer. Any relevant information will be a big help in identifying other needs that may result to expanded business deals.
- Be ready to be a good listener and a good conversationalist by focusing on the interest of the customer for the products or services needed.
- Determine the decision maker and make necessary arrangement for presentation of the business proposal. This will shorten the negotiation process and closing of sale.
- Avoid expressing negative comments about competitors. Instead, focus on the products and be able to compare intelligently its features and benefits.
Happy customers could mean more business, more profits and a lot of monetary benefits and recognition to the sales person.
