Try not to jump to early conclusions

In a sales training class I heard the following story...I think it is worth sharing.

The sales training instructor said..."the other day my wife told me I needed to get glasses". So he asked the sales training students..."what do you think I should do next". One student said...have your eyes checked professionally. Another said...go the the optometrist for a check up. And one by one...every student agreed that was a reasonable course of action...no one had any better ideas.

The instructor then related this story. My wife and I went on a vacation to California last month. We went to Northern California's wine country and enjoyed a few wine tastings. We decided on several types to purchase and had a few cases shipped to our home. Several weeks later my wife and I were in our kitchen and decided we would have some friends over to share the wine we purchased. I opened up the kitchen cabinet and found only two wine glasses. I asked my wife if that is all we had. She said, "yes...I think you need to get glasses".

The sales lesson here is...not to jump to conclusions about what a prospect needs. But instead, to ask some detailed questions...and get a better understanding of the prospect's true needs.

Excellent Selling!

Getting to the core benefit statements

This one is simple but requires some thought. When you make a statement about what a product can do...ask yourself...this question..."Which means what?" And when you answer that question...follow it up again with the question..."Which means what?" Eventually you will get to a core benefit statement. Here is an example. Let's say that when a call comes in...a system can ring your office phone and your cell phone simultaneously. Which means what? Which means you can be found at either device. Which means what? Which means that you won't miss calls while you are away from the office. Which means what? Which means (to a salesperson) that they won't miss a call from a prospect. "Which means what?" Which means that while a salesperson is on the road they will be able to communicate with prospects. "Which means what?" Which means that the salesperson will sell more. Which means what? Which means that the company's sales revenue will be increased. Ah..ha...we have a benefit statement. "Mr. Owner...the feature (I am about to demonstrate for you) will increase your company's sales revenue because (while they are on the road) sales people will not miss important calls from prospects!" Excellent Selling!

Cold Calling and Earning the Right

Cold calling is difficult for some people. What I do to make this part of the sales process easier (and build my confidence) is do some work. It is called "earning the right"...and part of every sales process. I ask myself what I have done...for each prospect...that has earned me the right to sell to them? It could be that I spent days learning my product...or spent days learning how to demonstrate the product...or sold a system to a prospect with similar problems...the list goes on and on. I like knowing that because of my hard work...I have earned the right to help them. Excellent Selling!

The best presentation I never gave

I participated in a sales call as a sales engineer along with a sales person. The sales person needed assistance understanding the prospect's requirements. After introductions we sat in the conference room at the prospect's location. The sales person asked the prospect some open ended questions about their business and the prospect responded with details about their business environment. I took notes. This went on for about 30 minutes. I did not say one word. I just took notes. Then the sales person turned to me and said...what do you think? I sort of felt remiss in not participating in the dialog more...but proceeded to describe what I saw as the problems that the prospect had and...because I had taken detailed notes...I was able to design solutions to the problems and articulate them. I would say I spoke for less than two minutes. The prospect gave the sales person thumbs up and the sale proceeded to the next step. We got up and headed for the door and the prospect stopped...shook my hand and said "That was the best presentation I have ever seen!". I thanked him and headed for the elevator. On the ride down...I reflected on what had just happened...and realized how important listening is in communicating effectively. Give it a try. Excellent Selling!

Drawing a mental picture

While I was setting up a sales demo in the basement of a bank I noticed a crate off to one side. I asked the receptionist that guided me to the room...what was in the crate and she said an automated teller machine. I thought about the fact that I would shortly be presenting a complicated phone system with voice mail and other applications...and that if I described these in technical terms...it would likely make their eyes roll back in their heads. I thought about the fact that they have likely already seen other products and might see more. I really wanted to stand out and capture their attention. I wanted to draw a "mental picture" for them they could relate to. When all the bankers showed up...I could see...from their body language that they had little patience and really did not want to be there. I was introduced as the factory expert...and said "Thank you for attending this presentation...I would like to start by showing you the telecommunications equivalent of an automated teller. It is called an automated attendant and it allows customers that know what they want...get it without human involvement. They all sat up...moved to the edge of their chairs and absorbed the rest of what I had to say...all because I drew a mental picture they could relate to. Give it a try. Excellent Selling!

Buzz words...NOT

Giving a feature a name is common practice in the telecom business. Sometimes the name gets so technical and long it is referred to in a abbreviated way (VoIP, SIP, PRI...etc.). When communicating with prospects there is a tendency to use these technical names and acronyms and feel like you are communicating effectively. Instead...you may be losing them! Rather than focusing on what something is called...try focusing on the benefits in simple and clear language. I once did a presentation to a prospect and discussed for five minutes their business needs and the product's ability to handle those needs in a specific area. When I finished the prospect said "that's fantastic!...what is that called?". That is when I knew I had done a good job. I never called the feature by its name. A side benefit to this presentation delivery is that if the prospect does not know the name of a feature...he/she will have a hard time finding it somewhere else. Which is good since another vendor's feature (even with the same name) may not fit the application and deliver the benefits as well as your product. Excellent Selling!

No Product is Right for Everyone

As hard as designers try to make products flexible enough to handle many application needs...sometimes the fit is just not right. So should you walk away from the deal? No. You should try to search out for technical expertise to make sure that you have fully explored the limits of the product...and with that information, try to modify the application needs by attempting to reset the prospect's expectations. In resetting the prospect's expectations you often will uncover new benefits and justifications (actually given to you by the prospect). Your efforts will be rewarded by more successful sales and happy customers. If, after you have tried to fit the product to the prospect...and the prospect to the product...you still do not have a good fit...you need to walk away...and go so far as to recommend where the prospect can go to get the solution they need. This might not gain you this sale immediately...but doing what is right for the prospect is ultimately the right thing to do. Excellent Selling!

"Magic words" when delivering a benefit statement to a prospect.

Here are some magic words to use when delivering benefit statements to prospects (business owners). Revenue, Image, Productivity, Efficiency, Safety, Security and Stability.
Acronym to remember them is RIPES. They will get the attention of business owners.