Solution Selling 1.

Solution Selling 1

What Are Your Sales Goal?
“To create a customer” - Peter Drucker “To bring our audience and advertisers together” - KOMC/KRZK, Branson, MO “To help people sell more Fords,” -- Lowry Mays, former CEO of Clear Channel Communications What do we sell? We sell customers.

Objectives What are your sales objectives?
To get results for customers To develop new business To retain and increase current business Presell Upsell To increase customer loyalty 6

Strategies What are your sales strategies?
To sell solutions to advertising and marketing problems Complete customer focus To reinforce the value of advertising and of your medium 7

Strategies To create value for your product
To become the preferred supplier To establish, maintain, and improve relationships at all levels of the client and agency (keep agency informed) To provide the best research, information, and advice To be customers’ marketing consultant by providing solutions

Strategies To innovate New packages, new products, new promotions
New creative approaches New technology “The only functions of an enterprise: marketing and innovation.” Peter Drucker

Key Functions What are a salesperson’s key functions?
To position your product to have a differential competitive advantage To manage relationships and build trust To create rapport To empathize To persuade To cooperate To build consensus 8

Key Functions To solve problems To create a sense of urgency
Creativity Get results To create a sense of urgency To communicate effectively up, down, and across Keep your management and coordinator informed From the street, bring back market and competitor knowledge

Old Paradigms Of Selling
AIDA Attention Interest Desire Action Commitment Close Each step used tricks

Old Paradigms * Old tricks don’t work anymore.
Designed in 20s and 30s for one-call, low-cost, unimportant decisions Old selling models don’t work in today’s highly competitive, interactive, sophisticated business environment. * Adapted from Sales Effectiveness Training by Carl Zeiss and Thomas Gordon, Dutton, 1993

Old Paradigms Don’t work because:
Increased competition, increased need for stronger customer loyalty and long-term relationships Increased cost of developing new business Solution selling requires partnering. Solution selling is all about establishing and maintaining relationships and building trust.

Today’s buyers are more sensitive to traditional sales techniques, manipulation, and tricks. Today’s buyers have a multitude of complex alternatives they can buy. They need help making decisions. They will let you help them only if they trust you and our company.

More, stronger competitors provide buyers with more choices – they don’t have to deal with anyone who doesn’t satisfy their needs or they don’t like or they don’t trust.

Today’s sellers are unhappy with the pressure and grind of one-shot sales (Hunters), they prefer long-term relationships (Farmers). Today’s sellers want to get results for clients--more satisfying. Today’s sellers want to be trusted, respected, and not seen as manipulators (old-fashioned sales image).

The New Paradigm The customer is not the opponent--not someone to be overcome or beaten. The customer is a partner who needs: A trusting relationship Problems solved Needs and wants met Concerns addressed A win-win, fair agreement To get started before a competitor does

Solution Selling Is Need-Satisfaction Selling
Relationship Rule: Do unto others as they would have others do unto them. Treat people like THEY want to be treated. Uncover and define problems and needs. Business problems (rational, often ill-defined) Personal needs (emotional, unconscious) Need-satisfaction selling is difficult. Requires emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills. 20

The Needs-Recognition Process
UNOBSERVABLE OBSERVABLE (Unconscious, Semi-conscious) (Conscious) NEEDS and MOTIVATION BEHAVIOR

Needs Recognition Process
Behavior is observable. Behavior is conscious, purposeful -- people behave for a reason. Motivation is unobservable. Motivation is semi-conscious -- people are usually not fully aware of their motivation that drives behavior. Needs are unobservable. Needs are unconscious, deep seated, changing to get satisfaction -- people are unaware of their needs that drive motivation.

Human Needs See List of Human Needs at

Solution Selling Relationship Rule: People like and trust people exactly like themselves. Trust depends on source credibility: Trustworthiness Competence Objectivity Expertise Physically Attractiveness Dynamism Similarity

Features, Advantages, Benefits
Features: What you’ve got. Channels, splash-screens, impressions Advantages: Why what you’ve got is better. Benefits: How what you’ve got solves a problem. Always remember WIIFM The client is asking himself silently to every feature you describe, “What’s In It For Me?” 21

Solution Selling Position features, advantages, and benefits as problem solutions. Position features, advantages, and benefits according to needs (“We’re a safe buy,” e.g.) Business needs Personal needs See List of Human Needs in the workbook.

Benefits Matrix Use a Benefits Matrix to position features, advantages, and benefits according to business and personal needs. See Benefits Matrix at

Solutions Selling Relationship Rule: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The best way to let people know how much you care is to listen.

Effective Listening The single most important skill in personal relationships, selling, negotiating, and managing is listening. You can’t have a successful relationship unless you are firmly committed to listening a majority of the time.

Effective Listening Listening 60% in most relationships -The minimum
80% in some relationships - The maximum If your partner won’t listen at least 20% of the time, it is not a two-way relationship it’s a one-way relationship like in theater, movies, print, broadcasting, or cable -- you are the audience.

Effective Listening The Communication Process
Listening is an essential component of communication. The Communication Process Source Message Channel Receiver Listening Understanding Feedback

Effective Communication
Effective communication requires understanding the elements of the communication process and using them to enhance your communication effectiveness and to power a relationship forward. More effective communication = stronger relationships The goal, destination of a relationship is agreement. Relationships, like car engines, are very complicated.

The Elements of the Communication Process
Communication -The fuel that powers a relationship forward. Trust - The grease and oil that keeps it running smoothly. Listening - The foundation, the road on which the process of communication travels toward agreement.

Effective Communication Depends On:
Source credibility Message strength Channel effectiveness Receiver characteristics Listening effectiveness Responsive feedback

Elements that enhance Source Credibility: Trustworthiness Competence Objectivity Expertise Physical Attractiveness Dynamism Similarity “People like and trust people exactly like themselves.”

Elements that enhance Message Strength: Two-sided argument Ordering effects Primacy and recency KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) USP (Unique Selling Proposition) Focus on benefits

Channel Effectiveness Face-to-face most effective Full, two-way verbal and non-verbal communication with instant feedback Video (film, TV, e.g.) next most effective. Audio (radio, e.g.) next. Video and audio can convey emotion and control emphasis, even though they are one-way. Print least effective unless the message is complex. Can’t convey emotion, one-way.

Receiver Characteristics that affect communication: Intelligence The receiver can understand and evaluate messages. Self-confidence The receiver trusts self to evaluate communication and make an assured decision.

Effective Listening is the foundation on which effective communication rests. You can improve not only your listening effectiveness but also the listening effectiveness of your partner on the road to agreement. The beginning of knowledge, learning, relationships, communication, and conversation is a question -- an open-ended question.

Effective Listening Ask an open-ended question.
Adopt the proper attitude. Optimistic, open, confident, trusting, respecting, non-defensive, and non-judgmental Shut up and listen. Listen actively: nod, use gestures, smile (Responsive Feedback). Concentrate on the speaker.

Effective Listening Do not step on sentences.
Do not respond to negatives, objections, concerns too quickly. If you do, you appear to be defensive. Do not think of a rebuttal. If you continually rebut arguments, you’ll stop getting them and won’t learn anything. If you think of a rebuttal while trying to listen, you can’t receive 100% of the information you hear.

Effective Listening Respect the other side’s statements.
Respect and learn about their view of the world. Listen for themes. Risk averse, conservative, entrepreneurial, needs recognition, affiliation needs, goal oriented, etc. Be very sensitive to emotional cues. Listen in synchronization--don’t mimic.

Effective Listening Concentrate on the speaker (open body language).
Acknowledge, don’t always agree. “Oh,” “Uh-Uh,” “I see,” e.g. Don’t say “Good,” or “You’re right,” -- judgmental. Do not react emotionally. Control your emotions. Listen with authenticity. Be yourself, others can tell when you’re not sincere.

Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication conveys 65% of a message’s meaning. Look for individual body language. No universal body language. Use gestures, space, openness, and your body language to: Give the message you care about and like the other person. Match their style and pace.

Non-Judgmental Listening
People have a deep need for someone to listen to them and understand them. Non-judgmental listening responds to this need. Interpreting and understanding their entire message without imposing your preconceived ideas or opinions on it. Non-judgmental listening is non-defensive listening. Sales Effectiveness Training, Carl Zaiss and Thomas Gordon, Penguin Books, 1993

Listen, understand and accept other people’s perception of the world. Spend time in their shoes. Develop a non-threatening, non-confrontational attitude so people feel secure in opening up, revealing personal information. Offer personal information first and then trade it. Find something you have in common with the other person. Sales Effectiveness Training, Carl Zaiss and Thomas Gordon, Penguin Books, 1993

Vary your responses, otherwise listening becomes a monotonous technique. Show genuine concern and caring. “I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.” Never ask “Why?” No challenges No obvious, manipulating techniques or leading questions: “Have you stopped beating your wife?” e.g.

Objectives: To understand the other person’s needs Often, the other person just needs to talk. To understand another person’s unique perception of their world. Sales Effectiveness Training, Carl Zaiss and Thomas Gordon, Penguin Books, 1993

Listening Roadblocks Denying, minimizing,
Cheering up, reassuring, encouraging Sympathy, indignation, me-tooing, story-telling Advising, teaching Become condescending Sales Effectiveness Training, Carl Zaiss and Thomas Gordon, Penguin Books, 1993

Listening Roadblocks Taking over, rescuing
Analyzing, probing, playing detective Criticizing, moralizing, warning Arguing, defending, counterattacking All of these responses are judgmental. So the point is to shut up and listen and acknowledge unemotionally … like a therapist does. Sales Effectiveness Training, Carl Zaiss and Thomas Gordon, Penguin Books, 1993

Aggressive behavior - “Getting What I Want.” Don’t be aggressive. Assertive behavior - “This Is How I Feel.” Be assertive. Know who you are, what you want, and what you feel and communicate it. Use “I” messages.

Effective Listening: The Four Steps
Listen carefully, actively to other people. Repeat/rephrase their position/objection. “Let me make sure I understand your position…you feel our CPMs are too high?” Get their agreement that you understand. “Is that correct?” Respond with a form of an “I understand” statement (vary your responses) “I understand…,” “Feel, felt, found.”

“Feel, Felt, Found” Respond: “I understand how you feel …”
Acknowledges their feelings and honors them. “Many advertisers have felt the same way …” Reinforces and legitimizes their opinions so they know they aren’t way out, unusual, or silly. “But we have found that higher CPMs are based on three things: highly targeted inventory, high demand, and high renewal rates.”

Effective Listening Exercise
Find a partner One is the salesperson, the other the client Client says, “your price is too high.” Salesperson then goes through the four steps of Effective Listening. Practice repeating the phrases. “Let me make sure I understand what you are saying.” “Is that correct?” “I understand how you feel, others have felt the same way, but we have found …” Switch roles after three attempts.

Solutions Selling Position features, advantages, and benefits positively as solutions to advertising and marketing problems. Don’t knock the competition. You can’t sell what they don’t have. You can only sell the features, advantages, and benefits you have.

Don’t Knock the Competition
When you knock, you: Waste time. Lose credibility (not objective). Lower your image (stay above it). Open up areas you can’t control. Client/buyer may like competitive salesperson. Build competitors’ image. Bring them up to your level. Rolex doesn’t advertise that’s it’s “better than a Timex.”

Ways of Dealing with the Competition
Don’t mention the competition if you don’t have to -- ignore them. If you have to mention them or are asked a question about them: Compliment the competition. Talk first about your strengths (don’t answer the question directly--like politicians do). Expose generic weaknesses. “Yahoo has very high-traffic and is the best of the portals, but portals aren’t very sticky.”

The Six Steps of Selling
Prospecting Identifying Problems (discovery) Generating Solutions (research and strategy) Presenting Negotiating and Closing Servicing

Set Objectives for Each Step
Criteria for MADCUD objectives: Measurable Attainable (accepted) Consistent with company goals Under the control of the person Deadlined MADCUD goals must be flexible

Goals Peak Motivation Motivation Goal Difficulty Very Hard Very Easy

Goals and Objectives The purpose of goals (long term) and objectives (short term) is to make people feel like winners. Must be bottom-up, not top-down Budgets and quotas are not motivational for all people.

Goals Set time-spent goals for the five steps of selling. For example:
Prospecting % Identifying problems (discovery) % Generating solutions (research,strategy) % Presenting % Closing % How much time spent on each varies according the the experience of the person, type of account list, etc.

Set Activity Goals Calls/Contacts Meetings Critical skills:
Building rapport and trust Presenting Solving problems Overcoming objections Addressing concerns

Set Activity Goals As Well As Revenue Goals
Orders Critical elements: Creating value Selling an idea Selling the proposal Negotiating Closing

Set Activity Objectives As Well As Revenue Objectives
Set activity and revenue objectives Revenue objectives don’t work for everyone. Calls, appointments, and presentations lead to sales, which lead to revenue – imperative to make the connection. By focusing on activities that lead to revenue, the control of the goal stays with the salesperson. Salespeople can’t always control the size of the order they get. But they can control how many calls they make and effective their sales presentation is.

Set Activity and Revenue Objectives
There must be a well-organized system for tracking and reporting on calls, meetings, presentations, opportunities, and orders. And details on why opportunities were won or lost.

Prospecting: Creating Opportunities
Developing new business: finding prospects who have advertising and marketing problems. No one is completely satisfied with their advertising. Make contacts: Write out your telephone pitch in advance. Use the prospect’s name, introduce yourself and your organization. Use a referral if possible. (“Jeff Bezos suggested I call you.”)

Prospecting State the purpose of the call is to set up an appointment, not to sell anything. Mention a motivating benefit (“special reason” or “special idea”). The word “idea” is magic, consultative.

Prospecting Pacing is the key on the telephone.
Get to the point quickly. Pause often. Match prospect’s style and pace. Put a mirror on your desk and stand up. More animated, friendly, dynamic

Prospecting On the phone, be persistent (but not obnoxious).
If you get a “yes,” reconfirm the time and day. “Do you have your Blackberry handy?” Generally, don’t reconfirm the day of the appointment unless it’s out of town. In town, have your assistant call and say, “She’s on her way for her 10:00a.m. appointment.”

Prospecting If you get the “don’t-come-see me” stopper:
Ask “why” Compliment their business. “If one of your salespeople...” Appointments are imperative. Getting appointments is the most difficult part of selling new business and requires creativity and, most of all, persistence.

Prospecting Prospecting success ratios:
By telephone % Cold calling % Play the odds, use the telephone. Use voice mail effectively.

Prospecting On cold calls never say:
“May I have a few minutes of your time?” “I just happened to be in the neighborhood?” “I’m sorry I interrupted you.” On cold calls always state the purpose of the call and how long it will take.

Prospecting Methods By Current Advertisers in Other Media By Season
By Category By Geographic Region By Inactive Advertisers By Current Advertisers By Business, Civic, and Other Organizations

Persistence in Prospecting
The key to prospecting, in fact, to all selling is persistence. Never, never, never, never, never give up. Every client has at least one problem (perhaps they are unaware of it) that is searching for a solution.

The Process of Preparation: Identifying Problems
Set objectives. Ask Discovery Questions: “What is the age, sex, and lifestyle of your best customers? “What problems do you expect interactive to solve for you?” “What advertising are you doing now?” “What do like best, least about your current advertising?”

Identifying Problems, Needs (Discovery)
The best questions are follow-up questions. Discovery requires solid detective work. Information is power. The more information you get, the more problems you uncover, the more objections and concerns you uncover, the more precise and helpful your solutions will be. See Discovery Questions at

Generating Solutions (Research and Strategy)
The process of preparation Research prospect’s category. Advertising and marketing expenditures. Category growth profile Research prospect’s industry. Rank order of players and their market share. Media expenditures of players Creative campaigns and approaches of players Marketing strategy of players

Research prospect company’s marketing and advertising goals, strategies, and problems in achieving these goals. Prioritize problems. Research prospect company’s customers. Research prospect’s strengths and weaknesses. Research prospect’s major competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Research prospect’s current creative approach.

Create ideas that will solve the prospect’s problems. Targeted Maximize reach Receptive audience Brainstorm to generate several solutions. Order, anchor, and frame solutions effectively.

Anticipate your competitors’ attacks on you (what they say about you to prospects). Anticipate prospects’ objections and prepare appropriate answers. Keep your sales objectives in mind at all times. Create an account-entry strategy. Create an overall sales strategy – a detailed, step-by-step plan of attack (who does what when).

Generating Solutions Create a killer presentation.
See “Checklist for Customized, Solutions-Based Presentations” at

Presenting Confidence is everything!
Confidence is an attitude, which you control: Optimism Positive goals (winning, not avoiding a loss) Visualization Mental Rehearsal Do the right thing (honesty)

Presenting: Call Structure
Greeting Set tone of the meeting and build rapport New information Provide new, relevant information to enhance your source credibility and expertise. Opening A well-planned statement to pique interest in your proposal and solution Recap and purpose Recap what challenges and problems you will be addressing and state the purpose of the call.

Call Structure (Continued)
Discussion Move prospects from desire to conviction that your solution is the best one. Dealing with objections Conditions Discussion tactics Summary and close Summarize key points – no more than three – and ask for the order or for Next Steps. No ask; no order.

Dealing With Objections
No objection; no sale Figurative and literal objections Figurative are not real – they are negotiating tactics and can be ignored. Literal objections are real and must be addressed. Probe to understand. Compliment, restate, and get agreement. Empathize, reassure, and support (“feel, felt, found”).

Dealing With Objections (Continued)
Use trial closes Forestall objections Use “Yes, but…” and compare. Use case histories (case studies). Use “coming to that…” Pass on objections

Dealing With the Price Objection
Hope it comes up; otherwise you’ve underpriced your product. Always talk quality. Break price into smallest possible units. Talk value, not price. Refer to investments, not costs. Advertising is an investment in future profits Use “you get what you pay for.”

Conditions Can’t be overcome; they are legitimate reasons for not buying. Leave as a friend

Discussion Tactics Vary your style.
Contrast Movement Novelty Use equivalencies to dramatize numbers. Narrow down objections and reconfirm understanding. Change the basis for evaluation if necessary. Reassure doubts. Continually evaluate reactions and adjust.

Summary and Close Summarize three key points Close Ask for the order
No ask; no order. Move the sale along. Get a commitment for Next Steps

Presenting You’re a marketing solutions provider, not a “seller.”
Always keep in mind your #1 sales objective: To get results for customers. Don’t sell customers stuff that won’t work. Don’t sell them something they like just to get an order. Sell them what works best -- you’re the expert. Don’t sell them more than they need – no gouging, they won’t renew.

Closing Help buyers make the right decision.
Create a sense of urgency. Use a variety of closes: The Clincher Close The Assumption Close The SRO Close The Minor-Point Close The T-Account Close The Pin-Down Close

Closing Ask for a decision. Once you reach an agreement, scram!
Letter of Intent (LOI) Commitment to send IO 48-hour hold “What else is left?” “If I can resolve these issues, do we have an agreement?” Once you reach an agreement, scram! Don’t be around when buyer’s remorse sets in.

Closing Be careful about trying to close too aggressively.
You can create a sense of urgency, but the timetable has to be theirs. Too much pressure can kill a prospective sale. High pressure raises suspicion. People want to buy, they don’t like being “sold” or “closed.”

Servicing You are the unique competitive advantage.
Set servicing and business increase goals. “You never ‘close’ a sale, you open a long-term relationship.” Dennis Waitley Which order is the most important one – first or second? Tangibilize Send notes (more personal than s), cards, small gifts, etc.

Servicing Always say “thank you” memorably.
Don’t forget anyone (review your account list regularly). Always present new ideas – increases. Pre-sell Handle complaints immediately and honestly (see them as an opportunity to prove how good you are at servicing and managing an account).

Summary Solution Selling is: Managing relationships based on trust
Creating value Making proposals that will get results for customers Tracking results and making adjustments Getting enthusiastic renewals at larger investments

Solution Selling 1.

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