Communicating Communicating…

Communicating Communicating… Selling is Commitment!

Communicating Selling is Commitment: To you and your approach Your company The way your company does business Your product, position, price, USP’s and benefits If you get commitment to the above, they will buy from you

Communicating The Stages of a Sale Every product or service has its own, unique, stages –Think about buying a car –What have you just bought? What stages did you go through? –Think about the stages your customers go through Typical stages of a sale: (Marketing Communications) –Identify a Need –InterestDirect mail, advertising, brochure –InformationPR, articles, website, testimonials –DemonstrationPersonal contact - sales –NegotiationPersonal contact - sales –DecisionPersonal contact - sales –CustomerPersonal contact - service –AdvocatePersonal contact & marcoms

Communicating The Balance Between Marketing & Sales The role of marketing and marketing communications The strength of branding: –Confidence in the company, product, quality and values The role of sales: –Personalising the offer to the need; finance/colour/interior/options/USP’s The balance between marketing & sales Use marketing materials in the sales process –That’s what they are for –They gain credibility –They tell the whole story –You help the prospect understand the sales literature and thus your offer So now you’ve generated the lead:-

Communicating Qualifying the Prospect Who is the Decision Maker? Do they have the Authority? What is their Need? And their Budget? Who are the Competition? Where are they in the buying cycle? Buying signs –Body language –Verbal signs –Written signs Does it all make sense? Don’t waste time with people who will not buy – It’s a numbers game!

Communicating The Decision Making Unit Users –They should have a say! - If you do not listen to them – they’ll get the hump! –They can become your best friend or worst enemy! Influencers –May work for the company or may not! Angels –They believe your proposition and will fight for you –They will also tell you what other people think – what the objections are! Approvers –Might just be a rubber stamp’er but treat them with respect! –Play to their ego! Preventers –Can be the Receptionist, Secretary, Technical Manager or IT Manager Decision Makers –Authority, Budget, Benefit but must have a genuine need!

Communicating Features, Advantages & Benefits A feature is a design characteristic of a product or service (a car’s aluminium body) that creates an advantage (light weight) The benefit of light weight is in faster acceleration and better economy Think of some features, advantages and benefits (USP’s) What sells the product; the feature, advantage or benefit? People buy the difference between what they have and what they want: –The greater the difference – the more they will pay –Make the difference as big as you can! (4 quad matrix) –Ease of use, performance, cost of ownership, features, reliability, image –Look for buying signs! The salesman's role is to maximise the difference and sell the sizzle!

Communicating Types of question General Guide –Be professional and optimistic General Questions –Good when you first meet people –Make friends –Find out their views and hot spots Opinion Seeking Questions –Find out their opinions Probe Questions –Questions to get people to think more deeply, liked by professional negotiators! Open Questions –Use to get someone to talk freely Closed Questions –Use towards the end of negotiations to narrow the options and reduce misunderstandings Listening – Exercise You have two ears and one mouth!

Communicating Need – Benefit Cycle Business selling - –Listen for the need –Match your benefits and USPs to the need! –Tends to be focused, but you must cover everything! Consumer selling – –you tend to go through the whole pitch but still listen for the need and match your benefits to their need

Communicating Pacing the Sale Pace everyone in the DMU so their interest peaks at the same time (concentrate on the slowest person) Try closing the sale just before interest peaks so you know their objections Remember, different members of the DMU will have different reasons for buying and will, therefore, have different objections!

Communicating Objections Objections are thought of as reasons not to place an order, but:- –Objections can arise at any time and stop you moving to the next stage –Objections can be real, imagined, hidden or emotional –You get less real objections if you cover each stage properly! –You get less hidden objections if you ask good probe questions! –Objections are opportunities in disguise! Real objections can be minimised or accepted, the price can be adjusted or you can point out other benefits of your offer to balance the objection or you can close with a special offer to compensate

Communicating Closing the Sale Make sure all the doors are shut before the close Never be frightened of asking for an order! Keep quiet when you have asked for the order! Types of close include: –Assumptive –Special offer (compulsory in the USA!) –If I had the…… in stock, would you place the order…. –Alternate date coupled with added benefit –Keep favourite objection till last –Frighten people… ‘Ah well don’t forget….’ ‘ Or We’ve only got…….’

Communicating Sales Management – The Pipeline Where do the leads come from? How much does each lead cost? Which leads produce the most sales? Why do leads fall out of the pipeline? Analysing and managing the pipeline –So you can cut wasted advertising and costs –Maximise the most effective marcoms opportunities Sales forecasts

Communicating

Managing Sales Staff Managing and motivating sales staff is a nightmare! You need years of experience! Sales staff are like black holes for £’s! Don’t expect sales staff to do your marketing! Only employ sales staff if you are losing business because you cannot service the sales opportunities your marketing is producing! Do not employ sales staff to increase enquiries

Communicating Any questions? The End! Thank you for coming!