Pre-call planning

Information
The information that you have on your customers prior to any sales contact determines the relevance of your sales pitch. The sort of information that will help you to get a clear understanding of them can be roughly organised under the following headings. I have added a couple of examples under each heading to start you off but they will be specific to your sector and client.

Questioning
The key to good selling probably lies in the ability to ask good questions and investigate thoroughly what your customer wants from you. Your job is to be inventive and create a package that they want. It’s not to foist products onto an unwilling punter. I hate the language of winning and scoring when dealing with customers. We should celebrate hitting targets and achieving results but long term relationships are still the best targets. I phoned Virgin Media to change my communications package and was told that I could buy a wireless router cheaper than their package router, as well as being given a few shops to try. He told me that Virgin believed in saving me money wherever they could. It was an excellent pitch of the brand values and good understanding of my needs. Good use of information allows you deliver a great pitch.

Open ended questions start with; who, why, when, where, what and how and offer you more information.

 Destructive questions that start with, ‘Don’t you see...’, Can’t you understand...’ belong in the dark ages. No-one is daft enough to fall for those anymore and they are not the way to build trust and partnership.

 Try this exercise to increase the scope of your questions. Use the headings to prompt you to think of relevant questions. It will help to start the flow of questions.

Questions grid

Benefit selling
Most of us were brought up on benefit selling but it soon disappears once the pressure is on. Benefit selling is simply expressing every USP or sales point as a benefit to the client. The reason for this is make sure that we always speak - and hopefully think - in terms of what each product does for the client. We are not looking to ‘talk punters into a deal’ but rather to make sure that we are matching what we have to offer precisely to what is needed. If you don’t have it, go back to the drawing board and think of a way to deliver what your client wants.
 

Example USP: Behind the Lines training delivers supported training....

Benefit to clients: ...so you can follow up all the courses with in house coaching and continue to develop skills.

Only use one benefit per USP or you’ll end up string together an unintelligible gush of ‘why we are so great’.

Practice putting sales points into benefit form. I ask my delegates to write out 30 benefits like the one above so that they can learn to think in client terms. Listen out for them in news programs and when you’re being sold to and you’ll see the most persuasive sales people (and politicians!) are always talking about you rather than them or their product.

For really elegant, persuasive selling make each point succinct and clear.

Closing
Once the questions are right and the benefit selling is second nature the close will actually come quite naturally. When I ask my husband, ‘Chips or pizza tonight, love’? I am closing a deal. It’s based on information gathered over the last 11 years with him and continual benefit selling (mostly by Dominoes).

Don’t feel that closing has to be aggressive or pushy. The best closes should be natural, once the customer is satisfied and you are hearing positive responses to your points, just ask for the business. Some people tie themselves in knots over this issue but when the sales conversation has been good and you have given the client a good deal that really matches what they want, the close should be natural. In fact, it is often so obvious that you can’t quite believe how easy it was, if you find yourself lost for what to say next you probably just need to ask for the business. Don’t worry about being told, ‘no’. We are not in the business of hard selling, we want to win over a long term customer who’s going to recommend us on and come back for more. As long as you are really listening to your client you will be able find out what it is that they need from us to close the deal.

Types of Closes
Different types work more effectively in different types of situation. When a client is giving buying signals a gentle push may be all that's needed to make the commitment firm in his or her mind. The main types are listed below along with an example of how they may be used.

Direct
Can I have the order please?   

Can I come in to see you on the first of March at 3pm?   

Ask for the order directly. You should also be using direct closes all through the sale to check that the client is responding to your sales points.

Ping pong
What colour would I be able to use on my advert

 What colour do you want?"

Turn a question into firm commitment. This works well when the client is dithering a little, you know that the desire is there and a ping pong close enables you to get down to the nitty gritty. Once the commitment is established in the client it is easy to turn this into an order

Assumptive
So we'll design the feature for the websit, when would you like the campaign to start?

As with the ping pong close you have made an assumption that the client will book with you. This close works once all objections have been overcome and both you and the client know that the order will be forthcoming. It is also a good way to flush out any other objections.

Alternative Close
Would you prefer onsite training or should I give you some off site venues to choose from?

This close is asking the buyer to choose between two options and it is natural when coming to the end of a long and complex sell and are now agreeing on the details.

Trial Close
If I can get you a position on the forum page will you be able to start from next week?

Trial closing let's you know if you have satisfied all the client's needs and it gives you any new information you may need in order to conclude the sale. It is a wonderful way to uncover objections and also to keep the momentum of the sale moving forward; it reminds the client why you are both there.

After sales service
Once you have earned your commission it could be the end of the sell for you, until they need to renew or buy again. A good sales person cares about what happens after the sale has taken place. If you want to build a relationship find ways to offer good service after the sale. How well did they get on with what you sold to them, can you offer them anything to make life easier. After spending hundreds of pounds at a health spa I was most impressed with the freebies that the therapist popped in my bag without even mentioning it along with a little note with some advice on it.

Look for ways to offer something extra and start to build your reputation.