Start Your Own Business (91 page)

 

TIP

 

Sell to the people most likely to buy. Your best prospects have a keen interest in your product or service and the money to purchase it. If you’re selling fax machines, don’t try to sell to people who have never bought one. Sell to those who already have one or those you know are interested in buying one. Show them how yours is superior.

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Know your customer’s business.
Potential clients expect you to know their business, customers and competition as well as you know your own product or service. Study your customer’s industry. Know its problems and trends. Find out who the company’s biggest competitors are. Some research tools include the company’s annual report, brochures, catalogs, and newsletters; trade publications; chamber of commerce directories; and the internet.

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Write out your sales presentation.
Making a sales presentation isn’t something you do on the fly. Always use a written presentation. The basic structure of any sales presentation includes five key points: Build rapport with your prospect, introduce the business topic, ask questions to better understand your prospect’s needs, summarize your key selling points, and close the sale. Think about the three major selling points of your product or service. Develop leading questions to probe your customer’s reactions and needs.

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Make sure you are talking to the right person.
This seems elementary, but many salespeople neglect to do it. Then, at the last minute, the buyer wriggles off the hook by saying he or she needs a boss’s, spouse’s or partner’s approval. When you are setting the appointment, always ask “Are you the one I should be talking to, or are there others who will be making the buying decision?”

 

AHA!

 

Condition prospects to say yes by asking questions they will agree with. “It’s a great day, isn’t it?” or “You got an early start today, didn’t you?” Little questions like these help start customers on a momentum that builds trust. Subconsciously, because they are agreeing with you, they begin to trust you.

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Build rapport.
Before you start discussing business, build rapport with your prospect. To accomplish this, do some homework. Find out if you have a colleague in common. Has the prospect’s company been in the news lately? Is he or she interested in sports? Get a little insight into the company and the individual so you can make the rapport genuine.

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Ask questions.
Don’t jump into a canned sales spiel. The most effective way to sell is to ask the prospect questions and see where he or she leads you. (Of course, your questions are carefully structured to elicit the prospect’s needs—ones that your product just happens to be able to fill.)

Ask questions that require more than a yes or no response, and that deal with more than just costs, price, procedures and the technical aspects of the prospect’s business. Most important, ask questions that will reveal the prospect’s motivation to purchase, his or her problems and needs, and the prospect’s decision-making processes. Don’t be afraid to ask a client why he or she feels a certain way. That’s how you’ll get to understand your customers.

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Take notes.
Don’t rely on your memory to remind you of what’s important to your prospect. Ask upfront if it’s all right for you to take notes during your sales presentation. (Prospects will be flattered.) Write down key points you can refer to later during your presentation.

Be sure to write down objections. This shows your prospect you are truly listening to what he or she is saying. In this way, you can specifically answer objections by showing how the customer will benefit from your product or service. It could be, for instance, by saving money, raising productivity, increasing employee motivation, or increasing his or her company’s name recognition.

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Learn to listen.
Salespeople who do all the talking during a presentation not only bore the prospect, but also generally lose the sale. A good rule of thumb is to listen 70 percent of the time and talk 30 percent of the time. Don’t interrupt. It’s tempting to step in and tell the prospect something you think is vitally important. Before you speak, ask yourself if what you’re about to say is really necessary.

PRESENTATION PERFECT

 

W
ant to improve your sales presentation skills? Use these strategies to hone your speaking abilities:

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Tag-team-sell for evaluation purposes
. Have a colleague go on sales calls with you once a week to listen to your presentation. Create a review form for them to fill out immediately after your performance. (Include your strengths as well as your weaknesses.) Read it right away, and talk about what you can do to improve.

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Record your telephone sales conversations
. Use them as a selfmonitor of your ability to present a clear and confident message. Play them back. If you can’t stand your voice, change your pitch.

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Read a chapter from a sales book aloud, recording it on audiotape
. Play it in your car. You’ll learn about sales and about how you present your pitch. Would you buy from yourself? If not, record another version with style and emotion.

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Videotape the first five minutes of your sales presentation
. Ask a friend or colleague to be the prospect. Watch the video together, and rate your performance. Repeat the process once a week for two months. Work to eliminate your two worst habits; at the same time, work to enhance your two best strengths.

Above all, be yourself. Don’t put on an act. Your personality will shine if you believe in what you are saying. Being genuine will win the prospect’s confidence ... and the sale.