PEOPLE BUY FOR THEIR REASONS NOT OURS

If this is true (and it is), then it stands to reason that if we are going to make a sale to someone, we best find out his or her reasons for buying. One useful technique for doing this is to look at a useful motivation reference point that is common among many buyers. There is an old but useful benefit buying guide that can give salespeople at least a start in understanding a potential buyers basic motivations…

Buying Criteria Guide:

S - Security/Safety
P - Performance/Power
A - Availability/Appearance
C - Comfort/Class
E - Economy/Ecology
D - Dependability/Durability

These BENEFITS are often referred to as the SPACED benefits and with a little thought the criteria can be applied to all products and services. As an example if the prospect wants a fast car don’t try to sell a safe green one… or if a prospect wants a ‘cheap’ computer don’t waffle on about a Pentium sixteen with 50,000 meg of ram and a 45 inch screen…

DO THE SALES STAFF KNOW THE SPACED BENEFITS OF WHAT THEY SELL? IF NOT BEST INSERT A ROCKET WHERE IT WILL DO THE MOST GOOD…

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ANOTHER SALES QUESTIONING TIP…

TIP 4: Try to only ask questions that will get yes responses!!!!!

For example If you were in the training business and you asked a prospective participant of a training course, ‘have you filled out the nomination form I sent you yet’ (and they were not intending to come), you will evoke a NO response. Then if you follow with, ‘is the reason you’re not coming because you think the price is too expensive” you will most likely get another NO as few people will admit they cannot afford something. Then you might ask ‘if we offer a special discount’... NO, ‘will you change your mind if... NO’ and on it goes.

A more positive line of questioning would be...’Do you see improved effectiveness of your company as a key management responsibility’? The person you are talking to would have to be a very ‘hard nosed’ individual to say anything but YES (or a total idiot). Then perhaps, ‘do you, like most of us have a desire to get improved work results’… YES. ‘Are you as is the case with most successful managers often hampered by a lot to do and limited time’… YES. ’Do you think that a four hour time saving per week would benefit to you in your business’? Obviously… YES. Then…’if I could show you how this course can save you four hours a week or one day a fortnight, would you be interested in talking to me’? Once again you have a better chance for a YES and so it goes. If you start with a YES, you have more chance you have of finishing with a YES.


PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS VERY IMPORTANT...
PRODUCT OF THE PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS CRUCIAL

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OKAY RICHARD LAST POST YOU SAID ASK QUESTIONS… HOW DO I DO THAT!

TIP 1: Asking permission to ask questions will work 99% of the time.
A good start is to say… ‘In order to save you time and to ensure I fully understand your requirements, do you mind if I ask you a few questions’?

TIP 2: As a sales contact cannot be an interrogation, some polite a relationship building questions based on what you know about the prospect and his or her company are a wise start. How are you? How many people on your staff? How was your weekend? How long have you worked for XYZ? How’s your…whatever is appropriate….

TIP 3: Effective salespeople do their best (through research) to know what to ask to ensure that their questions will get the answers they want.
Example - Don’t ask about the last dealing the prospect had with your company without checking on the success or difficulties that have gone before.


OPEN QUESTIONS GET LONG EXPLANATIONS & CLOSED Q’s GET ONE WORD ANSWERS…

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THEY DON’T WANT TO BUY, SO THEY TELL A WHITE LIE!

Often prospective buyers will give false reasons for buying (or not buying) and if sales staff cannot get to a prospects real buying motive they may miss the sale. For example to justify the purchase of say a Mercedes Benz buyers may say, “the only reason I buy a ‘Merc’ is to keep the family safe”, however if this were true why not a 4 wheel drive or a Volvo, both of which are cheaper and arguably safer. If truth was always part of the buying process many Mercedes buyers would, I suggest own up to the desire for status.

As people by nature will not come straight out and tell salespeople what they want from a product or service, salespeople need to develop a technique to uncover the truth. Perhaps they could carry a gun or bottle of truth serum however this could hamper the sale at the closing stage. What can salespeople do to find out what the potential customer (or prospect) really wants? There is only one way... ASK QUESTIONS!

Good questioning technique is important (and powerful), as people are usually SKEPTICAL ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE TOLD but generally BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY. So if salespeople ask the right questions they increase their chances of uncovering the prospects real desires or wants plus have the prospect believe that they are credible and that the salespersons product information or ‘sales’ claims are truthful.

DO YOUR SALES STAFF KNOW HOW TO ASK A CUSTOMER QUESTIONS TO MAKE A SALE OR DO THEY JUST PITCH PITCH PITCH?

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