to remember that the listener controls the interview.
We don’ t sell our products or services to someone unless they perceive it is in their personal interest to have us do so. Therefore, we must determine their interests and highest value needs. Fulfilling Unmet Needs
Moving up the critical path, we next determine our prospects’ social style. We need to be sensitive to a prospects’ style, so that we can prepare an appealing presentation for him or her.
When asking about a prospect’ s current business sources, find out the strength of those relationships. You already should be aware of any unmet needs.
While interviewing someone you will be able to determine what their objections are going to be when you ask for their business. If someone surprises you with an objection it is because you did not ask enough questions or listen during the interview phase of the selling process.
If we know our prospects’ needs, social styles and objections, we are in a position to offer solutions that they will find not only acceptable but also desirable. Our solution should suggest an action that will move us into, or towards, a business relationship. If we are not successful initially, we position ourselves to continually call on our targeted prospects. Our goal is more to move our relationship along than it is to concentrate on a single transaction.
When you feel the time is right to ask for your prospects’ business we suggest an open-ended question:“ Considering what we have been discussing, do we have a basis for doing business together?” The answer will determine your progress and where the relationship is headed.
If you have demonstrated your knowledge, sensitivity, and constructive help the answer will often be“ yes” with some qualifications. Make Fewer Sales Calls
We start building strong business relationships by targeting a select number of prospects. A successful career as a sales professional is built upon maintaining a limited number of highly productive clients and not on seeing how many calls can be made in any week.“ Focus precedes success” is a core concept of the
Relationship Selling Process.
Every sales professional should have a written list-by name-of those you have targeted as future business partners. Determine in advance— through your intelligence sources— prospects that you would be doing business with in the immediate future.
This target list may have as few as 10 names for established, career- oriented account executives, and as many as 60 names for a beginner. An exact number will depend both on you and on your industry.
Our goal is to have a predetermined number of clients as business partners. We must select them carefully because it is going to take some time to win them over to us. Additionally, we must get to know our targets’ managers, since often they either assist us-or stand in our way.
Doing so is far more effective than pitching your products and service in the hope that your prospect will respond. Top prospects are too sophisticated for this outdated selling style. Preparing For Action
Once we have defined our prospect’ s HVNs, we must decide whether it’ s best to ask for a subsequent appointment to present our solution, or if we need to suggest some immediate action.
We are influenced in this decision by how well we have determined needs, the prospect’ s social style, his or her present relationships and what the objections will be. If in doubt on these issues, continue your interview. Or if you’ re pressed for time, suggest making another appointment.
Tell your prospect you would like to gather some information and ideas to bring on your next visit. Make sure to schedule your following appointment before leaving!
To sum up, Relationship Selling consists of targeting a limited number of strong potential business sources, developing a relationship with each one and then building and maintaining those relationships.
You can see that it doesn’ t matter how many sales calls you make. What’ s important is how effective each one is. See fewer people if you want to do more business, but be sure they are the right business sources for you.
We wish you-Great Hunting!
ABOUT JACK DALY
JACK DALY is an experienced and world recognized sales speaker and sales training expert, who inspires audiences to take action in the areas of sales, sales management and corporate culture. He brings 30 plus years of field-proven experience from a starting base with CPA firm Arthur Andersen, a captain in the U. S. Army to the CEO of several national companies. Jack is a proven CEO / Entrepreneur, having built 6 companies into national firms, two of which he subsequently sold to the Wall Street firms of Solomon Brothers and First Boston. His professional sales trainer know-how has turned him into an accomplished sales coaching authority and author of books including Hyper Sales Growth, The Sales Playbook For Hyper Sales Growth and Paper Napkin Wisdom, all Amazon # 1 Bestsellers.
www. JackDaly. net
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