© vlerick business school. sales competition workshop 1: professional selling 5/11/2012
TRANSCRIPT
© Vlerick Business School
SALES COMPETITIONWORKSHOP 1: PROFESSIONAL SELLING
5/11/2012
© Vlerick Business School
PROFESSIONAL SELLING: THEORY AND APPLICATION
“Professional selling is the interpersonal communication process in which a seller
uncovers and satisfies the needs and wants of a prospect to the mutual, long-term benefit of
both parties.”
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STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation Problem Implication Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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FIRST IMPRESSION
You have only one chance to make a favorable first impression Your looks Your actions Your manner of speaking
Salespeople must be conscious of the communication signals they are sending Visual Vocal Verbal/Non-verbal Three V’s
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LOMBARDI TIME
Lombardi Time states:
"Show up for every important business meeting 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled meeting time"
The idea is to use the 15 minutes to: Catch your breath Collect your thoughts Preplan what you want to accomplish in the meeting
and how you'll go about it
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COURTESY AND COMMON SENSE
Ask permission to sit
Never clutter the prospect’s desk or floor without asking his/her permission
Watch the tone of your voice
Always be courteous but not overly friendly or pushy
Never be presumptuous
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STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation Problem Implication Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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LOOK FOR CLUES
Your prospect’s desk can provide clues about their personality, communication, and work style.
What could these clues indicate? A clean desktop (to-the-point) Organized piles on the desktop (project manager) Multiple drawers and filing cabinets (detail oriented) Papers and clutter (busy, frantic) Boxes and piles on the floor (transition)
What clues may show up for different social styles?
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SOCIAL STYLES MATRIX
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Amiable“Show concern for me and my problems”• Supportive• Respectful• Willing• Dependable• Personable
Expressive“I like competent, imaginative salespeople”• Personable• Stimulating• Enthusiastic• Dramatic• Inspiring
Driver“Show me bottom line results”
• Determined• Demanding• Thorough• Decisive• Efficient
Analytical“What I need are practical suggestions”• Industrious• Persistent• Serious• Vigilant• Orderly
ASSERTIVENESS
Low
High
HighLow
RESPONSIVENESS
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PLANNING PRESENTATION OPENERS
Openers are introductions All sales presentations need effective and brief
introductions Salespeople must, in the opener, introduce themselves,
the company, and the reason for calling on the prospect Show the prospect that you are aware of his/her situation
and that you have a product that can help An effective opening statement is essential to get the
prospect’s attention Salespeople sometimes find that a minute or two of
friendly conversation relaxes prospects and makes for an effective opening strategy (rapport building)
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OPENING THE PRESENTATION
What makes some salespeople standout?
The best sales professionals know: How to emphasize benefits in their presentations That the most effective presentations must start and
finish with the prospect’s needs and wants as the focus
A key question for salespeople as they endeavor to maintain their competitive position is to ask:
“What could make the customer more delighted?”
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OTHER TYPES OF OPENERS
Benefits Probing questions Third Party referral (AKA- Name dropping) Sincere compliment
Which will be best for the different social styles?
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TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Open-ended Questions
Broad scoped
Diagnostic
Narrow scoped
Surgical
Who, what, where, when how, why
Can’t be yes or no
Closed Ended Questions
Alternative choice
Single outcome
Yes or no
Inquiring Questions
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STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation Problem Implication Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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THE SPIN QUESTIONING STRATEGY
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Situation Questions• Achieve fact-finding objectives• Have low selling impact• Useful at focus of receptivity
Problem Questions• Achieve uncovering satisfaction objectives• Have moderate selling impact• Useful at focus of dissatisfaction
Implication Questions• Achieve objectives of developing and channeling
dissatisfaction• Have high selling impact• Useful at focus of dissatisfaction and focus of
power
Need-payoff Questions• Achieve objectives of rehearsing and selectively
channeling customer attention• Have high selling impact
• Useful at focus of dissatisfaction and focus of power
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TRIAL CLOSING
SOCE questions also have 'closing the sale' benefits
Trial closing is a process that helps you find out where a person is in the commitment to buy
The goal of the questions is to receive a 'Yes' commitment to move forward in the sale
The easiest way to formulate a trial close question is by using an 'If/Then' scenario
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REACTING
Be empathetic Receiving verbal and non-verbal signals that reveal
true needs Processing these signals to gain insight into the
prospect’s situation Using the information received from signals to
develop probing questions Convincing prospects that their needs are being
communicated and understood Uncovering latent needs (Not Evident)
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RESPONDING TO TOUGH QUESTIONS
When your prospect asks you tough questions at this stage, you should:
Restate the question Ask “What do you think?” “What makes you ask?”
Start with a general reply Don’t fake it
You must listen to be able to respond!
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EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Effective listening consists of three discrete stages in the listening process:
1. Sensing The actual receipt of messages
2. Processing Activities that occur in the mind of the listener
3. Responding Acknowledgement of the receipt of the message
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STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation
Problem
Implication
Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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SOLUTION SELLING
Solution selling is the stage at which the salesperson
Assumes a knowledgeable role Begins to earn the right to be an advisor to the
prospect Customizes her presentation of product features and
benefits to the prospect’s specific needs and wants
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Product: _____________
Product Features Customer Benefits Customer Coding
1. 1a.
1b.
1c.
Customer 1
Customer 2
Customer 3
2. 2a. Customer 4
3. 3a.
3b.
Customer 1
Customer 4
FEATURES-BENEFITS INVENTORY FORM
V = Q/P
The value of a delivered product or service increases as the quality of that product/service increases or the
price of that product/service declines
The value of a delivered product or service increases as the quality of that product/service increases or the
price of that product/service declines
Where V = Value, Q = Quality, and P = Price
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SELL BENEFITS NOT FEATURES
Deal only in facts
Sell the prospect results What the product will do--not what it is!
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STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation
Problem
Implication
Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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MARKETING PLAN
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BUSINESS PROPOSAL
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STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation
Problem
Implication
Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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© Vlerick Business School
TRIAL CLOSE
After answering all the prospect's questions and concerns, it is time to trial close again
The salesperson can ask the prospect any of the following questions:
“What do you think?" "How does all of this sound?" "How do you feel about what I’ve said so far?"
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TRADITIONAL CLOSING TECHNIQUES
Asking for the Order
Assumptive Close
Alternative Choice Close
Summarizing the Benefits
The Probability Close
Continuous Yes
Reserving an Advantage
Single Benefit Close
Similar Situation Close
Price Reduction Close
Asking for a Trial Order
© Vlerick Business School
STEPS IN THE SALES PROCESS
1. Lead Generation
2. Lead qualification
3. Needs Identification: SPIN Selling Situation
Problem
Implication
Need Payoff
4. Feature/Benefit Presentation
5. Marketing Plan and Business Proposal
6. Close
7. Objection Handling
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HANDLING OBJECTIONS
Effective salespeople are able to: Anticipate objections Answer them with confidence Probe for more concerns Quickly get back to motivating the prospect/customer
to make a decision in favor of purchasing
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ANTICIPATING OBJECTIONS
Salespeople must be able to anticipate: Prospects’ objections and prepare answers before
making sales calls Questions concerning how the technical aspects of
the product/service solution can help prevent the occurrence of problems
Value improvements
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FIVE CLASSICOBJECTION-HANDLING TECHNIQUES
Forestall the objection
Compensate
Counter
Boomerang
Feel, felt, found
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SALES COMPETITION…NEXT STEPS (1/2)
Deadline upload videos for qualification round November 30, 2012
Selection of participants for the Vlerick Sales Competition
December 7, 2012
Vlerick Sales Competition February 5, 2013 Starting at 2pm Ghent Campus
37 © Vlerick Business School
SALES COMPETITION…NEXT STEPS (2/2)
Workshop 2: Intro in CRM systems Monday, December 10, 2012 6.30PM-8.00PM Gent Campus
Workshop 3: Selling CRM systems Thursday, January 17, 2013 6.30PM-8.00PM Gent Campus
THANK YOU!