Personal selling

The sales process

 Process:a sequential series of decisions
and or actions.
BUYING PROCESS SELLING PROCESS

NEED PREPARE
SEARCH FOCUS
IDENTIFY DEFINE
ISOLATE PROPOSE/PRESENT
SELECT HANDLE OBJECTIONS
BUY CLOSE THE SALE
CONSUME FOLLOW UP
 Buying decision process

Post
Problem/ Information Evaluation Purchase
Need Purchase
Search/ Of behaviour
recognition decision
collection alternatives
 Personal selling
 Dyad –”a term used by sociologists
meaning interaction between two.
 This interaction is the architect of personal
selling that needs a medium to take place
and a situation to occur.
 A dyad in a selling situation is a two way
flow of communication between the buyer
and the seller.
 Personal selling
 The buyer seller dyad involves the proper
management of exchanges of the
products/ services, information, money,
legal obligations, and commitments
between the buyer and seller and adds
benefits leading to the mutual satisfaction
for both.
 The sales process
1. Prospecting & Qualifying
2. Pre approach (pre call planning )
3. Approach
4. Presentation & Demonstration
5. Overcoming Objections
6. Trial close / Closing the sale
7. Follow –up and Service.
 Prospecting
 Process of identifying potential buyers.
 A prospect has a reasonable probability of
buying ,has sufficient need to justify a
profitable sale ,has financial resources to
buy and can be classified as ‘eligible to
buy’
MONEY? AUTHORITY? DESIRE?
 Prospecting….
 Without prospects you are out of business
 Prospecting is a never ending process
 A suspect is a name that could be a
prospect
 A salesman spends time with suspects,
but invests time with prospects
 Locating prospects
Lead generation – a three step process.
1. Defining the target market :what it wants;
what it buys; where and when it buys;
how it buys;
2. Using communication tools to gather
leads –Advertising, Direct mail,
Telemarketing, Trade shows, buying data
3. Qualifying the Leads.
 Qualifying prospects
 Hot prospects: have good and urgent
requirements and are financially sound
 Warm prospects: have medium or average
requirements and are financially sound
 Cool prospects: low or infrequent
requirements and financial capacity may
be uncertain
 Methods of prospecting
 Referral from existing customers, friends
 Referral from internal company sources
 Referral from suppliers, bankers,
associations
 Professional directories
 Cold calling
 Related industries
 Pre approach
 Focus on understanding customer needs
and characteristics and preparing a
proposal on how the product or service
offered can satisfy the need.
 Steps involved are:
Determining call objectives.
Development of customer profile.
Planning the sales strategy
.
 Call objectives
 Salesperson must set an objective for each
sales call.

 Establish a rapport with your prospect

 Make an appointment for a longer meeting

 Discover the decision making process followed
 Find out the prospects specific need or problem
 Provide the prospect with referrals of your
customers
 Determine who the competitor is
 Develop customer profile
 Customer knowledge :attitudes-
preferences- purchasing practices-
location of plants- products and services-
management levels/authorities
 Planning the sales strategy
 Involvesmaking a tentative plan for
presenting certain specific product
features and benefits
 Approach
 Meeting the buyer for the first time
 First impressions
 Introductory approach
 Customer benefit approach
 Product approach
 Question approach
 Praise approach
 How I can make a customer feel
glad he talked to me
 Can I help him solve a problem
 I can save him time
 I can help him save or make money
 I can empathize and listen to him
 I can pay him a sincere compliment
 I can share an amusing experience to make him
feel good
 I can strive to make him feel proud to be
associated with me/ my organisation
 Sales openings
 Factual opening – to address customer’s
curiosity
 Start with a relevant and tactful question
 Pay a sincere compliment about the
customer or his business
 Personal reference approach-refer to his
hobby, to his holiday, etc.
 Business or economic environment
approach
 Understanding/analyzing
buyer’s needs
 Situational questions: questions about
prospect’s current situation. (who will decide? is
it the first time ? Changing source ?
 Problem identification question: Questions to
uncover problems, difficulties or needs (
problems on quality, delivery ?)
 Problem impact questions: questions to make
the buyer realise the impact of the problem and
the need to solve it.( what will be the impact on
costs , on customer satisfaction ?)
 Understanding/analyzing buyer’s
needs
 Solution value questions :questions to
help the buyer asses the value or
usefulness of the solution ( for x benefit
how much would you save ?
 Confirmation questions: (how would an
error free system help?)
 Questions are the answer
 Thinking vs. feeling questions.
 When you learn how the customer feels
you are more likely to find out what the
customer thinks.( the seat belt case)
 Tying emotion to logic.
 The questioning process
 Three basic types of questions enable us
to discover the needs of our potential
customers.
 1st The Open Door Questions.-allows the
prospect the freedom to go where ever
they like. the “who, what where ,when,
how and why” questions
 Questioning …
 The closed ended question: “would you
tell me more”; “what do you mean
by…Answers to these give you
information to helping the prospect and
building trust.
 Art of questioning
Closed ended question Open ended question
1.Is anyone else 1.Who else will be
involved in this involved in this buying
buying decision? decision?
2.Will you need delivery 2.How soon will you
soon? need delivery?
3.You think the quality is 3.What is your opinion
excellent? about the quality?
 Questioning…
 “yesor no” questions demand a direct
response. “do you agree..” “would my
proposal..” “are we in agreement..”
 They allow you to check on your
progress on the sales process. “trial
close”
 Active listening…
 Don’t think about what you are going to
say after your customer stops speaking
 Listen to the customer’s point of view.
 Repeat what your customer has said.
 Don’t take extensive notes while listening
 Presentation methods
 Stimulus response method: also called a
‘canned approach’, a memorised sales
presentation .It assumes that if a right stimuli is
made it will get a favorable response.
 Formula method: the AIDA process.
 Need-satisfaction method: an interactive sales
presentation. The most challenging and creative
method. The FAB way.
Features, Advantages, Benefits.
 Active Listening
 Value the speaker – show concern,
demonstrate respect
 Listen to what is not said- e.g “cant use
the product”-what does it mean? Cant
buy? Cant use or how to use or wont use.
Customers are often elusive
 Try to hear the truth; focus on the facts
 Limit your speaking time.
 The presentation-AIDA
 Attracting Attention
 Creating Interest
 Building Desire and conviction
 Initiate Action to buy.
 Presentation methods
Team selling method: a multi person sales
team deals with a multi person buying centre (or
buying committees)
Sales team consists of Account executive,
technical support engineer, logistics expert, IT or
systems executive and Finance executive.
Buying committee consists of materials exec.
manufacturing/operations exec. supply chain
exec. Materials manager and Finance exec.
 Presentation methods
 Consultative selling method: problem-
solution method.
Requirements are:
Knowledge of the industry, clients company,
awareness of key members needs,
 Objections
 Objections , opposition , resistance to the
presentation typically happens during the
presentation or while asking for the order.
 Objections should be welcomed.
 Objections indicate that the prospect is
involved and not indifferent.
 Objections reflect the prospect’s view.
 Objections
1. Psychological ( hidden ) – includes pre-
determined ideas or beliefs, preference
for established brands, dislike of making
decisions , anxiety or resistance to spend
money , suspect about quality etc.
2. Logical or practical or real –delivery
schedule, high price , product availibility,
 Handling objections
 Listen

 Understand

 Negotiate
Methods of handling objections
 Ask questions: listen, rephrase, reconfirm
the objection and explain.
 Turn objection into a benefit and trial
close.
 Deny objections tactfully. (arrogance and
sarcasm to be strictly avoided)
 Testimonials, referals
 Compensation for valid objections.
 Negotiation
 Plan– pre determine ‘firm’ and ‘flexible’
factors; define limits.

 Ensurean atmosphere of trust ,

understanding and respect.

 Define purpose and objective.

 Negotiation styles
 Win – loose

 Win – Win

 Loose - Loose
 Closing the sale
 Summarize
 Advantage and disadvantage comparison
 Opportunity benefit
 Emotional appeal
 Direct closure
A.A.F.T.O=Always Ask For The Order