What is the first step that a salesperson should take during the sales presentation?
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Show The 7 Steps of the Sales Process1. Product Knowledge The technical expert turned sales person is so eager to explain how the product works or why it’s unique that the benefits to the customer are left out of the discussion. Never assume that a prospect will easily link a feature to a benefit. That relationship must be stated clearly (something done in the presentation step 4, after the needs assessment step 5). The acquiring of product knowledge for a “technician” therefore, is less about the features of the product itself, and more about how the customer will benefit from those features. When discussing product, the technicians mantra should be; “So what?” Consider those two words to be what the prospect thinks every time a feature is mentioned, and re-learn your product from that perspective. 2. Prospecting In the broadest sense, prospecting is an ongoing process that everyone in the company (particularly the sales force) should be involved in. This simply means everyone should have their “prospecting radar” up when they are out and about in the world. Very often, a great lead turned customer was first discovered after being heard or seen in the news at a party, or event, etc. 3. The Approach Their product is a seminar, about which they presumably have sufficient knowledge. They prospect by scanning the house lists for appropriately titled leads, (generated by earlier prospecting efforts). They approach by saying “I’m Jay from XYZ and I’m calling to follow up on an invitation to a seminar that we mailed to you last week. Do you recall receiving it?” Then the dialog begins, often it’s perfunctory, other times however it can be extremely informative. The difference more often than not depends on how astute and articulate the caller is. What do you think is good about this approach? What do you think is bad?” Quite often the type of call one makes is a follow up to some action i.e. seminar attendance, brochure mailed, etc. Technically these calls are part of follow up step 7, but let us address them in the context of a sales approach. What would be a good approach for each of the above follow up actions? Think about eliciting information and advancing the sale (closing, step 6). What would be a good approach for a cold call? Additional Note on recording information: Regardless of the type of call or the results, it is important to take detailed call notes and schedule a subsequent action item, no matter what it is be it a week, a month, or a year down the road. (One can invent a system of abbreviations to make this easier i.e. LVM = left voice mail.) History notes are important for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is tracking where a prospect is in the sales process, including what follow up is necessary and when. Noting that “packet was mailed” or “attended seminar” or “inquired about model” is only half the information and not the most important. Why? 4. The Needs Assessment 5. The Presentation 6. The Close In large part, closing is about discovering obstacles. Have you heard these before: “I’ll need to think about it.”, “It’s too expensive.”, “Let me run it buy some other people.” “Sounds good but I’ve already got one.” What could you say to overcome these objections? There are lots of ways to close, indeed closing a sale has become a science unto itself. Books have been written on this topic alone. But there is one elemental truth – if you don’t ask you don’t get. Just for fun, following is a sampling of a few closing techniques from among the many: — The Ask For It Close. “What do we need to do to get this model into your organization?” Additional note: The question “How much does it cost?” Is a great buying signal yet it is a question you want to avoid early in the sales process. What could you say to defer that question politely? When you do mention price, don’t be afraid that they are too high, say it with pride. Don’t forget to ask for the referral. 7. Follow-up Follow up conversations are best handled by the salesperson who started the relationship. Who else can better gauge a prospect’s “willingness to buy”, or pick up where “we last left off”. This means that detailed notes must be kept on each prospect with particular emphasis on their “state of mind”. It is unwise and ineffective to keep track of this information anywhere other than a centralized database. Additional note: It’s important to hold some follow up ammunition in reserve. Overwhelming your prospects with every piece of information you possess on their first request hampers your ability to stay in touch. Having a stable of collateral materials gives you reason to follow up. SaveSave Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!What is the first step in the sales process?The first step in the sales process is prospecting. In this stage, you find potential customers and determine whether they have a need for your product or service—and whether they can afford what you offer.
What are the steps in sales presentation?7 Step Process for Developing a Winning Sales Presentation. planning and preparation. Obviously done prior to the presentation itself, preparation prevents poor performance! ... . Introduction and opening. ... . questioning. ... . presentation. ... . objections handling. ... . closing. ... . after sales follow up.. What are the 7 steps in sales presentation plan?There are seven common steps to the selling process: prospecting, preparation, approach, presentation, handling objections, closing and follow-up.
What are the 4 sales steps?There are four Steps in the sales process: 1) Greet, 2) Qualify, 3) Present, 4) Close.
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