sales tips & articles

Did you know that one of the biggest gripes against salespeople by decision makers is the lack of follow up?

Many people resist following up because they find it uncomfortable and don’t want to seem pushy or annoying and many people don’t follow up because they simply forget. This lack of follow-up presents a great opportunity for those who are organized and take the time to do it.

Follow-up is important because

• It lets people know you are interested and that you care
• It’s shows your level of commitment
• It keeps the relationship progressing
• It provides opportunities for new discussions and new ideas
• It reminds people you are out there and available
• It shortens the sales cycle
• It saves people time
• It leads to sales!

Some people walk a fine line between following up and being a pest so it’s important to know when enough is enough.

When cold calling, follow up can range from one to six months depending on the interest level, time of year and budgets (to name a few). Follow-up is not about pushing your products or services but rather developing a relationship and ‘earning the right’ to do business with people. When following up, don't simply call to "follow up”, add value in every call and think about what you want to say prior to picking up the phone. Is there something newsworthy that you can discuss that applies to them? Perhaps a success story with a client you've worked with? For example:

• "I was just thinking about our recent conversation and I have some new ideas that I'd like to share with you regarding how our [product/service] may actually complement and enhance what you're currently doing, especially when it comes to [state benefit/end result they could realize]."
• "I was thinking about another client who was in a similar situation as yours and thought that you might be interested in hearing about how we were able to eliminate the challenges they had, such as [state some problems your product/service could eliminate]."
• "We've made some interesting changes to our [product line/service/programs/packages] and thought of you and the results you were looking to achieve. There may be a great fit here worth exploring in more detail so that you can [state compelling benefit]."*

There are many, many examples of large sales being made after 6-12 months of calling just to get an appointment to discuss the opportunity, so don’t give up after the first call.

If people insist that they have no need for services and do not anticipate ever having a need, ask if they would like to be included on your mailing list so you can send them interesting information, tips (just like this one)and to keep them abreast of changes in your business or your industry.

If you need to follow-up after a client meeting, I find the best approach to take is to ask them when is the best time to call. This is particularly relevant if you need to follow-up a quote and you’re not sure when they will be making a decision. For example – Client “I need to look over your proposal and will give you a call once I’ve made a decision”. Sales rep “No problems, if I haven’t heard from you by Thursday (I usually wait 2-3 days) would you mind if I gave you a call?”

By taking this approach you are being told when to follow up and have been given permission to do so – it’s efficient, removes any discomfort of follow-up and it works.

Remember, follow-up takes organisation and good record keeping – not a good memory. There are a number of great contact management (or CRM) systems that will keep a record of all your interactions and allow you to enter follow-up calls or tasks. Many of these programs integrate with your Outlook calendar and your handheld so you can enter reminders in the office or out on the road. I use ACT by Sage to enter all my meetings, phone calls and reminders, which synchronises with my Blackberry. No matter where I am I always have access to my diary, my reminders and all my contacts. It’s fantastic when I need to follow someone up on a particular day that may have been weeks after the initial meeting.

So, impress your prospects and your clients and earn the right to do business with them; it highlights your commitment and your interest in having them as clients. You will be amazed at the results and just how much you stand out from the crowd.

This sales article was written by Karen Andrews, Director of Shine Sales Solutions, a Sydney based Sales Coach, Strategist and Sales expert that works with businesses to increase their sales through strategy development, sales coaching and mentoring.


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* quotes were supplied by K. Rosen at allbusiness.com

Looking at your business from a sales perspective and most importantly understanding your business from a client perspective, is one of the most important first steps in sales.

Most people hate being sold to but love the feeling of buying; so the clearer you can explain how your business helps and “what is in it for them” the easier it makes prospective customers to make a buying decision.

The consultative/problem solver approach qualifies and listens to the customer and helps them to buy what they need. The consultative approach focuses on the needs of the customer and how you improve or benefit them in some way.

Every potential prospect that you meet with has a different reason for meeting with you and may also have a range of reasons for using your products and services. These reasons are known as ‘buying reasons’ for the client and are related to what difference you can make.

You cannot see a prospect’s needs; they are inside the prospect and only they can tell you what they are. However, you can be reasonably sure they have a need when they use language like the following:

• I want
• I need
• I’d like to
• We are looking for
• We are interested in
• I wish
• I hope
• What matters is
• It’s important to
• We must

When you have an appointment it is important to listen for and recognise these needs. If you don’t, you risk making incorrect assumptions about what the prospect is looking for and waste time talking about things he or she isn’t interested in. It might sound obvious, but you need to get the prospect talking and you listening, rather than the other way around. I am constantly amazed at how many salespeople sit in front of someone for the first time and never shut up ! A simple measure of how good you are at this is to analyse your appointment; who talked the most?

Remember, if your product, service or business can't

• Improve a current situation
• Saved time or money
• Solve a problem, challenge or frustration, or
• Fulfila need or desire

Why would I want to buy it?

Think of a prospect you are dealing with at the moment, using the reasons above, why would they want to buy your services?

This sales article was written by Karen Andrews, Director of Shine Sales Solutions, a Sydney based Sales Coach, Strategist and Sales expert that works with businesses to increase their sales through strategy development, sales coaching and mentoring.

If you liked this article, subscribe to our monthly Sales Success ezine. You will learn...

* Easy ways to increase your sales and grow your business
* Simple strategies to sell yourself, even if your not in sales
* How to generate sales easier and quicker!

Enter your details at the top of the page or click here

Objections are simply reasons or concerns that a prospective client has as to why they won't make a decision when you want them to. You will hear statements such as:

• Sounds good, let me think about it
• It sounds great but not just yet
• We do this already
• We don’t get any complaints
• Our reps do that
• I’m really busy at the moment and just haven’t had a chance to look at it
• I need to speak to my partner before I can make a decision
• I’ll have a look at it and get back to you in a couple of weeks.

There are many reasons for objections and they are not always negative. Objections are a great indicator and qualifier as to whether you will get the sale - depending on how you handle them at the time. The best way to avoid objections is to ensure you ask the right questions in the first appointment that uncovers your prospect’s real need. This ensures that you are making the right recommendation and can talk about the related value and benefits this solution will address.

The more work you do up front understanding their needs and what they would like to achieve, the less you will have to deal with objections.

Firstly, hear them out don’t interrupt or try and answer their concerns before they have a chance to finish. When they have finished, acknowledge the concenrn by saying "I complete understand how you feel. Some of my best clients felt that way also" or “I completely understand how you feel, this is a big decision and it makes sense for you to think about this."

Secondly, you need to be sure that the objection they give you is 'really' the reason and if you provide a solution to that problem, they agree to buy from you (this way it's a win/win).

For example: “The Price is Too High”

“I understand you might feel that way. If you don't mind me asking, if price wasn't an issue or we can agree on a price that suits your budget, do you feel this is the right solution/product/service for you?  or  “if we can agree on price, is this something you could order today?”

Additionally, if they seem reluctant to move ahead, keep asking questions to find out why. You might say something like:

• “Is there something else we should talk about?”
• “Is there anything else I can do to help?
• “What needs to happen before you’ll be ready to make a decision?”
• “Can you tell me what your hesitation is?”
• “When do you think you will have a chance to look at it?”
• “If I don’t’ hear back from you by Friday, would you mind if I give you a call?
• “A couple of my clients thought the same thing, would you be interested in speaking to some of our clients to see what difference we are making to their business?

If the customer is willing to move forwards but at a slower pace, you can propose a lesser commitment than the one you originally asked for. Try to get the best commitment that customer is willing and able to make that day.

If you can’t get a customer to make a decision or commit to a next step, try to get a date by which a decision or commitment will be made.

Reminder:

The notes you made on the first appointment will be critical to the objection and closing process and I strongly recommend you have those on hand for each meeting with the prospect. These notes give you the ability to remind the client of the benefits they were looking for by implementing your product or service as well as other information such as problems and challenges that they were hoping to reduce or remove altogether.

This sales article was written by Karen Andrews, Director of Shine Sales Solutions, a Sydney based Sales Coach and Sales expert that works with businesses to increase their sales through strategy development, sales coaching and mentoring.

If you liked this article, subscribe to our monthly Sales Success ezine. You will learn...

* Easy ways to increase your sales and grow your business
* Simple strategies to sell yourself, even if your not in sales
* How to generate sales easier and quicker!

Enter your details at the top of the page or click here