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Sales 102

Following on from Sales 101 which deals with cold calling and telephone based sales, Sales 102 looks at how to manage customer meetings and  how best to establish a need for your product. The presentation then moves on to talk about how to present your deal, deal with objections and close the contract.

The real value of the presentations is in the delivery so if you want your sales force to benefit from improved sales performance contact the Innovation Centre now.

Sales - Meeting to Succeed

Introduction
• You have the meeting- What now?
• How do you use the meeting to win the client
• What do you want from the meeting
• And how to get it

Agenda
• Client Briefing
• Peer group player
• Timing is everything
• Position yourself
• Opening remarks
• Spin the wheel
• Show your understanding
• Present the deal
• Dealing with objections
• Close the deal

Peer Group Player
• Frame of mind: remember that you are the expert in your field which is part of the clients business.
• Treat them as equals- they will do the same.
• Dress as you expect they would be dressed- show respect wear a suit and maybe a tie, depending on the sector you are selling to – you have to feel comfortable but be at least as well dressed as them.
• Remember you want to establish peer credentials so know their business before you walk in and give them something (verbally to indicate that you too run a business and are experienced)

Client Briefing
• You have an appointment
• Now create the client briefing
• Contact person and any important players in the company
• Address, telephone
• Main business details
• Customers
• What’s happening in their market

Timing is everything
• Punctually is expected-never be late
• If you are more than 5 minutes early go and kill time elsewhere
• If you are travelling across town allow for traffic, so you get there composed not rushed.
• Read through your client briefing again before you go in

Position yourself
• What do you do while you’re waiting?
    o take a business newspaper or a relevant trade journal with you and read that
• What do you do in the meeting room?
    o If you are shown in first wait for them to enter, do not “own” the space, keep your bag in your hand.
    o Where do you sit? 
         Let them sit down first and position yourself across the corner from them if possible not over the table.

Best Sales Props?
• Best sales props are simple
o Avoid laptop presentations, OHPs
• business cards
• client brief
• notebook for notes.
• Take an offer to complete at the end of the meeting

Opening Remarks
• You are the guest, let the host start.
• Silence is golden
• Empathize
• Ask open questions that enable them to talk about business in general
• Establish yourself as someone with knowledge of their business

SPIN the wheel
• Use SPIN selling techniques to understand if and why the customer needs your product
• Situation
• Problem
• Implications
• Need
• Ask questions to get where you need them to be.

Show your understanding
• Recap what they have said (that’s relevant)
• Ask questions do not assume if you do not understand
• Identify their problems and ask if the implications of this are correct as you have understood them
• Establish the need

Presenting the deal
• Come back to talking about value to client
• What are their key benefits- re-iterate
• Establish value before cost
• i.e if the ISO9001 is worth $900,000 a year to you whats its worth to maintain it? Ensure it functions? Passes Audits?
• Present the full picture
    o Base Cost per seat
    o Maintenance
    o Implementation

Dealing with objections
• Resources 
    o Money
    o People
    o Platform
    o Time
• Benefits
    o What’s the alternative?
    o Added benefits – succession planning, knowledge management
    o If you have to give anything take something in return.

Close the deal
• Ask for the close
• Do not accept delay tactics
• Can you execute on this- are you authorised? Important enough?
• Get out of jail free card- i.e. sign today but you have 5 days cooling off period.
• Satisfaction guaranteed….
• Competitive pressure

Follow up
• Congratulations- you have made a sale
• Now make sure you celebrate your win
• And deliver on your promise

By Nigel Hall, Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast Pty Ltd


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