Stop you making the mistakes still made by 95% of all sellers; the ‘also-rans’.
Start you making your first £million by becoming one of the 5% who knows what really sells.
(And start you getting very rich indeed)
(FREE) The 8 key steps in selling….and how to do them properly for once:
- Your customer learns about your product or service through this Directory or through prior experience or even by word of mouth.
The ‘also-ran’ 95% ….react by immediately launching into their one-size-fits-all presentation or demo and give away too much irrelevant information. They show lots of features of their product without showing how those features could solve a problem for this customer. They do all this within a few minutes of their first meeting. They are then surprised when the customer quickly asks about the price.
The TOP 5% … Ask a lot of pre-planned questions about problems they know they can fix. The customer enjoys this as it develops a two-way conversation rather than a one-way pitch. These ‘top 5%’ never start with a presentation and probably don’t give one at all at the first meeting. When they finally ‘present’ their ideas they do it with panache, showmanship and humour.
- Your customer evaluates whether your recommended solution meets their needs
The ‘also ran’ 95%…react by pitching the company range whether the customer has asked about it or not. They can’t wait to give answers and talk about solutions.
The TOP 5%….Ask about the knock-on effect of problems (ones they know they can fix) in the current situation if these problems are allowed to persist. (These ‘knock-on effect’ questions are very powerful and persuasive and are always planned by top sellers in advance.) They show great insight from the customer’s point of view.
- Your customer prepares a request for their financial management.
The ‘also ran’ 95%…react by offering brochures and canned ‘boilerplate’ documentation and presentations to justify any price or cost issues. They quickly offer discounts in an effort to secure the business.
The TOP 5% …Work with the customer and rehearse them in the best ways to present their price justification.
- Senior management sends out a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quotation (RFQ) to your competitors (just for comparison and to keep you honest!! )
The ‘also ran’ 95%…..Wait for end-users to make requests for the content of the RFP/RFQ. Are paralysed with fear and believe they can do nothing. They often offer even more discounts.
The TOP 5%…Visit relevant customer departments in an effort to influence the RFP/RFQ content and focus it on their own particular Unique Selling Points which the customer has said it needs.
- Customer’s ‘buying committee’ (or similar) interviews vendors (you and others) to screen for specification match to requirements etc
The ‘also ran’ 95% …Show their usual canned demo again…oblivious to customer need to see the specific relevant solution now. (I once saw a drinks transport company proudly showing their new Red Bull canned drink transport commercial to a potential fine wine customer. They lost it immediately and couldn’t understand why!)
The TOP 5% ….. Give focused presentation which deals specifically with problems and issues this client has said they need to fix. There is nothing superfluous.
- Committee gives short-list approval to (usually) two vendors and requests final meeting/presentation
The ‘also ran’ 95% …Sell well only when they have a price advantage. Unable to differentiate themselves from low-cost alternatives.
The TOP 5% … Show importance of unique features sought and stated by a client which differentiate their higher-priced offering from lower-priced alternatives.
- The customer is ready to sign a contract but has final concerns which need clarifying (Liability, performance guarantees, contract length, etc)
The ‘also ran’ 95%… Try to ignore difficult concerns or pretend they don’t exist. Say ‘Trust me’ when the client has doubts.
The TOP 5%…Draw out customer concerns and help resolve them. Introduce the customer to existing satisfied clients. Acknowledge shortcomings but emphasise the importance of the unique things you can do for the client which the client has said are really important.
- Follow up after contract signed
The ‘also ran’ 95%…Give good support but no further attempt to promote other services. (They forget it is 80% easier [and 80% less expensive] to get more business from an existing happy customer than it is to go out and find a new one)
The TOP 5%… Give good support but also use it as an opportunity to sell more to other departments and end-users.
Simple? You bet! But most sellers just don’t do it. So I get paid anything between £2500 to £25,000 a day to show my clients how….but you’re getting it for FREE. The trick, you see, is knowing precisely what you have to do at each step to make it work for you.
Give me a call…I will show you how to make a million or more too…..just like me.
(Or you can carry on doing it your way …..and not.)
Bob Etherington
“Europe’s Best Sales Trainer” : [Voted by ‘Sales Innovation Expo’ 2015 and 2016, Excel London.]
bob@bobetheringtongroup.com
