Prepare. If you find yourself stammering or beating
around the bush in your sales pitch then it means you are ill prepared
for your task.
Research. Preparation begins from researching about
your prospective client, finding out what they like, the time they are
available, the way they like to be approached and what they do not like!
Going in blindly into a sales call or approaching a prospect with no
clue about who they are is a time-wasting risk which often leads to
nothing but embarrassment!
Know your product. Knowledge about your product and
the benefits that it gives to the customer will give you full confidence
and show that you really know what you are talking about. It will help
you handle objections effectively and not let the sale just slip away.
Ever felt like you had almost closed the deal and then the prospect just
changed his mind at the last minute and the sale was gone? This can
easily be avoided by handling objections very well and reassuring the
prospect with solid facts but you cannot do this when you are totally
clueless about your own services or products.
Set your objectives. Be it cold calling or showing up
for a re-arranged meeting or head hunting for new clients outdoors, It
is all pointless if you have not set your objectives for that particular
activity. If it is a sales call, set the time you would like to spend
on the call, who exactly you would like to speak to, why them in
particular, what you have to offer and your desired outcome. Your
desired outcome could be closing the deal over the phone, arranging for a
meeting, getting an email address... whatever it may be, you must write
it down and check whether you achieved your objective after the call.
Greet the prospective client in the right way.
Greeting the client sounds like a simple task. Many people think that
all you need to say is, "Good Morning Ma'am/Sir." Unfortunately, this is
not the best way to go about it.
- Starting with submissive greetings using words like Sir and Ma'am
might initially sound respectful but in actual fact, using such words
puts you under the prospect's feet. It gives the impression that you are
begging and opens up a good platform for the prospect to object like
the Sir and Ma'am that you have made them out to be.
- Rather than this, it is better to greet a prospect by their name and
title. Simply "Good-morning Mrs X or Mr X." It makes things so much
simpler. Using a greeting like this instead of a more formal or
submissive tone will help to avoid getting people's guards up.
Get to the point. It is good to create a casual
conversation but overdoing it could offend the prospect. Saying things
like "You look pretty today" or "I like your office" is okay but it
doesn't have to be overdone or done in an obviously inappropriate
situation. But how do you know whether the prospect will take your
casual comments well or not?- You don't! The best thing is to be
professional and on target, don't beat around the bush.
Make a two way conversation not a lecture! Nervous
sales people often want to make their sales pitch and just run away as
soon as possible. They often get caught in talking for ages and then
asking the killer question "Are you interested?"
- Looking at it from the customer's point of view, the impression you
give would be that you really don't care about what the customer needs
and all you want is your own selfish gain.
- Consulting with the customer and asking questions about their
interests and their past experience with similar products creates a
consultative dialogue which will get you the "Yes" you are looking for.
Close the deal. After pitching and consulting with
the customer to find out their needs and interests, the final crucial
step is to close the deal. A good way to do this is to run through the
benefits of what you are selling and the solution it will provide for
the needs the customer said he has.
- For example if you are selling advertisement you could end your
pitch with something like, "As you said Mr X, your company is looking
for more brand awareness and new clients. Our marketing solutions will
provide you with the brand awareness you are looking for. If you could
allow me, I can run you through the procedure of advertising through
us..."
- This is a simple, indirect way of asking "Are you interested?"
Source:
WikiHow
