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Professional Selling. The first thing to sort out when you start selling is to decide who is most likely to want or need what you are offering. The second thing is to discover if they are willing to pay for it? Then where can these people be found? How best to make contact and start building a relationship? Every person you sell has family, friends and associates that could be interested in what you are selling, especially if they are introduced by a trusted Referrer. When you are clear on who are your target market, what exactly you are offering, and How you plan to deliver your product or service, then you are ready to develop your sales presentation.
The Sales Conversation has a unique and distinctive structure:-
1. It starts with introductions to gain a warm reception for the conversation to follow. Depending on the situation these are best kept brief and business like initially. Ideally during this stage you can find something in common with the prospect that builds good rapport between you such as a shared experience in your backgrounds. However you can start gathering information right from the beginning providing you don’t over use the situation questions, such as, “how long have you been in business?”
2. Framing up is a way of transitioning into the serious selling stage. This involves setting the stage for the direction that you intend to take during this presentation. For example you may say something like this:- “Firstly I would like to ask you a few questions so that I can best help you. Then I will tell you a little bit about how we work and how our service can benefit you. After that if I feel we have a good fit, I will ask you if you wish to make a commitment to purchase. Is that OK with you?”
3. Powerful questions are the key to Professional Selling at every stage. Now during this investigating stage it is most important to explore the problems, difficulties, and dissatisfactions in the areas where your product or service can help. The more you can uncover and dig up the better. For example, “if you had to name your one most critical business concern at present, what would that be?”
4. The next stage involves taking the customer’s problem and exploring its effects or consequences. For example, “how long can you continue to make a loss from this activity?” Questions like these help the customer understand the seriousness and urgency of their problems and give them a better appreciation of the value of your solution when you present it.
5. Finally, we reach the needs pay off questions. The most important outcome is to have the customer tell you the benefits that your solution would offer. For example, “what would be the impact on your profitability of doubling your sales? Top sales performers ask ten times more needs pay off questions than average performers to achieve their objective with each presentation.
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