Are you a Sale Maker or an Order Taker?
Are you responsible for Selling
or Order Taking? An Order Taker waits for “the right time” the prospect is going to consider purchasing your services or products. Proactive sales people believe that what they sell helps their customers. They create a sense of urgency in the mind of the customer to win business now. They politely compel prospects to buy sooner by confirming value established by benefits that are important to the customer.
At Sales Concepts, we have trained thousands of sales people over the past 33 years. We are always amazed at people who when told to call back in six months, will actually wait for six months to call again. Most don’t ask, “Why six months?”
We are saddened to hear a Sales Person react to “send me more information” by sending more information without asking questions. Why not politely ask, “What have I said to cause you to want more information?” “What have I said that interest you?” Why not say, “I’ll be glad to send you information. However, we have a lot of material; I want to make sure I send you information that addresses your needs. Would you allow me about two minutes to ask a couple of questions?”
Below are questions that may be asked if you were selling scientific or lab instruments. These are just examples, but you can adapt these questions to your industry and customer types.
- Would you briefly tell me about your application?
- What is your average throughput per day?
- How long does it take fulfill an order?
- Who actually does the analysis?
- Wwhat does your technician make per hour.
- How are you doing it now?
- Are you pleased with the instrument you are now using? What do you like/dislike about it?
- What would you want to do differently if you could?
These are merely some examples of questions you can ask. We’re not suggesting you bombard the prospect with questions, but not asking any questions may come across as if you are really not interested. “Oh, you are having a meeting in May? Tell me about your meeting. Do you have an agenda? What is the purpose of the meeting? Where will it be? Who is attending?”
If you are unable to tell your manager about the prospect’s needs, sense of urgency, present problems, etc. then you are probably an Order Taker.
Why not ask “Why did you agree to talk with me?” You’ll be surprised at the answers! Some people call this qualifying. I call this selling. How can you help a prospect if you do not understand their situation and circumstances?
Yes, I know the prospect is usually in a hurry so “sell” them on giving you some time! Selling is not telling – It’s asking questions to create urgency in the prospect’s mind. Good things don’t always happen to those who wait.
“Thanks! Great Presentation!”
“Great Presentation!” These c
ould be the two worst words you can hear after your sales presentation! Another horrible response a presenter might hear after a presentation is “Thank you very much. We don’t see a fit at this time.” Without an inspiring action step, most sales-oriented presentations inform without compelling a proactive response from the prospect(s). Almost anyone can deliver an informative presentation. However, when you bring together an informative presentation that is sales-oriented, you have a powerful combination that will more likely achieve the desired result: a trial, a visit, an ORDER!
Two other critical components to a compelling presentation are its visual appeal and flexibility to accommodate the audience’s interests. The graphics, support materials and content flow must be stimulating. It’s boring to use a PowerPoint presentation with black type on a white background in the default font of Arial. If this describes your presentations, maybe you hear the refrain, “Thanks, we’ll get back to you” more than you would like. There’s no question that a visually attractive presentation commands greater attention, but it also needs to be flexible. Use hyperlinks to navigate to content when your prospect shows interest in a point or asks a question. It’s more important to respond your prospect’s thoughts than following the order of your slides. Visual appeal and flexibility will produce a more proactive response from your prospects. That means you may have to brush up on your PowerPoint skills. Some of the best sales-oriented presentations we have seen did not use PowerPoint at all. If you prepare and practice with your prospect in mind, you can command the attention all by yourself! Gasp! Remember, PowerPoint is there to support you, not replace you.
Here are a few keys to a truly great presentation that generates action and business:
| The Objective | |
| This is the most important part of any presentation. A presentation can’t be compelling without one. | |
| Preparation | |
| Leave nothing to chance, take nothing for granted. | |
| Analyzing Your Audience | |
| Understand and fulfill their expectations. | |
| Content | |
| Build the core of your presentation and be prepared to respond. | |
| The Opening | |
| Grab the attention of your audience and hold it. | |
| Delivery | |
| Compell your audience to want to listen for the rest of your story. | |
| Getting Feedback | |
| Know for certain that you are compelling. | |
| Closing | |
| Finish strong with a call for action. | |
So take a time to review your presentations or those used by your team. Ask an objective individual to give you their assessment. Is the presentation focused on your objective, and the customer’s needs? Does it compel you to take action? If not, re-tool your presentation to include the ideas and points mentioned above. Sometimes it takes an external source to help sharpen the presentation skills of your team. At Sales Concepts, we are your ally when it comes to delivering successful sales-oriented presentations, so that instead of “Great Presentation” you will hear “How soon can we get started?”
The 2% Solution
Selling Value in a “commodity driven” world
What would an additional 2% mean to your sales? If your average sale is $20K, it’s an additional $400. If it’s $1Million, you’ll reap an additional $20K. You can do the math. That might not sound like much, relatively speaking, and that’s exactly what your customers want you to think. Despite what others may say or think, your company is unique because of its capabilities, products, expertise and value. Some may even describe your services and products as a commodity.
Another way to look at the 2 percent is to ask yourself how much you would have to sell to make up the difference. If your profit margin is 15% you would have to sell an additional $2,667 to net another $400 profit. Even more startling is the $20K at 15%, you would have to sell an additional $133,334 to make up that difference.
Two entities have a vested interest in ensuring you think of your products and services as commodities, your customers and your compet
itors. When you think of your products and services as a commodity, the majority of your sales conversations naturally center on price. This causes many salespeople to feel as though they are simply “order takers” having no power or influence. If that were truly the case, many companies would just encourage customers to order online, foregoing the cost of salespeople and their associated salaries and expenses.
While there are always customers who will buy the lowest price regardless of what might be offered in the way of enhanced value, there certainly are enough others who recognize the extraordinary benefits that your company provides. As illustrated above, you must ask yourself: “What would an additional one or two percentage points in revenue do to my bottom line?” One or two percentage points would be a conservative expectation should you re-orient your strategies and tactics by distinguishing your company from the other so-called “commodity” suppliers.
Two key factors in negotiating, power and influence, are both a state of mind. They are perceptions. If you perceive your customer has all the power and influence then they do. If you perceive you have the power and influence, then you do. Remember, you have the power to walk away or choose not to make a deal.
Changing an individual or team’s mental approach to negotiating is not easy to accomplish. Two factors play into the perception of value in the minds of you and your customer. The first is your ability to financially justify the benefits of what you sell to your customers and the second is the ability to defend your price with appropriate negotiating strategies. The two go hand in hand and it is difficult to execute one without the other.
What would an additional 2% or more mean to the bottom line of your company?
Be Fair
When negotiati
ng, most sellers believe buyers have all the power. They have the money and can very easily buy from a competitor. In our Value-Added Negotiating class, we ask buyers who has the most power. Buyers respond with the seller. Buyers need what the seller has to offer. Sometimes competitive products and services are not as good.
Power in negotiating is a state of mind. It’s a perception. If you perceive your customer has all the power then they do. If you perceive you have the power, then you do. Remember, you have the power to walk away or choose not to make a deal.
Try this at your next sales meeting:
Want to learn more about how your people negotiate? Consider using the following exercise at your next sales meeting with your team. Focus on being fair; use the following scenario to gauge how your team determines what is fair.
You are the sales manager. You have one new company car. You have the opportunity to give the car to one of the following sales people. Who gets the new company car and why?
SALES PERSON #1 He has been with the company 17 yearslonger than any other sales person. Giving him the car shows you appreciate his loyal service with the company.
SALES PERSON #2 She has been with the company six months and is progressing very well. Giving her the car would be motivating and cause her to be happy with the job.
SALES PERSON #3 His company car is the oldest in the fleet. Service is becoming a problem. Giving him the car shows you care.
SALES PERSON #4 She has the largest territory and her car has the most mileage. It is time to replace the car. By replacing her car, you reduce the chances of roadside problems.
SALES PERSON #5 She is well over quota for the year. That is what counts. Show her your appreciation.
SALES PERSON #6 He has the most profit year to date. If you give him the car, profit is encouraged.
Who should get the car? Why?
This exercise will prove that “Fair” is in the eye of the beholder. Buyers and Sellers perceive fair differently. This enables your team to empathize with their prospects and level the playing field. Using the term “fair” during a negotiation lowers tension and builds trust if communicated in a calming tone. One of the worst things you can do during a negotiation is leave not knowing how your customer truly feels about your solution, your company, and most of all you. Don’t assume you know. Ask!
Click here for a PDF file of this exercise. Be prepared before you negotiate.
Questions – A Sales Person’s Best Friend
While talking with a client the other day, I happened to mention that Sales Concepts has been providing sales and customer service training for over thirty years. After this, the client said, “Wow, I guess you have seen and worked with a lot of sales people. What would you say is (as a whole) their biggest weakness?” Upon reflecting on that for about two nanoseconds, the answer was obvious. Sales people, as a whole, don’t ask enough questions! Why don’t we ask questions? There are many reasons.
Here are a few:
- Bad timing.
- It’s none of my business. I don’t want to pry.
- The question is too hard to formulate.
- The customer probably does not know the answer.
- Too many questions may annoy the customer.
- I don’t want to look stupid.
- Oops, I wasn’t listening.
- I just assumed that…
- Lack of preparation.
- The answer might be embarrassing.
- You are in “tell” mode.
- I just plain forgot.
This list continues. Perhaps a more positive approach is needed. Let’s take a look at the power of questions. When you ask a series of meaningful, well thought, well-prepared questions you come across as someone who cares. Caring is a natural bi-product of meaningful preparation. Questions can bail you out of a jam. Remember you can’t say something wrong if the customer is talking. Open-ended questions help you prepare for what is coming. Ask questions so that you are able to deal with objections later in the sales process. By the way, asking questions is the best way to handle objections. You may think you know what your customers are saying, but do you understand what they mean or more importantly—what they want? There is no better way to uncover opportunities than to ask questions.
Now let’s review that list one more time. Bad timing may be a reason to postpone a question; it’s never a valid excuse not to ask it later. Jot down your questions as you talk with your customers so you can ask them later. Of course, it’s better if you have them prepared in advance. The rest of the reasons we don’t ask enough questions can be solved by better preparation and a little confidence. Oh, and by the way, the best method to gain more confidence is to be prepared. Invest some time before your customer encounters. Be prepared. Recognize and test your assumptions. Have your questions prepared in advance. That way after your call you won’t pound your forehead saying, “Why didn’t I ask that?”
An orange is not as good as an apple.
What’s your favorite fruit? Why is that your favorite fruit? If you picked the apple, you probably value its shiny red image, self-packaging, ease of consumption, and the idea that if you drop a few seeds, some future generation benefits from that crop of apples.
What if you picked the banana? Poor you. The aroma of a banana is good only for a short while. Its attractive yellow color becomes brown and ugly, and the scent of a spoiling banana is…ugh! And it’s dangerous. People slip and fall on banana peels. (Is that really true? I’ve never known anyone who did.)
The orange is in the middle. It has the best aroma, is self-contained, and it provides juice and meat. It’s not as good as an apple, because you can’t eat it as easily. It’s superior to a banana because it smells better and no one drinks banana juice. However, it is not as good as an apple, because it doesn’t keep the doctor away.
Okay, time to earn my pay. The foregoing silly exercise has only one purpose. It’s hard to sell your favorite benefit to a prospect that values something else. You can talk until you’re blue in the face about the virtues of a banana to someone who only likes apples or oranges.
The trick is to find the benefit that fits the prospect’s need AND which he or she accepts. Don’t fall into the trap of selling what you like. It has to be from the prospect’s point of view. So remember:
- Customers buy benefits so, sell benefits, not features.
- Convert features to benefits by stating the feature out loud as if you are saying it to a customer. Then ask yourself the question “So what?” The answer is the benefit.
- Let the customer tell you what benefits are important.
- Sell the benefit that matters to your prospect. You can’t force someone to eat a fruit they don’t like.
Another way to put it, most sales people sell what something is. Most customers buy what something does. Think like your customers and win more business.
