Selling Is Pure And Simple Communications

The successful sales process suggests that the prospect remembers what we say and processes that information when making a decision to buy. Communication is 7% what we say (the words), 38% how we say it (the emotion), and 55% visual (what they see). Don’t forget to add the sizzle to your communications by using emotion and by creating a visual dimension. On average visual aids will raise the overall retention level from 28% to 55%. When people are physically involved with your product such as a demonstration, or holding it and using it, their retention level increases to a whopping 72%.

Our visual appearance to the prospect is as important as the product itself. The way we appear to the prospect can in and of itself determine if a sale will be made.

Follow these five principles and your sales are guaranteed to increase:

1. Create emotion with the words you speak.
2. Use visual aids in your presentations.
3. Always get the prospect physically involved.
4. Use demonstrations whenever possible.
5. Always dress appropriately.

Presentations Should Be A Dialogue Not A Monologue

Telling isn’t selling. If this statement is true, then what is selling? Selling is providing a solution to a problem that the prospect has revealed. The very best way to know the problem is to ask. Selling then is comprised of effective questioning and powerful listening.

In a sales presentation the sales person should only do about thirty percent of the talking and seventy percent of the listening. With each point made about your product or service, ask for the prospects response. Use phrases like, how does that sound? Will that work for you? Can you see the value in that? What do you think? With each question we are soliciting their response and creating a dialogue. When we are discussing the solution with the prospect we are moving comfortably towards the sale.

When a sales person tells a prospect anything, the prospect is evaluating the validity or truthfulness of that statement. When the sales person uses a question to encourage the prospect to reveal what he would have otherwise told the prospect, the prospect believes what he has said and the sales person does not have to sell the prospect on that point.

Practice this principle and watch your sales increase!

Creating An Effective Sales Presentation

Most sales people can hardly wait to tell a new prospect all they know about their products and services. From the moment they first meet the prospect their minds are racing to tell their story.

The most important part of any presentation is to ask the appropriate questions to identify the prospects true needs. To present our product to a prospect before we understand their needs is equivalent to giving "CPR" to a person who has fainted. Once we have identified the prospects needs we are then in a position to present our products as a solution to their problem. When the sales person presents his product as a solution to a problem, he will also be building a strong relationship with the prospect.

Having a product that the prospect may or may not have a need for, or sometime in the future might consider, is the method most sales people use. To present your product as a very specific solution to a very real need (expressed by the prospect) gives you a position of strength. People are more interested in how problems can be solved than they are in just knowing about products and services.

Customer Service

We all talk about it. We all sell it. We all claim to have the best. Customer Service - what is it really? Very simply stated, customer service is “whatever it takes to make the customer feel special and satisfied.” Customer service is more of a feeling on the part of the customer and an attitude on the part of the sales person than it is something tangible.

Let me give you an example. I spent the past week as a guest at the Excellence Resort on the Mayan Riviera. One night we dined at the Lobster House, one of eight gourmet restaurants at the resort. They only serve lobster and shrimp at the Lobster House. My daughter doesn’t like any kind of seafood, so I asked the hostess if it would be possible for my daughter to order her dinner from the Grill Restaurant next door. The hostess leaned close and whispered into my ear, “Don’t tell anyone else, because we are not supposed to do it, but for you, we will bring your daughter a menu from the Grill.”

I’m sure that I’m not the only guest she has told that to, but she made me feel special and completely satisfied my desire. For me, that was excellent customer service! I spent a whole week with similar excellent customer service experiences. I wasn’t given any more than any other guest, but the way they made me feel, and their attitude of wanting to please was about as close to perfect customer service as I have ever experienced.

Remember these few key concepts and you too will provide excellent customer service:

1. Make the other person feel special.
2. Seek to find ways to please your customer.
3. Find joy in pleasing others.
4. It may take effort on your part, but it is worth it.
5. Customers that feel special RETURN OFTEN!