The selling I recognize today is much different from
the selling I thought I knew, a month ago. Selling, I believed, was an inborn
gift. And with a sales course which required selling a real service
to prospective clients, under the guidance of Professor Ramez, the true sales
doctor, I started to see selling in a whole new light. I began
to recognize it as a service, helping
people, get what they want. And the salesman, as a benefactor who
creates value to customers whether or not they are aware of a need. I now
comprehend selling as reciprocity; realizing that it is more about giving than
receiving. Through the three weeks of my selling journey, I have learned for a
fact that in selling, the customer’s interest and the seller’s self-interest
are inevitably woven together. And
above all, that selling is an art that can be mastered with sufficient
practice.
The secret to sales lie in seeing the world from the customers’
perspective. This demands the right research, ample analysis and proper
planning before any customer meeting. To begin with, I need to identify and
target specific customers my product caters to. Research involves anything and
everything relevant I can find about the customer, be it their competition,
location, origin, culture, consumers and clients.
In addition to customer focus, what is also crucial is my
perception of the product; for the salesman is as important as the product
itself. If I am not convinced that my product is the best or even had the
slightest doubts or fear, my thoughts and beliefs would affect my actions and
subsequent results. Also my perseverance and desire to perform, my choice of
words, attitude, demeanour and body language plays a major role in my service
being accepted by the other as trustworthy.
Another key focus in selling is to learn how to schedule meetings
and to keep appointments. These meetings demand that I pay undivided attention
to everything the other person has to say, honing my listening abilities in the
process. This empathetic listening capacity is crucial to build long term
relationships and also to nurture established associations. One such instance I
can relate to in my selling experience is my conversation with the HR of a
major engineering firm here in Dubai. Solely by listening, I was able to engage
him and find out a Kuwait link, common to the two of us. This also got him
talking in general about his university days and how he had to do his sales
pitch to his neighbours to sell a similar product. This level of connect and
rapport building works very well in sales and the golden rule of ‘the listener
gaining most from a conversation’ played many a times in my favour. The more I
got a customer to speak about not so relevant issues by establishing common
ground, the more trust I built and more favourably they thought and spoke of
me. Establishing trust takes the maximum amount of time, and this I recognized
is the most vital part that affects the speed with which purchase decisions are
made.
Once trust is established, then comes my opening. The IAB
framework of Introduction, Appreciation and Benefit played a major role in
setting the right expectations and grabbing attention of customers. A striking
example when I failed to use the IAB framework effectively to my advantage was
the opening with the lead from a major marketing firm in the region. When he
set the tone that I had exactly 15 minutes to convince him, I found it
difficult to think on my feet. Not only did I skip the introductions, but also
failed to convey what’s in it for him. And making the customer believe that he
has a lot to gain from the purchase is a must-have in any sales pitch.
With effective openings in place, the next step is to
identify customer needs so as to align the product benefits with the customer
values. Finding out a customer’s needs is best done using the SPIN framework using
Investigative, Dissatisfaction, Amplification and Benefit questions.
Investigative questions include asking about facts or the customer’s present
situation and these must be asked sparingly as it is the salesman who gets the
most benefit from these questions. The focus must be on the customer and the
objective is to use questioning that can benefit the client. Experienced
salesmen go for dissatisfaction questions which ask about the problems and
difficulties, that the buyer is experiencing with their present situation and
that you can solve with your products or services. Once dissatisfaction is
identified, ask questions about effects and consequences of a buyer’s problem.
These are called amplification questions as they amplify the pain of the buyer and
establishes a must have need. And the last category called the need-benefit
question is the mirror image of an amplification question and this focus on
solutions. For example if the customer is having issues finding loan on time,
you could ask an amplification question by saying, ‘what are the consequences
of not having the funds available when you need them? The same idea with the
need-benefit question would be “What would it mean to you if you were able to
have the money when you need it the most”? There was this instance with a CEO
of a marketing events firm when I was able to amplify his must-have- need
of requiring support hires even if there were headcount limitations.
Once this must have need was established by amplifying his dissatisfaction, I
myself could feel his interest rise in what I had to offer him.
Also, it is important to introduce to the customers those
specific features that can benefit them. Once the customer recognizes value,
then comes the harder question of price. It is in sales that I realized that
price is very subjective and would be acceptable to a customer in par with the
value the customer associates that particular product with. Here, it is
essential to avoid deleting, generalizing and distorting any information to
suit my needs. This simply means the same product can be expensive for one
person but must not be generalized as expensive for everyone. In short, I now
can look them in the eye and explain that ‘something good isn’t free and
something free isn’t good enough’. Hence it is critical to make the customer
realize the value of the product even before any objections come up.
When facing arguments, consider it as a request from their
end to ask for more information and treat it like an opportunity and give valid
answers. The LAPACC model of Listening to the customer, Agreeing with them,
Probing them with a counter question, Answering them, Confirming and Closing
worked very well for me. In the specific case of a major consumer devices
firm, the HR argued with the service I had to offer. Sticking to the LAPCC
model, I began by agreeing with her, then probed her and answered her question.
I did not have to confirm, as it came automatically from her side. And the
closing came naturally for me. It is here that I appreciated that people value more what they themselves
conclude rather than what they are told. The essence of the LAPACC model
is in that it tries to nullify the effect of objections and changes the mindset
of the person who raised the objection.
During objections, we may also come across different
stakeholders that influence buying decisions. It is always important to meet
the wallet holder who has the final say. This saves time, effort and energy in
the selling cycle.
Finally comes closing which takes the least amount of time
if the above mentioned steps goes right especially ‘rapport’. It is essential
to tailor your closing to the personality style of the stakeholder.
Some of the feedbacks which built my confidence during selling
even more were “Excellent fact finding”, “Very valid questioning can use this
to impress my boss”, “Questions made me wonder what I am doing here”. Other
learning feedbacks including “Be more selfish less apologetic”, “Can improve on
price negotiation”, helped me identify and work on what I need to improve. Few
others were about effective eye contact, on perseverance in getting in the door
and the follow up process. Another specific feedback was that she only agreed
to listen to me because she felt genuineness. This further enforces the likeability
theory in rapport building. Most importantly, the overwhelming share of
positive feedbacks made me believe that I too could master the art of selling.
In addition to all that is mentioned above, I will do a few other
things differently in sales and in my days ahead as a result of this course. I
now, instinctively appreciate that I need to understand first before I seek to
be understood. I now know that I have to do things what others might hesitate
or skip from doing. I realize that learners are readers. I have resolved to
read for an hour every day, turn over practical concepts in my mind and jot
down key ideas. I also understand the difference between listening to respond
and listening to understand. And listening itself is a skill required to shut out
all the inner voices. I would listen to audio books while driving and try to
make the minutes count. I will also learn to put first things first and
prioritize both time and customers. It is also key to find a good balance
between maintenance and growth activities by calling or visiting customers on
the basis of the opportunity they offer. I should make every call to a customer
only with a clear objective in mind and I need to remind myself to smile when I
dial, and make them comfortable. I will keep my calendar ready in front of me
and call expecting a yes always. I might have to spend more time with customers
and in doing so look inward, and tell unique stories that only, I can tell
them, to keep them interested. Answering questions about who I am, why I am
there, what’s in it for them, how much time I plan to take and if they have any
obligations, earlier on, will make them more receptive to me.
And In case I feel unclear and the conversation is not leading
anywhere, I will probe with questions like “what makes you say that” or “give
me an E.g.”. Also summarizing by paraphrasing is another way to get all the
facts straight. While questioning, I will change from close-ended to open ended
questions, avoid answering own questions or asking more than one question at a
time. It is also essential that I stop answering my own questions. I would also
try to think win-win and overcome relationship differences using communication,
understanding and transparency so as to create mutually beneficial options. And
I would attend other sales courses from time to time to refine my practical
concepts because the first course I have attended has changed my life in more
ways than I imagined it could have. Most of all, I understand that the learning
process is continuous and practicing to improve oneself is an ongoing process.
These tiny details and face-to-face selling practice has gone a
long way in transforming me from the meek, ‘will not be able to work in sales
ever’ mindset to the assertive, ‘everything is possible when I practice’
mindset. It’s just that self-reliance and perseverance must be engrained in a
salesman’s heart. I now believe that every result generated in sales is
directly linked to the efforts the salesman puts in, rather than just his
inherent abilities to communicate and influence.
