Many sales people are afraid to ask for the order, this is sad but true. Many Strategic Selling Courses specifically teach that if you ask the correct qualifying questions then the order will follow. We do not disagree with this, however, we still need to ask for the order. Before we discuss what are the best closing lines, let's talk about the pre-amble, or what has to happen before we ask for the order. Never ask for the order before…
Measuring to win: which numbers keep your sales on track?
Winning organisations are those that regularly manage their Key Performance Indicators (also known as KPIs). KPIs come in many forms and it is important to monitor these from many areas of your sales based business. As they say “you can’t manage what you can’t measure”. So what should we measure in our business? We suggest that you regularly measure, monitor and adjust performance issues related to: Monthly sales revenue Incoming enquires through walk-ins Internet and telephone enquiries Number of…
The unfortunate maths of discounting – and what to do about it
Many organisations are happy to offer discounts – all the customer needs to do is ask. In other companies, the sales people are so grateful and familiar with customers that on many occasions you don’t even have to ask for a discount – the sales person just volunteers a healthy slice of the profit back to the customer. Let's do the maths on discounting. When we offer a discount, we take away the profit directly from our cash register and…
The questions that help you win sales
The best sales people in any team understand the value of asking great questions: “Great Sales People, ask Great Questions!” The better the quality of the questions the less objections you will receive when asking for the order. Identifying who the decision makers are, is often an area that we don’t often explore enough. We need to identify how many decision makers there are and what each person’s interest is in the proposal. A decision maker may have an interest…
The Perfect Sales Pitch
The reason you lost your last sale…
How good are you at presenting your company’s products or services? How good are your team members at presenting on the phone or in person? When was the last time you and your team reviewed and practiced your sales pitches? Think back to a recent purchase you made in which you were assisted by a sales person or BDM. What was the manner in which they presented their product or service? Believe it…
Engaging to Win
Engaging to Win Customers and Prospects contact your business by phone or call in to make enquiries about your products and services. They expect to be acknowledged and greeted and treated like VIP’s when they make contact with you. No matter what size company anyone works with, the best advice for business owners and sales team members is to be completely in-tune and focused on the client or prospect when he/she makes contact with you. In fact, nothing else matters…
The Natural Invitation to Buy
If you don't ask, The answer will always be NO. Someone once told me that we should never try to close a deal; if you present the product or service properly the prospect will automatically buy. Years and years of research have been conducted by our organisation. The results clearly demonstrate otherwise. We should always attempt to close a sale with verbal or physical actions. So, let's review the sales process. Once the customer makes an inquiry, we use all our…
Asking the Hard Questions
Questions come naturally, most of the time. However, the important questions are always the hard questions to ask. Let's say you have the prospects attention on the phone, in your showroom, or at your sales counter. This is your opportunity to gather more information to increase your chances of winning the sale. We're experts in asking the hard questions. Take this opportunity to understand how the prospect found you, the reasons for approaching your company, what they are seeking,…
Duty of Care & Why it’s Your Responsibility
Offering "Duty of Care" - It's Your Responsibility! When was the last time you made a purchase and right at that pivotal moment when you agreed to buy the sales representative asked you the one question. "Would you like to purchase the extended warranty that comes along with this product?" Sure, it is very common. Sometimes we may even feel a bit manipulated by the sales process. However, have you ever stopped and wondered why the retailer, manufacturer or wholesaler…
Are Your Customers Happy, Will They Return?
We all have a range of customers, some who have been with us for years, and some who are relatively new. In addition, we hope that every business has a database of entries representing those customers that have purchased from us in the past. If any database is to be useful, it should contain information such as when the customer first inquired, when they purchased and what they purchased. It will also contain contact details such as email addresses…