world was on him and he started to feel overwhelmed and fearful of suc- cess. His optimism and hopefulness level weren’t very high. “It was really a matter of changing the way he was looking at things. I told him that his appointment book could only hold so many appoint- ments and – as long as his calendar is full of sales meetings and he takes
SELLING TIP
How to Win Customers with a Successful Opening Strategy
Make no mistake about this: how you handle the first few minutes of a sales call can make or break a sale. Here are a few suggestions that can help you enter your prospect’s mind and heart with high chances for success:
OPEN UP AND CHEER UP…EVEN BEFORE YOU SEE YOUR PROSPECT Doug Roberts, a sales rep working for a small industrial dealer, has this advice: “You have to separate yourself from the effects of everyday stress before the appoint- ment. As I park my car, I relax my body and loosen my neck, my arms, and legs. As I approach the prospect’s place of business, I try to breathe deeply. The moment I open the front door, I put on a smile and hold it until I receive positive feedback from the people I run into. By the time I reach the receptionist, people start to smile back at me.”
STOP OBSERVING YOURSELF AS YOU WAIT Continue to be relaxed. A sales rep of a Midwestern chemical company reported that longer waiting periods used to increase his self-awareness to a point that it became difficult for him to control his feelings of frustra- tion. Now, he has learned how to occupy his mind by reading a copy of a business magazine he keeps in his briefcase just for this purpose. In addition, he works on maintaining a pleasant and relaxed appearance.
STATE YOUR CALL PURPOSE Explain your reasons for calling. For example: “The reason for my call is to help you with your ____ needs.” Or: “I’d like to show you a way in which you could in- crease your productivity by 23 percent.” By giving your prospect a reason for investing his time, you will make it easy for him to shift his attention to your presentation.
18 | MAY 2016 SELLING POWER © 2016 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
care of the customers he has – he will be fine. Then, instead of viewing his territory as impossible to cover, he started looking at it as an open field of opportunity – and all the resources and tools of the company were there for him. Now he’s empowered, ener- gized, and expecting success – and hope has a lot to do with it,” he says. He claims we all have stories playing
in our heads, and the things we tell ourselves will come out. “I believe we have an internal dialogue we play over and over in our heads and that these stories are ultimately manifested in our actions,” he says. “And those positive, optimistic messages are, in essence, creating hope that gives you the will to overcome obstacles and push through when times get tough.”
SHOW THAT YOU DID NOT COME TO INTRUDE Your relaxed and open postures will do wonders in reducing your prospect’s initial apprehension. Avoid moving too close. Allow your prospect to size you up first. Avoid up-and-down hand gestures during this phase, as they can increase the prospect’s apprehen- sions. Instead, use subtle hand gestures with your palms open.
INVOLVE THE PROSPECT WITH AN OPEN QUESTION Give your prospect a chance to communicate. Your ques- tions should be designed to reflect your genuine interest in his specific needs. Kathy West, a bank marketing executive, suggests:
“It’s counterproductive to continue the call by showing off your knowledge and skills. After you’ve stated the purpose of your call, prospects do not really care how much you know until they’ve realized how much you care. For this reason, I ask them to help me by describ- ing their specific needs. As they reply, I tilt my head slightly to one side, a move that expresses genuine interest. This way I can get my prospects to loosen up and increase their confidence and trust in me.”
COMMUNICATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR PROSPECT’S NEEDS Prospects will show increased confidence in you when you demonstrate that you’ve truly understood their needs. Here are some examples: • “Thank you, Mr. Williams, for sharing this infor- mation with me. As I can see from your com- ments, your needs call for...(review needs). Have I got that right?”
• “Mrs. McGee, it appears that you not only need increased production, but also need to reduce maintenance time. I’m glad you told me about this; now we can both review how my new product can help you solve both problems.”
– SELLING POWER EDITORS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32