minutes to kill. Plan out these user visits just as you would any other sales call. Determine in advance what your goals are for the call, what information you want to get, and what information you want to give.
If you have been making your monthly telephone calls, you should not get any surprises. The phone calls will also tell you when you should make your in-person visits. Add-on sales are the opportunities you’re looking for. New personnel, new locations, more branch offices, and additional applications are the things that will open new sales op- portunities for you. You also should ask for referrals inside and outside the client’s opera- tion. Since you’ve been supporting them and their operation, you should not be shy in asking for referrals.
ACCOUNT CONTROL Account control usually means hav- ing one person at your company re- sponsible for everything at a named account. Your representative is the account manager, and is responsible for coordinating all the sales, sup- port, and follow-up activities for the named account.
The account manager controls the flow of communication to and from the account, and will know the organizational dynamics inside the account. This is especially important for your largest accounts, but can also be important for accounts you want to become more important. It is com- mon for some companies to place entire account teams in place to cover just one large customer. Regardless of the size of your ac- counts and your clients, investing in your relationship after the sale builds sales equity down the road.
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VIDEO: THE COLLABORATIVE SALE IN SEVEN MINUTES
SELLING TIP Open with Strength
When you have only seconds to make an impression, your opening state- ment says to the customer, “Here is a reason to listen to me.” The suc- cessful opening statement tells the customer who you are, what you want, and why it is worth his time to let you continue. The customer is going to make his or her own decision in approximately 30 seconds, so an opening should be limited to that amount of time. Your statement should contain the following: 1. An introduction stating your name and the company’s name. This is no big deal, but – if you don’t say it correctly or clearly during the time you are talking – the prospect will be thinking, “Who is this?” That embarrasses people and makes them feel awkward.
2. A statement of the reason for your call. If you don’t give one, the prospect will be thinking, “Why is this person calling me? What does he or she really want?”
3. A lead-in based on a third-party reference, direct mail, your com- pany’s advertising, an appointment, a blind lead, or a request for in- formation. If you don’t tell the prospect how you got his or her name, they will be suspicious.
4. A benefit that can be felt. Explain that the customer has a need and you have a way to answer that need.
5. A feature that supports that benefit. 6. A request for the customer’s time – asking if the prospect has the time to speak to you, either by direct questioning or by listening – allows you time to present a relaxed presentation.
7. A probing sequence. This is important to qualify the prospect. Ask a preliminary question about the prospect or his business and then lead into further probing questions related to your call.
– LINDA F. FRACASSI SELLING POWER NOVEMBER 2015 | 7 © 2015 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
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