The "No
Formula" Formula
There is no such
thing as a "formula" for sales success. If you were to rely on one
set of rules for how you were going to close each sale, you might
wind up waiting for a long time between each deal óand
actually missing some sales opportunities that someone else will get.
Following are a set of proven sales techniquesófive principles
of salesmanship óthat work very well in turning prospects into
clients, shoppers into buyers. The five principles of good
salesmanship go something like this:
- Building
Rapport
- Qualifying
- 3.
Presenting/Selling up to sell down
- Overcoming
objections
- Close
Building
Rapportóthis is what I refer to as the pre-sale sale. It's the
part where you really sell yourself before selling your
product.
The first thing is
to pay attention to your own appearance. If you don't own a
full-length mirror then it is time to buy one. Dress for success. The
person you are meeting with will be more receptive if they believe
they are talking with a successful professional.
The next part is
your greeting. If you are on the phone making an appointment, and you
sound in any way "canned" or "scripted," your chances for success
will be less than if you have a natural flow and sound genuinely
interested in the prospect. Same thing if you are there in person. Do
you take time to introduce yourself and shake hands or do you go
right into your presentation? Get the prospect talking about their
own favorite topicóthemselves.
Remember, once you
have sold yourself to the customer by showing you are interested, it
will be a cinch to sell your productówhatever that product
is.
QualifyingóYou
should be asking open-ended, probing questions whenever possible
(questions that require an answer other than yes or no). These are
sometimes referred to as "feeling/finding" questions.
Some basic
questions that an ISO would ask: "How would you feel about increasing
your business by accepting credit cards?" or "What would you say if I
could show you how you could safely accept checks from anyone in the
country, and even take checks over the phone?" Also, "How would you
feel about a terminal that could process all of your transactions,
for less time and less money, and not tie you down to your checkout
counter?" As you can see, it's all about how you ask the question.
And by the way, don't be afraid to take notes, and say such things
as, "Our check guarantee program should help with that," and, "You'll
be able to do all of your transactions through our highly rated XYZ
terminal."
PresentingóOnce
you have done your groundwork with qualifying, you can then make a
recommendation and begin a short presentation. Since much of what we
deal with in the world of ISOs are intangibles, you must be creative,
and use terms that show the client what the service/product will do
for them. Start your presentation with a sentence like, "Based on
what you have told me, I would recommend...(whatever)." You are the
professional. It is your job to know.
Review your notes
with the client. "You told me that it was important to you that your
credit cards and check guarantee all process through one terminal.
You also said that you wouldn't mind being able to take your sales
outdoorsósuch as for a sidewalk sale. Additionally, you
indicated that in the next year your company will have an Internet
presence, and you would be happy taking all kinds of payment types
over the Net. Based on what you have told me, I would
recommend...."
Remember to sell
UP (in order to sell DOWN, if you have to). Show them your best,
first, because it's a lot easier to eliminate things from your
presentation than to add features later. If what you are showing
appears to them to be too much, you can always review your notes with
the prospect, and ask what they would be willing to do without. Most
will not want to do without the essential features they have asked
for.
Overcoming
ObjectionsóIf you ask the most successful sales professionals
in your office they will tell you that an objection is really to be
looked at as good óit's simply a request for more information.
Objections are a natural part of the sales process.The best way to
diffuse an objection even when they have said "No" to your offerings,
is to once again go back to your presentation. Be polite, not
defensive. "Would you mind if I asked if what you didn't like about
(your product here)?" Or, "Earlier, you agreed that this would be
good for your business. Is there something I didn't explain properly
during my presentation?" Again, you are back to open
endedógetting them talking again.
The
CloseóHopefully, you got them talking and were able to
overcome the objection. Now ask them to sign the contract, accept
delivery, whatever. However, if you didn't get them this time,
remember to call on them again in a week or so. A good business owner
always in the market for a sensible solution to his or her situation,
and it might just take a week or two of friendly persistence to get
you there.
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