The process of completing a sale can be defined in 7 easy steps, we will call this the Allevi8 Sales Process.
Understanding Your Product
There are two key ingredients necessary to sell anything, knowledge, and confidence. The ability to know your product upside down, and inside out is absolutely essential. When a potential customer asks you a question, the answer needs to come off your tongue seamlessly. Any hesitation or mumblings will cause an immediate lack of credibility. You must be steps ahead of the prospect when it comes to the product and its features. Secondly, the confidence to present and sell is built on knowing your product 110 percent. No one will buy anything from someone who is lacking the confidence to get in the ring and hustle. So before you sell anything, study your product and all of its features as if the biggest test of your life is on the horizon.
Prospecting
Get on the phone, send those e-mails, and knock on those doors. Even if your in the position of receiving leads you should never stop looking for potential leads and reaching out in any way you can to get in front of the decision maker. I have had countless leads pop in front of me when I wasn’t even “working.” Take a picture with your phone to remember the storefront or details. Always have a couple extra business cards tucked into your wallet just in case. Prospecting NEVER ends.
Customer Approach
Think of how you will approach the potential customer. Each customer is different and has a different set of hot buttons you will need to identify and press. I almost always start out with a courtesy e-mail describing products and services and who I am. I know full well that this e-mail will not be returned. But it gives me a good reference point when I pick up the telephone.
“Hello, John. I was just following up with the e-mail I had sent you regarding our….”
First of all, they saw your e-mail. Don’t let them mess with you. Secondly, they will have an immediate reference point for your call. You need to understand how to approach each customer and work to get in front of the customer for a face to face sales presentation.
Identify What the Prospect Needs
I had an old school sales manager in my first sales job out of college look at me and say,
“If they need it, we sell it!”
That saying still sticks in my mind after all these years. The fact is, everyone is in need of something. Find what they need once you have settled in on your approach. Ask strong direct questions. Get them to open up on emotional tangents. Nothing sells like emotion people. Once someone starts telling you how there son’s baseball coach is an idiot and Johnny should be playing shortstop. Sell them the farm.
Sales Presentation
Often deemed the most important step, it really is just a culmination of product knowledge and identifying there needs. Once you know what your selling, and know what they need, you should focus in on blending the two into a seamless presentation. But if you’ve made it this far, make sure you show up looking the part. Don’t smoke a cigarette and roll into the presentation. Go in confident, looking good, and knowing that they are going to buy.
Close
This is what separates the super salesman and entry level schmuck. Close the deal. Eighty percent of sales are lost due to a lack of closing ability by the salesman. We will go into a detailed blog post on closing in our next sales blog.
Follow-up
If you failed to close, continue to follow up. In a few cases, they may just not be able to pull the trigger at the given time. Make sure you don’t let a potential sale go to someone else because you gave up. If you did successfully sell the client, follow up to make sure they are satisfied. Send a thank you card or even buy the office lunch as a thank you for their order. You will want to be the first one on the list for that reorder.