Bill Cherry
The Magic of the 12 Reasons to Buy
Create Your Story
How to Handle Objections
Use Sales Aids
Create a Recontact Program
See 5 prospects per week give info
The Magic of the 12 Reasons to Buy:
Why should anyone buy from you?
How is your business different from the competition?
Most businesses compete on price
Overcome the price focus. What benefits can you offer, or bundle together?
Introduction:
Every business owner needs to know basic sales skills. You don’t have to be a great sales person. Selling is like learning to ride a bike. It’s not rocket science. You can learn basic selling skills that will help you increase your income.
Create Your Story:
You must get the prospect’s attention. When you finally get a prospect to listen to your sales presentation, you need to keep his attention so he is open to your message. There are many ways to do that but they should always start with an interesting, compelling story. Now most of us have never thought of our product or service as compelling, but every product has a story, even if it is an uninteresting one. How was the business started? How the product or services come to be? What was the need that the owner filled with the product? Create an interesting story even if it has to start with, “Once upon a time.”
Use some kind of attention getting tactic. One radio advertising salesperson I know always entered a new prospect’s office wearing two great big rubber ears. Then he proceeded to talk about everyone that listens to radio. You can also use a shocking statement like, “I will not sell you anything today Mr. Jones.”
Reasons to Buy:
Do you know 10 reasons a customer should buy from you? Most people don’t. Make a list of reasons to buy from you and memorize them. Learn them so well you can spout them off one after the other. This will give you amazing confidence. Don’t learn a few of them learn all 10 and be able to tell them easily.
10 Objections You Will Get:
You can anticipate the objections you will get from a prospect. Write down 10 objections you can think of. Then write three ways to over come each objection. MEMORIZE THEM. I guarantee you will feel unbeatable. This gives you so much confidence you will look forward to talking to prospects. DON’T CHEAT ON THIS. If you want to really increase your sales and income, memorize them. Do what the other sales people won’t.
How to Handle objections:
Handling objections is the single most feared part of selling. Why? They don’t want to look stupid if they can’t answer the objection. Like riding a bike, handling objections can be learned, it’s not magic.
Many objections can be addressed before they arise by including them in the sales story. Ex. “When I started my business back in 2003, I realized businesses like yours didn’t have any suppliers of quality widgets, they were all made too cheaply. I saw a need to provide a quality widget at a fair price.”
Prepare for the sales call:
Most sales people don’t prepare for the sales call. Take just 10 minutes and review information you will use during the sales presentation. Review your story, the most likely objections you will get, how you will overcome them, what solution you will offer, and how you will say these things.
Overcome the objections:
Here are the time tested basic steps to over come an objection.
1. restate the objection
2. answer the objection
3. Get agreement, “does that answer your concern?”
4. Continue the presentation or as for the sale.
Ex. Objection: “I think your price is too high.”
Mr. Jones, you think our prices are too high, is that right?
Yes.
Mr. Jones, we deliver orders to our customers within 24 hours. Does you other vendor do that?
No
We also provide a money back guarantee if you are unhappy for any reason. Does your other vendor do that?
No
Mr. Jones, can you see how we provide much more value for the price than your other vendor?
Yes
Well then, let’s get your order going so you can start enjoying the additional values we offer.
Use Sales Aids:
Use them every time. Graphs, newspaper or magazine articles, high light them. Anything in print tends to give additional credibility to your claims. Find articles that support your position. Highlight in yellow certain lines in the printed materials to point out to the prospect. Don’t read the entire article, just the highlighted lines. Use three or four different articles courses.
Get testimonials from happy customers telling their positive experience. People buy on the approval of others. Testimonials are very powerful. I once worked for a company that had each sales person carry a thick three ring binder full of letters of testimony about their positive experience. Read three or four to the prospect. Let them do the selling for you.
Get letters of endorsement from people or organizations of authority. Get endorsements from local Mayors, leaders of non profit organizations, state departments etc.
Online reviews have become some of the most powerful marketing tools. Just as Amazon. Com and eBay provide an opportunity to write a review about their shopping experience with the seller, provide you customer the same on your website.
Third party calls. Have one of your happy customers call your prospect to tell how happy he is with your service. Few things are more powerful.
Create a recontact program for prospects. Not everyone will buy from you now. Some may buy later in the years so stay in contact. Send them an email one time, three weeks later send a post card, then three weeks later make a phone call. Keep your name “top of mind.”
See 5- 10 prospects or more per week face to face. Nothing replaces meeting new prospects.
Study CD’s DVDs about selling skills. Get some from the local library or buy some. Just listening will improve your skills and you will learn a few techniques you feel comfortable doing. Have your employees listen also. It will make them more customer aware.
If you are shy:
If you are very shy and just can’t talk to prospects in person or over the phone, use the following:
Business cards – put your business selling points on your business cards. Just give them out.
Flyers – Create a flyer about your business, and the advantages of doing business with you. Give and send them out threw mail and email.
Post cards – Send them to people you would like to do business with.
News release – write a release about your business and send to local media.
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