Sales processes

Knowing how to sell can be tricky. Not everyone is cut out to sell products to customers immediately and not all products are easy to sell – especialy if they are expensive. For this reason, companies spend a lot of time and effort creating sales processes that identify the customers’ needs and then target this to explain why it is the best possible choice. There are many different sales models employed by companies and these are often split into small steps that the client follows before finally placing an order. In this course we will focus on a common 7-step sales process that can be adapted to suit the vast majority of companies.

Step 1 – Product knowledge

Explaining about how the product works and the main features requires you to have a lot of knowledge that is imparted on to the customer. Nobody will buy a product unless they have a use for it – so this initial step is all about educating the client about your company and the key benefits of the product.

All salespeople should have a sound knowledge of what they are trying to generate sales for. A representative who cannot answer questions will be massively off-putting for any client, who will quickly lose faith in the company. If a person does not understand what they are selling it makes it very unlikely that a consumer will want to purchase the item that is being sold. Training is important – each person in the company must have a good knowledge of products and be able to explain these to anyone who asks.

Step 2 – Prospecting

Prospecting is about searching for new customers. This step is usually about reaching out to potential customers and is closely linked to the ‘place’ step of the 4P’s. Knowing how to find new customers and approach them at this early stage will vary but it is important not to rush any sales processes.

Finding new customers is all about knowing where to look and how to approach these people. Most companies have clients in different categories – each of these should be approached in the most suitable way. For example, a clothes retailer will approach customers directly in a very different way to approaching a business that is interested in stocking their products. Each type of client will need to be handled in a way that is suitable for their needs as this can result in a lot of different sales processes being built (see next step).

Step 3 – The approach

When approaching potential clients you need a plan of action. This is the point where you change from finding potential interested parties to actively trying to sell to someone. You know that the lead is interested in what you have to offer so you need to begin trying to close a deal.

An appropriate sales funnel should be built where possible and suitable approaches adopted. These can include door-to-door visits, emails, phone calls or sending information to a person’s address. Each lead should be monitored and put into a schedule to ensure that they are contacted at appropriate times. However, this is a delicate operation – getting the right amount of contact is very important and you need to ensure you have a clear objective and avoid being too pushy or unhelpful.

Sales are very important in all business sectors but some will be more ‘pushy’ than others.

Step 4 – Needs assessment

Assessing the needs of potential clients gives you the edge on others. A lot of salesmen will dive in and explain the product and its features but forget to make sure that what they are explaining is actually required. Spending half an hour on the phone talking about one product when the client is better suited to something different is an utter waste of time. In order to ensure this does not happen, a few questions should be addressed. Understanding the reason why this person contacted the company and where they found your details will give a huge insight about their needs. Get to know each person who contacts you and then tailor your approach to highlight how the company can help their situation specifically.

Step 5 – The presentation

When presenting a product you must focus at all times on how it will be of benefit to the customer. Many people create sales processes that explain what they do as a company or how they work, rather than concentrating on what the customer will get. This is why a strong needs assessment must have taken place – you need to target what is required and then present how you can meet this need for a fair price.

Step 6 – The close

Around 80% of sales are lost simply because the salesperson does not know how to close. At this stage it is important to clearly outline how people can place an order, and begin to be a little stronger in your approach. Often you will hear things like ‘I’ll need to think about it’, ‘It’s too expensive’ or ‘Let me ask someone else before getting back to you.’ Each of these is an obstacle that should be overcome in order to get a sale. Be clear in your approach and take a specific route in order to overcome these obstacles:

• • The Ask For It Close – ask specifically what you would need to do for the person to place an order. This may be a drop in price, a further demonstration or explanation. Even if this does not succeed in getting an order, it will give you valuable advice for the future.
  • The If-Then Close – make a deal with the person. Say that if you can demonstrate how the product can meet their needs perfectly then would they agree to a meeting or to place an order
  • The Process of Elimination Close – go back through all of the information that you have discussed so that the client understands how you have dealt with all of their queries. Say ‘so you liked the product, it will be very useful for you, it will fill the need that you have and you can get it on offer at the minute, so are you looking to take advantage and sign up?’
  • The Either Or Close – this approach should be used with care and gives the person a clear option of how to buy. Simply say ‘Would you like to pay by cash or cheque/invoice/card?’ Try to only use this late in the sales process and ensure that the person is very interested.

Step 7 – The follow-up

 Great follow-ups will make you many more sales. A lot of potential clients can be on the fence when on the phone or in a meeting and then completely forget about you 2 weeks later and fail to get back in touch even if they said they would. Stay at the forefront of their mind by agreeing when you can contact them again or by getting in touch at a later date. This should be done by the same person who had the initial conversation – having someone completely different follow up with the customer will not work as well because the client will need to get to know this person before placing the order.