Sell well

[I]“One of the most important things I learned early on was to ask a lot of questions, appropriate questions about a customer’s business, listen very carefully and then come back and make a positive recommendation.”[/I] —Bill Wilkes, FedEx Hall of Fame account executive

I sent 16 students into the business community to make secret shopper visits to 11 local businesses. Their mission was to evaluate each business using 17 criteria that measures sales success, and then give a letter grade to each business based on their overall experience. When the scores were tallied, there was one A-plus business, 5 As, 4 Bs, 3 Cs, 3 Ds, and no business earned an F grade. How would your business compare if secret shoppers visited your store?

One of the nice things about living on Saipan as a consumer is that there is very low pressure to buy anything. In fact, you can enter practically any retail store, wander around leisurely, and usually not have one sales rep ask if you need assistance. Now that may be good news if you are a shopper, but it spells disaster if you are a business owner wanting to improve sales—and every business owner should be interested in greater sales.

Here is a simple strategy that can be used by every one of your staff that comes in contact with a prospect. You don’t even need to be a sales rep to use it, and if you follow the steps you will notice an increase in sales. To make it even easier, all you have to do is think of the acronym “SALES” to remember these five “common sense” steps to better serve your customers. SALES stands for: [B]S[/B]mall talk; [B]A[/B]sk questions; [B]L[/B]isten actively; [B]E[/B]mphasize benefits; and [B]S[/B]uggest a solution. Let’s take a closer look at each step so you can learn how to use them on a regular basis.

[B]Small talk.[/B] [I]What do you say or do to make a prospect feel comfortable and build rapport with them? [/I]

By engaging in small talk you not only make the prospect feel more comfortable, but you establish rapport. Find things that you have in common. Discuss hobbies, interests, find out where they’re from or what they like to do. Ask about their family, where they went to school, and where they work. People like people like them.

[B]Ask questions.[/B] [I]What are the specific questions you should ask to uncover the needs and wants of your prospects?[/I]

Questions are the tools of a good salesperson, and good questions will help you discover the hidden needs and wants of your prospect. Learn to ask more open questions. It will cause the prospect to think about an answer and give you more details. Closed questions can be answered with “yes” or “no” or a few words. Instead of asking the closed question, “May I help you?” ask, “How may I help you?” or “What can I help you find?”

[B]Listen actively.[/B] [I]How can you become a better listener so that your prospect feels like you understand their needs and wants? [/I]

Everyone hears, but few people really listen. Listening is a hidden art that has few practitioners. Here are some things to help you focus on what the prospect tells you. Watch their body language. People will tell you one thing, but their body language may give another message. Show interest in what they have to say. Rephrase a comment to make sure you understand it or to get better clarification. Eliminate your own distractions that would cause you to not stay focused on what your prospect is saying.

[B]Emphasize benefits.[/B] [I]How can you translate your product features into benefits that the customer will want?[/I]

Your products have tangible features, but your prospect is looking for the benefit that a feature will offer them. Essentially, people will buy your product because it helps them alleviate a discomfort or it offers a solution to a challenge they’re experiencing. The greater the benefit your product offers, the more likely they will want to buy it. Demonstrate how it will benefit them and if you get them to try it, they will buy it.
[B] Suggest appropriate solutions.[/B] [I]How can you position yourself as an expert so prospects value your recommendations?[/I]

People are really silently begging to be led. They want someone to help them find a solution to their problem, and if you have done the first four steps to sell well, you will be in a position to make a suggestion that they will respect. People like to buy, but they don’t like to be sold. By using the SALES method, you effectively help them buy the products that will offer the best solution to their situation. This will turn your prospects into customers, and as you build a stronger relationship, your customers will value your recommendations.

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[I]Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is a partner with BizResults, LLC (www.bizresults.org). They can be contacted at biz_results@yahoo.com.[/I]