The Sales Process A Training Manual

True selling is developing a long-term relationship, whereby you, the salesperson, work to serve the needs of the customer, and your employer, by facilitating the supply of essential products and/or services the customer requires, and your company provides. A by-product of this is that you make a profit for the company you serve, and you make money that comes from this profit. In order to accomplish this a sales process is required to establish this relationship. Trust: The Essential Element in Establishing Long-Term Relationships Trust is a key factor in how people make decisions. Therefore it is important to understand how to build and maintain trust. The more you understand about your accounts and their unique situations, combined with an establishment of a positive working relationship, the easier it will be to build trust. Trust is defined as, Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. Ten Ways to Establish Trust 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. People trust people who are honest about the truth even if it is uncomfortable. People who look and act professionally build trust. People trust people who ask good questions and are willing to listen. Trust comes from being able to demonstrate your knowledge or technical proficiency. Trusted professionals ask tough, thought-provoking questions, while reaching meaningful issues quickly. People trust other people who respect their values. People trust people who make them think. You create trust when you focus on what your accounts are trying to accomplish. People trust people who have had similar experiences to theirs. People trust people who have a genuine interest in what they have to say.

Slick words or trying to impress people with all the features of your solutions do not build trust they fuel skepticism, as does talking about your need for a sale. Being able to have proof readily available in the form of testimonial letters and phone or email references builds trust. Improve your trust building skills and you'll improve your sales. (Jeffrey Gittomar) Qualities of a Good Salesperson Persistent Hard Working Creative Honest Honesty and Integrity An interesting way to look at what Honesty means is to look at what Dishonesty means: 1: deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive [syn: dishonorable] [ant: honest] 2: lacking honesty and oblivious to what is honorable [syn: unscrupulous] 3: lacking truthfulness; "a dishonest answer" 4: capable of being corrupted; Many are willing to say anything to get the sale, thinking that by lying or misrepresenting they win, but they really lose. First, their own integrity and character is compromised, and when difficult situations come again, they will compromise the truth again, even against their own employers, employees, and friends. You cannot trust Integrity Dependable Professional Faithful Positive Attitude Servants Heart

people, who act in this way, and you must guard yourself around them, or else you will get hurt. Customers must live like this, because many suppliers demonstrate they are not trustworthy. Would you like to fly in a plane, whose integrity has been compromised? A very successful Sales Manager of a major corporation has as one of his 5 mottos this saying: If it is not true, do not say it, do not even imply it! No one gets away with lying; it comes back on you in many different ways, and attacks the heart of trust in any relationship. Customer Service A Servants Heart Many take this for granted, but true customer service, must become part of who you are and needs to be continually cultivated in your entire life: at work with employer and fellow employees, with your customer, and at home. This is an attitude that many do not have, because they focus on themselves and what they get out of the sale, or the relationship. Why are you here? Most likely you answered to make money, true, but now ask yourself, What do you do to make that money? In essence, you serve the needs of someone else, your customer and your employer. If your attitude becomes, what can you do to help them satisfy their needs, then your needs will be met. Staying Organized: A Critical Component In sales it very easy to get lost with the large volume of work that is required, customer base to call on, follow-up on calls and orders, orders to process, training meetings, staff meetings, credit issues, etc. Taking good notes is imperative, especially when you need to follow-up and you cannot remember the previous phone call with that prospective customer, whom you think will certainly remember you. Good notes help you get back on track. Keeping written notes during/after a call will allow you easily remember what you need to input into your CRM tracking software. Using the CRM consistently will help you, and the company; accomplish its long-term goals of keeping track of all products/services quoted as a company.

Selling In Action Selling a Service World Electronics sells services, not parts. Why? We do not make, or manufacture anything. The customer needs parts, but it is the services we provide that enabled them to acquire parts through us, such as sourcing, stocking, testing, etc. Selling a service is different then selling a product. Selling services requires you to paint a picture of how the services you provide will take care of them better, and provide a greater overall value proposition, then what they are currently doing. Often one aspect of the services you provide appears to have no relative value on a stand-alone basis, however, when you communicate clearly its relative value in relationship to the other services then a picture begins to take shape showing that together, they provide much greater value: The sum is greater than the parts. Products require a run down of features and benefits in relationship to a price proposition. Services is a harder sell, but is much more profitable and sets the stage for longer contractual relationships. Changing Perception In our situation as a company there is a very clear way the industry operates historically, and the industry is locked in this business model. Franchise Distribution (Franchise) has done an excellent job of establishing itself as a vital, and necessary, partner in electronics distribution, and any other method is bad, such as the Gray Market or Brokers. Recently, Franchise was listed as old world and the Internet would quickly eliminate the need for Franchise to exist, which did not materialize, and it became clear brick-n-mortar was necessary. But Dell Computers faced a very similar competitive landscape, and with minor change in focus made a tremendous dent in the market share of the leading brick-n-mortar companies it faced. We are here to do the same. One of the ways we will do this is to go about helping to change perception, which is necessary to unlock a large portion of Franchises existing customer base. Our goal is to explain the Myth of Franchised Distribution, by helping

people understand what the Open Market really is (not the Gray Market or Broker), and communicate the value of the Hybrid Distribution Model we provide, which gives us much greater flexibility in sourcing real solutions, and lower cost options for our customers. When we are effective in doing this we change the way people view the approach to how they go to market, and open the door to another way, and potentially a better way. If we become good at doing this, we will open many more doors with prospective customers. Buyers and Potential Customers One major key in sales is to really understand your buyer, and the life they live each day. The more you understand the life of the buyer, the more you can offer solutions to their needs. Fred will be developing this part of the manual through interactive lesson plans.

The Essential Sales Process 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Find and Qualify Introduction Develop Trust, Credibility, and Compel Needs Analysis Tailor Solution(s) based on Needs Closing: Perform and Serve with Excellence

To go through the process you need to know what you are doing every step of the way. Each call, or meeting must have a purpose that you know ahead of time in your mind, that is tied to the selling process, or else you will get lost fast, confuse the customer and yourself, and waste your valuable time. 1. Find and Qualify Quality Calls versus Quantity Every call to a customer, or prospective customer, needs to have the essential element of quality. Quality is defined as: 1. A special, distinctive, or essential character: 2. A degree of excellence. The call must be distinctive to help people remember you and make you stand out in the crowd, and leave a perception that what you do, and the company you represent, has excellence and is a qualified professional organization. To help accomplish this, each call, or meeting, must have a purpose that you know ahead of time in your mind, that is tied to the selling process, or else you will get lost fast, confuse the customer and yourself, waste valuable time, and you leave a perception in the mind of someone who has no purpose and wasted their time. Qualified Leads Locate qualified leads. This means you will need to locate prospective customers. This is the most tedious part in the whole process; you need to locate the right person to talk with. Then you have to actually contact them. Then you will need to qualify them. Do they really need your service? My son does not need a car at his age; it will be a hard sell if you try. Qualify, qualify, and qualify. You waste a lot of time chasing the wrong fish. Try to locate real companies who really need your services. Watch out for creep, which means you can do this, you can do that, your friends think you can do this, you can do that, etc. Your time is slowly wasted on bunny trails. Go slowly and learn the ropes as you botch quite a few calls and meetings while you learn. Its okay!!! Campaign Process Once you have targeted your prospective companies, prepare to campaign them. The definition of Campaign is 1. To exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end. 2. A series of actions undertaken to

achieve a large-scale objective. A sale rarely happens on the first call. Be prepared for at least 5-10 solid calls before anything happens, this is okay and normal for the type of sales we do at World Electronics. Never quit, or rule a real prospective customer out that has been qualified. Often the toughest will be your best customer. Big key is to keep in front of them without driving them nuts. This will require being creative, friendly, persistent, professional and always know where you want to take them if a crack opens in the door. If you pick up that the person is busy, ask them if this is a good time to talk. If not, ask them when a good time would be and make a commitment to call them at that time. This will open more doors, because most salespeople have their agenda, and are not considerate of the people they are talking with and their needs. This shows you care about them, are respectful to their situation, and are very professional when you do this. Outside Sales If your in Outside Sales, and cannot sell over the phone, then go for a meeting in the first call and at all subsequent calls. This becomes your primary goal and you need to keep coming back to this in a friendly way. You will have to help the prospect understand why it is important to meet. If you cannot get a meeting this time, ask for a future time when they may be free to meet, or when you can call them again. You need to really stay focused without coming off as a pest. Re-emphasize the compelling points mentioned above, do whatever you can to get the meeting, offer bribes or chocolate, threaten them, tell them just kidding. 2. Introduction and Compel Compel them to Listen to You You must get the attention of the person you are talking with, enough for them to want to listen to more of what you have to say, or answer your questions. You have to say something that is compelling enough to justify their time for you, and give them a reason to stay on the line and keep talking with you. Build a script for this and practice off line. Type it, work it to the point that it really says what you think would be the best thing to say, every time you call someone. Memorize it, but you need to let it become natural in how you say it. Try not to deviate from this, because it helps you stay comfortable and on track. When you stay comfortable, you help the person you talk with relax. If you are anxious, in a hurry, forcing yourself, not polite, etc. then you will get this back from the potential customer, and both of you will want the call to end quickly. Many buyers just hang-uprude yes, but understandable given the volume of calls they receive from all kinds. 3. Develop Trust and Credibility Establish Trust See Section on Trust Above Establish Credibility Be very relational, upbeat, polite, professional, and friendly and stay that way! After the initial contact and very brief introduction you start the qualification process. You will need to establish some level of credibility at this first call and compelling reason for them to listen to you. This is critical!!!!! This should initially be done in a brief introduction, and you need to continue to develop credibility throughout the call, and all subsequent calls and interactions. Credibility is the backbone of building Trust, the essential element in building a relationship. Transition After making the introduction and seeking to establish credibility and trust, in a compelling way, you need to move quickly to explain why you called. Telling someone why you are calling them is very professional and communicates to them that you have a purpose in your call, which lends itself to establishing credibility. Dont minimize little things like this; people pick up on the little things.

This is the most awkward moment for you once you have the right person, because you need to transition from the initial introduction, and into understanding what he does, or what his need is and how he is currently satisfying this need. Questions accomplish this, but which questions will vary from call to call. This is why it is the most awkward, because on the fly you will need to determine which way you need to go and what to ask. Dont be a scripted telemarketer at this point, or else your dead. Remember, you need to stay relaxed and be friendly, your on a discovery mission at this point and with many, if you transition okay, it is a fun point for both of you; the prospect gets to talk about himself and you get the information you need and get to know something new about someone and their company. If you do not transition okay you will be very grateful when you finally get off the phone. If you can sell over the phone go for it, but if it is local, or close go for a meeting in the first call and at all subsequent calls. If you need to meet in person before anything really happens this becomes your primary goal and you need to keep coming back to this in a friendly way. You will have to help the prospect understand why it is important to meet. If you cannot get a meeting this time, ask for a future time when they may be free to meet, or when you can call them again. You need to really stay focused without coming off as a pest. Re-emphasize the compelling points mentioned above, do whatever you can to get the meeting, offer bribes or chocolate, threaten them, tell them just kidding. From this contact you will send email information and/or point to a website during the call, or via e-mail. As a rule, Never send information via the mail, this is an absolute waste of money and time for everyone because the buyer rarely will read it. However, if a customer demands something in print, send it, and always follow-up a few days later to make sure they received what you sent them via mail, or via email. This is very important in trying to establish a point of reference with your customer, and have them remember you. 4. Needs Analysis After your introduction your goal is to try to understand the customer needs, and tailor a response to these in how World Electronics can meet these needs. Stay open and do not lock yourself in a box. Must build credibility and trust by this stage, or it is hopeless. Questions You want feedback at this point from the customer as to whether your product/service would work for him. You will need to try and understand what/if any objections might exist. You will need to explore, but you do not want to put them off. If there is genuine interest, it should show and it will be easy from this point. If not, this is where it gets tough as you need to determine what would work for the customer, or why it will not work. If you can discover some of these, you have an opportunity to reposition yourself at the next call/meeting, or set the stage to come back with what they want at a second call/meeting. If they are genuinely interested a second meeting/call is almost automatic. Questions are key at this point, because they are your tools to help you understand the customer, and their unique situation and needs. Questions are also a tremendous tool that demonstrates your professionalism. Jeffrey Gittomar lists 37 questions that are excellent in taking you, and the customer, where you need them to go: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. What is your main objective? How do you plan to achieve that goal? What is the biggest problem you currently face? What other problems do you experience? What are you doing to currently to deal with this? What is your strategy for the future? What other ideas do you have? What role do others play in creating this situation? Who else is affected? What are you using now? What do you like most about it? What do you like least about it? If you could change things any way you wanted, what would you change?

14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37.

What effect would this have on your present situation? What would motivate you to change? Do you have a preference? What has been your past experience? How do you know? Is there anything else you would like to see? How much would it be worth to you to solve this problem? What would it cost, ultimately, if things remained the same? Are you working within a budget? How do you plan to finance it? What alternatives have you considered? What benefit would you personally realize as a result? How would other benefit? How can I help? Is there anything Ive overlooked? Are there any questions youd like to ask? What do you see as the next step? Who else, besides yourself, will be involved in making the decision? On a scale of one to ten, how confident do you feel about doing business with us? What would it take to get that up to a ten? Are you working against a participant deadline? How soon would you like to start? When would you like to take delivery? When should we get together to discuss this again? Is there anything else youd like for me to take care of?

5. Tailor Solution(s) to Meet the Need Once you have identified the needs, you need to create a compelling solution(s) to meet the need, which your company can perform on. The more valuable the solution to the customer, the more compelling it will be for the customer to choose you. Do not wing it at this point. It is important you understand the strengths and weaknesses related to the customers other options, and speak to these in your offer, and highlighting the value points to the customer again, and again, and again. It is easy to have a hope-so mentality at this point, if you have not done your homework and are just throwing out an offer, or a price. By doing your homework, it allows you to position your offering with confidence. If objections come out, you have the ability to change it based on I thought you needed, or from my understanding comments. The customer knows if you have done your homework, or are winging it. Sometimes you do not know what you are competing against. This is where Freds massage is so important, because how you present your offering is vitally important. If you just throw out a price, or an offering, without the ability to position it for change, then the buyer can simply dismiss it for a myriad of reasons, and your stuck with nothing to try and re-position it. 6. Closing: Not as Hard as You Think Selling is not rocket science, nor is it magic. Sometimes people think you have to be some Slick Willy to be a good salesman, or a gifted orator. If you look at a lot of good salespeople, many are just people like all of us. They work hard and smart, are persistent and consistent on the task at hand. They are usually professional and knowledgeable about their products, service, and industry. They are courteous and service oriented. When it comes to closing, there is a lot of hype out there, sort of like the ultimate vitamin, or product to make you feel good and heal all your woes. One simple key to always remember is always ASK for the order. You should be aware of most of the requirements around the order, but if they are not willing to make a commitment, then you have a logical question they need to answer, Why not? What would keep you from going forward? This will help you identify objections, and hopefully the real reason they cannot make a commitment, and if it a reason you have an answer, or solution for, then you should make the sell. By continuing to ASK, you should be able to uncover most of the objections, and open the door to them responding favorably.

7. Perform and Serve With Excellence Once you make a sale, then perform on everything you said you would, with excellence. The follow-through is just as important as the selling process. Keep the communication honest and wide open with the customer. Be consistent with this. Work with them, serve them, and be to them as if you were an excellent employee. If you make a mistake, admit it and make it right. If you make a mistake, admit it, and make it right. Do not try to hide it or deflect it. This requires wisdom, because not every mistake affects the customer. But the ones that do, or will, be honest and let them know. You will go a long way in establishing trust when you can admit your mistakes. Many times we will not be able to take care of the customers requirements due to the nature of our business model. This is okay. We just need to be honest and let people know, and communicate we TRIED, and we look forward to the next opportunity. Let the people know you are working and have exhausted every avenue to try and meet their need. If you dont let them know you could not perform in positive way, you will be looked at as a failure, vs. one who gave their best shot. People like people who TRY and give their best shot, they do not like black holes where they send the request and never hear back. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Do not minimize this element, because it builds trust and confidence, even when you do not perform. Own these steps yourself, and do not let anyone else drop the ball. Blaming someone internally on the failure shoots the companys reputation, and yours. Do not lie!!! We all fail!! The big companies fail, the buyer you working with fails, being honest about it, will go along way in building trust and credibility. If you cannot perform on what you are representing, you are lying to the customer. Ask yourself - Would you buy it if someone sold it to you? You need to be sold yourself, and if you are not confident on your ability, or your companies ability to perform, dont sell it. Summary In summary, selling is simply helping someone buy something they need. Your not trying to force someone to buy something they do not need, or want Used Car Salesman. Selling is the process to establish a relationship with a buyer, accurately understanding their need, and communicating how your product/service will take care of their need, why youre the person/company, and finally asking them to buy it from you. The buyer then needs to make his own decision. Hopefully, you have presented what you have in such a way it is compelling enough for them to choose you. Self Education and Industry Knowledge Every salesperson must become the most proficient knowledge source in the products/services they sell. If you are not studying constantly, and trying to really understand the industry, competitors, and products you will not become the top in your field and continually be frustrated. You cannot get by just winging it, that may have happened in school, but in the world where you need to be successful, it will require you to really know what you are doing, and the industry you work in. Following are some places on the Internet that provide opportunities to gain knowledge. When you really understand what you are doing, then it is Wisdom when you accurately apply the knowledge gained in practical everyday situations to benefit yourself, your customer, and the company you work for. Tools to Help Train/Educate Yourself in Electronics and Sales 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. The Electronics Buyers News www.my-esm.com <http://www.my-esm.com> Purchasing Magazine www.purchasing.com <http://www.purchasing.com> Global Spec: www.globalspec.com Electronic Engineers Master: www.eem.com <http://www.eem.com> Digitimes IT News: www.digitimes.com <http://www.digitimes.com> Intel Processor Information: <http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/default.asp> Electronics Business Magazine: <http://reed-electronics.com/eb-mag/>