Selling

Techniques
Making It Happen!

What Is Selling?

The face to face meeting

with your prospect at the
Intention or Buying level
Getting thereright place,
right time, right person

What Do Customers Care About?

THEMSELVES!!
Wants, Needs, Desires

What Do They Buy?

SOLUTIONS!!

Techniques

PRE-PREPARE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Know your customers

Know your product
Know the value equation
Know your competition
Know why your customer should buy
from you instead of your competition

Approach
The first faceto-face
contact with
the customer

How to approach the customer

Be courteous and respectful
Establish good eye contact
Be enthusiastic
Show a sincere interest in the customer
Be friendly and genuine
Use the customers name
Time the approach appropriately

Types of Approaches

1.Service Approach
2.Greeting Approach
3.Merchandise
Approach

1. Service Approach
Salesperson asks the customer if he
or she needs assistance
Example: May I help you with
something?
*Ineffective because it elicits a negative
response

2-Greeting Approach

Salesperson simply welcomes

the customer to the store
Example: Good afternoon,
Austin.

3-Merchandise Approach
Salesperson makes a comment or asks
questions about a product that the
customer is looking at
Example: That shirt is made of a
cotton and polyester blend, so its
machine washable.
*Most effective initial approach in retail sales
because it focuses attention on the merchandise.

Determining the needs of customers

1. Observin
g
2. Listening
3. Questioni

1- Observing

Look for buying motives that

are communicated nonverbally

2-Listening
Listening helps
you pick up clues
to the customers
needs

Maintain good eye

contact
Provide verbal and
nonverbal feedback
Give your undivided
attention
Listen with empathy
and an open mind
Do not interrupt

3- Questioning
Who?
What?

Do ask open-ended questions to

encourage customers to do the talking.

When?

Do ask clarifying questions to make

sure you understand customers needs.

Where?

Dont ask too many questions in a row.

How?

Dont ask questions that might

embarrass customers or put them on the
defensive.

Why?

Product Presentation

During the product presentation phase of

the sale:
- you show the product and tell
about it.

What to do during the presentation

Displaying and handling the product
Creatively display the product

Demonstrating
Builds customer confidence

Using sales aids

Samples, models, visual aids, graphs, charts

Involving the customer

Understanding Objections
Objections
Concerns, hesitations,
doubts, or other honest
reasons a customer has for
not making a purchase
Excuses
Insincere reasons for not buying or not
seeing the salesperson; customers often use
excuses when they are not in the mood to buy or
when concealing real objections

Common Objections

1. Need
2. Product
3. Source
4. Price
5. Time

Common Objections

NEED
Need objections occur when the
customer has a conflict between
wanting something but not truly
needing it

Common Objections

Product

Concerns about things

such as construction,
quality, size, appearance,
or style

Common Objections

Source
Source objections generally
occur due to negative past
experiences with the firm or
brand

Common Objections

Price

Most common with

high-quality, expensive
merchandise

Common Objections

Time

Objections based on time

reveal a hesitation to buy
immediately;
immediately these objections
are often excuses

Handling Objections
1. Listen carefully
2. Acknowledge the customers objections
3. Restate the objections
4. Answer the objections

Methods for handling objections

1. Boomerang
2. Question
3. Superior point
4. Direct denial
5. Demonstration
6. Third party

Boomerang
The objection comes back to the customer
as a selling point
Examples

Yes, it is expensive, but I don't think you would want to buy your wife a
cheap present.
Indeed, the house does need work, but as you said, you are very good at
Do-It-Yourself work.
Certainly, if you do not have the money today then we can arrange it all
for tomorrow.

Question
The customer is questioned in an effort to
learn more about the objections raised
Example:

a car salesman will ask a client if he prefers a

CD player in the vehicle or a combination
CD/DVD player, as opposed to asking the
prospect if he likes the CD player currently in
the vehicle

Superior point
The salesperson acknowledges objections as
valid, but offsets them with other features
and benefits
For example, if he is selling shirts and the prospect says,
This cloth does not seem to be of the best quality, by
using this method he would sayYou are quite right, Sir. This cloth is not of the best or
highest grade. If it had been, the price would have
been considerably higher.

Direct denial
Provides proof and accurate information to
answer objections; best used when the
customer has misinformation or when the
objections are in the form of a question
For example, if the customer asks a direct question as to whether
the material shown is likely to fade, it can be denied directly by
stating that the material would not fade and that it has been
proved by tests.

Demonstration
Answers objections by illustrating one or
more features of a good or service; seeing
is believing

Third party
Using a previous customer or another
neutral person who can give a testimonial
about the product

Closing the Sale

Close the sale when the customer is
ready to buy
Look for buying signals:
I am just wandering around with no real
interest in products and intention to buy.
I am interested in this product, but am not
currently anxious to buy.
I am very interested in this and might well buy
it if you can answer a few questions.
I want to buy this, now!

Rule for Closing the Sale

If you think the customer is ready to make a
buying decision, stop talking about the product.
Help a customer decide by summarizing the
major features and benefits of a product

Technique
Summarize in sets of three items: We will give you this, that and the other.
This may be features of the product, benefits or add-on sweetener items.
There are two ways to do this: they may either be closely related (to reinforce a
single point) or may be quite separate (to gain greater coverage).
Most customers want products that are free, perfect and available now. This is the
classic business measurement trilogy of cost, quality and time.
Examples

This product is cheaper, faster and more reliable than the

competition.

How it works
The1-2-3 Close works through the principle of triples, a curious pattern
where three things given together act as a coherent set of three hammerblows that give a compelling message

1-2-3 close


Technique
Donotgoforthesalenow.Givethemtimetothink.Tellthemthattheyprobably
needtimetoconsidertheofferyouhavemade.
Usethiswhen:
Youcanseethattheyarenotgoingtodecidenow.
Youhavesetupenoughtensionthatyouarereasonablyconvincedthattheywill
indeedseriouslyconsiderthedealandarelikelytocomeback.
Combinethiswithsettingupthenextmeeting,whenperhapsyouwillbeableto
solidlyclosethedeal.
Examples

This is an important decision for you and I think you need time to
consider how important it is. Shall we discuss the details further
next time I see you?
I can see you're thinking very carefully about this. Shall I come
back next week to see how you are progressing then?

How it works
Offeringanadjournmentcanbeanicesurpriseforthecustomer,whomaybe
expectingaharderstyleofselling.Thissetsupanexchangetension,encouraging
themtopaybackyourofferoftimewithlateragreeingtothedeal.
TheAdjournmentCloseisparticularlyeasytomanagewhenthesalespersonvisits
thecustomer,asopposedtohavingtohopethattheywillcallback.

Adjournment Close


Technique
Closeoutanyobjectionstheyhaveaboutpricebymakingsuretheycanaffordit.
Findhowmuchtheycanafford.Thenshowthatyouhaveafinanceplanthatfits
theircapabilitytopay.
Bringinotherfactorstoreframetherealprice,suchaslifetimecosts.
Sellthemsomethingelsetheycanafford.
Lastoption:bringyourpricedowntowhattheyarepreparedtopay.
Examples

How much per month can you afford...yes, we can make a deal for
that...
The initial costs seems high, but by the end of the year you will
have recouped the costs.
If we can bring the price down to what you say, will you buy
today?

How it works
TheAffordableCloseworksbystructuringthefinanceofthedealtofitintotheother
person'sabilitytopay.
'Ican'taffordit'isoftenmoreofanexcusethanarealobjection.Iftheyreallydo
notwanttobuy,youwillfindthattheywillimmediatelyjumpontoanother
objection.

Affordable Close

Technique
Thealternativecloseworksbyofferingmorethanoneclearlydefined
alternativetothecustomer.
Thenumberofalternativeshouldbeveryfew-twoorthreeisoftenquite
adequate.
Notethatthistechniqueworkswellinmanydifferentsituationswhereyou
areseekingagreement,andnotjustsellingproducts.

Examples
Would you like one packet or two?
Which of these courses seems best for you?
Shall we meet next week or the week after?
How it works
TheAlternativeCloseisavariantonthebroader-basedAssumptiveClose
andworksprimarilythroughtheassumptionprinciple,whereyouactasif
thecustomerhasalreadydecidedtobuy,andtheonlyquestionleftis
whichofalimitednumberofoptionstheyshouldchoose.

Alternative Close

Technique
Actas if theotherpersonhasmadethedecisionalready.
Turnthefocusoftheconversationtowardsthenextlevelof
questions,suchashowmanytheywant,whentheywantit
delivered,whatsizetheyneed,andsoon.

Examples
When shall we deliver it to you?
What will your friends say when they see it?
Will 20 cases be enough?
How it works
TheAssumptiveCloseworksbytheAssumptionprinciple,where
actingconfidentlyasifsomethingistruemakesitdifficultforthe
otherpersontodenythis.Forthemtosayyouarewrongwould
betocastthemselvesasanantisocialnaysayer.

Assumptive Close

Technique
Listboththebenefitsofthepurchase(thepros)andalsothecosts(thecons).
Ofcourse,thepros(thereasonstobuy)willwin.
Youcanevenwriteitdownlikeabalancesheet.Makesurethe'pros'columnis
longerandmoreimpressive,ofcourse.
Consincludethingstheywantedbutarenotgetting.
Startwiththeconsandkeepthemshort.Butdomakeitsoundcredible,asif
youaregivingthemfairconsideration.
Thencoverthepros.Perhapssoundpleasantlysurprisedasyoudescribethem.

Examples
Let's weigh things up. You're not getting ..., but you are
well within your budget and will have ..., ... and .... Hmm.
That's good!

How it works
TheBalance-sheetCloseworksbybuildingTrustthroughappearingtotakinga
balancedandfairapproach.Itguidestheotherperson'sthinkingandhopefully
savesthemthetroubleofweighinguptheprosandthecons.

Balance-sheet Close


Technique
Iftheyarenotreadytoclosenow,agreeafuturedatewhenyoucan
meettodiscussfurther.Thisatleastkeepsthedealaliveandyoureturn
tofightanotherday.Itmayalsobejustwhatyouareseekingtotakeyou
tothenextstepinthedealstrategy.
Puttingdatesinthediarymayalsobeanassumptivemethod,assuming
thatclosurehastakenplaceandthatitisjustamatterofwhen.

Examples
When shall we make the next coaching meeting?
Are you free next Wednesday at 3pm?
What new things shall we discuss next week?

How it works
Puttingadateinthediaryiseasyfortheotherperson,andmaybe
agreedasanexchangeforyounotpressingfurtherforaclosenow.
Datesinthediaryalsogetthemthinkingaboutthefuture,whichmaybe
agoodthingasthisattentionwillthenkeepthemengagedinyour
subject-matter.

Calendar Close

Technique
Ratherthanselldirectlytothepersonyouaretargeting,selltoapersontheyare
with.
Startbybeingfriendlywiththem(thetargetpersonwon'tmindthis)thengradually
increasethesellingtothem.
Castthemasanauthority(particularlyastheybuyintoyouridea).
Ropeinthecompanionasasalesassistant.
Ifyouarelucky,youmightmaketwosales!

Examples
Good day sir, madam...You seem to like this too,
madam...Which part is best?...
How it works
TheCompanionCloseworksbecausethecompaniontowhomyouaresellingthe
ideadoesnothavetomakeafinancialorothercommitmentandsowillbemore
readytoagreewithyou.
Whentherealtargetofthesaleseesthattheotherpersonhasagreed,theyare
morelikelytoalsoagree,inordertomaintainconsistencywiththeirthoughtsof
theircompanionbeingintelligentandtomaintainharmonyintheirrelationshipwith
them.

Companion Close


Technique
Benicetothem.Tellthemhowwonderfultheyare.Beamazedandimpressedby
them.
Castthemastheexpertsotheyselltothemselves.
Tellthemhowotherswillbeimpressedbythem.
Tellthemhowimpressedyouarewiththemasaperson.Admiretheirintegrity.
Thenaskforthesale.

Examples
Wow. You really know your stuff. Would you like
to buy this now?
Well, as you are the expert, you will understand
how good this is.
How it works
TheComplimentCloseworksbyflatteringtheotherperson,massagingtheiregoso
theyaremoreconcernedwithfeelinggoodthanpartingwiththeirmoney.
Itcanhelptoassociatethepersonwiththeproduct,sotheyfeeltheirsenseof
identitybecomingattachedtotheproduct.
Italsoworksbybeingnicetotheotherpersonsotheyfeelobligedtobenicetoyou
andbuyyourproduct.

Compliment Close

Technique
Ifyouareableto,doaspectaculardemonstrationofyourproductthatreallymakesthem'wow'.
Ifyoucan'tdoitwiththemthere(whichisbyfarandawaythebest),thenuseavideoor
otherwiseaddimpact.
Givethemago.Letthemtryandfindoutforthemselves.

Examples
I sell bullet-proof vests. Let me demonstrate...
You won't believe this. I didn't either when I first saw it.
Just watch...
How it works
TheDemonstrationCloseworksbygivingthemevidencethattheycannotdeny.Thevisceral
experienceofsensingaproductbeingusedcannotbebeatenbytalkorevenexplicitpictures.
Itisparticularlyeffectiveiftheyhavealreadypredictedthatyourdemonstrationwillnotworkas,
beingforcedtoreviseapredictiontheywillalsohavetorevisethebeliefsonwhichitwasbased.

Demonstration Close

Technique

Deliberatelydistractthemorwaitforamomentwhentheyaredistracted
bysomethingelse,suchasthekidsplayingup,aphonegoingor
somethinglikethat.
Inotherwords,catchtheminaweakmomentwhentheirmindsare
elsewhere.
Thenpressfortheclose.Askdirectlyforthesale.Givethemthecontract
tosign.

Examples
(their phone goes off). So you do want it now, right?
(there is a lot of disturbance nearby). Can you just quickly sign here?
Here's a cup of coffee. Would you like some cake? Just sign there...that's
fine.
How it works

TheDistractionCloseworksbywaitinguntiltheyareapproaching
emotionaloverloadorhaveonlyapartoftheirrationalmindonyou.At
thesetimes,theywillnotbethinkingquiteascarefullyaboutobjecting,
andagreeingtothesalewilltakesomeoftheloadofftheirminds.

Distraction Close

Technique
Ifyouwantapersontotakeaparticularoption,donotmentionitdirectly,
butshowhowallotheroptionsarenotfeasibleorundesirable.
Thenletthemchoosetheoptionthemselves.

Examples
Sorry, we're out of that one...Oh that one is really
expensive...And that one has got really bad
reviews and I wouldn't recommend it...
How it works
SunTzu,thefamousChineseGeneralwhowrotetheclassictextabout
winningwarswithoutfighting,said'Buildyourenemiesagoldenbridge'.
Bythishemeanyoucornerthem,andthenratherthanfighting(whence
they,havingnothingtolose,wouldfighttothedeath),youbackoffalittle
andletthemleavewithdignity-justinthedirectionthatyouwantthem
togo.
TheGoldenBridgeClosethusworksbyclosingoffalloptionsexceptthe
oneyouwant.

Golden Bridge Close

Technique
Whenyouaregettingneartoclosureorifyouarehaving
problems,handovertheactualclosuretoanotherperson.
Youcanframethisasadifferentprocess,forexamplewhereyour
jobwastohelpthecustomerchooseandthenextpersonisto
agreefinaldetails,agreepriceorjusttakedowndetails.

Examples
Right. Now that we've got the fit right, Mr. Jones here is going
to help sort out the paperwork.
You have said that price is important to you and Mrs. Williams
is our senior manager and is going to take over now.
How it works
Whenthenewpersontakesover,theymayactasifeverythingelsehas
beenagreed.Thenewpersonisnotencumberedwithanybaggageandthe
customermaybereluctanttogooveranypreviousdetailandeffectively
giveinwhenfacedwithapersonwhomaynotunderstandobjections
raised.
Thisprocesscanbeusedwhenjuniorpeopleareusedtoexplainthedetails
ofaproductwhilstaseniorpersontakesoverthepricenegotiations.

Handover Close

Technique
Getthemamusedbytellingajokeorotherwisemakingwittyremarks.Then
eithergoforarelaxedclosewithanotherclosingtechniqueorweaveclosure
intothejoke.
Thisisparticularlyusefulwhentheyaretenseforsomereason.
Bewareofpolitically-incorrecthumorunlessyouaresureitwillbeeffective.
Self-deprecatinghumorisoftenasafebetandshowsyoutobeconfidentand
likable.

Examples
Oh go on. It'll make both our wives very happy.
If you don't buy this now, I'll be told to go and stand in the
corner!
I'd better not sit down in case the boss sees me.
How it works
Relaxedandhappypeoplearelesslikelytoobject.
Whenyoumakesomeonelaugh,theywilllikeyoumore.Andwearemore
likelytobuyfrompeoplewelike.

Humor Close


Technique
Whenpeopleareprocrastinatingorditheringoverwhethertheyshouldbuynow
orbuylater,showthemthatdelayingwilleithergetthemnoadvantageormay
evenbetotheirdisadvantage.
Talkaboutwhattheywillmissbynothavingitoverthecomingperiod.
Giveexamplesofpeoplewhowaitedforthebestmoment,whichnevercame.

Examples
If you leave it until next year, you'll have one year less to enjoy
it.
The best time to buy is when you need it -- which I'd say is now,
wouldn't you?
My friend spent his whole life looking for the perfect partner.

How it works
TheNever-the-best-timeCloseworksbyreframingdelayingtacticsasvaluedestroyingprocrastination.

Never-the-best-time Close

Technique
Emphasizequalityoverotherfactors,particularlyprice.
Talkabouthowotherpeoplewillbeimpressedbythequalityoftheproduct.
Talkabouthowqualityproductslastlonger,wearless,requirelessmaintenance,
etc.
'SellonQuality,notonPrice'
Examples
For a one-off payment you get non-stop quality.
The quality of this shows really who you are.
This will last for ever.
Once you try this, you will never want another brand.
This product is far more reliable.
How it works
TheQualityCloseworksbyappealingeithertotheotherperson'svanityorto
theirsenseoflonger-termvalue.Forvanity,youareassociatingtheiridentity
with'quality'.Forvalue,youarereframingpriceacrosstime.

Quality Close

Technique
Makethemashamedofthecurrentproducttheyhaveortheirinactionovernot
buying.
Showhowunfashionabletheyareandhowothersmaylaughatthem.
Framenotbuyingas'stingy'andmiserly.
Highlightothersocialrulesthattheyarebreaking.
Examples
Can your mobile cell phone access the net at mega-speeds?
Are you wearing last year's fashions?
I think your son really deserves a new one, don't you?
How it works
TheShameCloseworksbyhighlightingsocialrulesthatthepersonisbreaking.
Italsomayworkbyappealingtotheirvanity.
TheShameCloseisalsocalledtheGuiltClose.

Shame Close

Technique
Summarizethelistofbenefitsthattheotherpersonwillreceive,tellingthemthe
fullextentofwhattheyaregettingfortheirmoney.
Makeitsoundimpressive,usingfullphrasesandattractivewords.
Gointodetail,separatingoutasmanysub-itemsandfeaturesasyoucan.
Butalsofitthedescriptionintoareasonablespaceoftime.Yougoalistoimpress
themwithwhattheyaregetting,nottoborethemwithexcessivedetail.
Examples
So as well as the basic product, you are getting free delivery, a five-day exchange
assurance plus our comprehensive guarantee.
This comes in an easy-carry box and includes a remote control, with batteries
included, of course!

How it works
TheSummaryCloseworksbyrepeatingwhathasalreadybeenagreed.Puttingitall
togethermakesitseemlikeanevenbiggerpackage.Thisisparticularlytruewhen

Summary Close

Technique
Useahappycustomertoconvincetheotherperson.
Showthemlettersfromhappycustomers.Havethelettersonthewall.
Ifyouareusingthenameofthehappycustomer,makesuretheyagreeto
youdoingthis.Otherwiseyouwillhavetouseananonymousreference,
suchas'satisfiedcustomerfromBirmingham'or'majorairline'.
Persuadehappycustomersactasreferences,thattheotherpersoncan
eithercalluportheycanvisit.Rewardthehappycustomerwith
appropriatethanks,whichmayrangefromasimplelettertoasmall
presenttoadiscount.Beverycarefulheretoensurethecustomerfeels
valuedanddoesnotfeeltheyarebeingbribed.
Examples
XYZ Corporation are regular customers.
We have several customers who are happy to act as reference sites
for us. Would you like me to arrange a visit for you?

How it works
TheTestimonialCloseworksbyprovidingevidencefromacrediblesource.
Iftheydonottrustyou,theyaremuchmorelikelytotrustsomeonewho
issimilartothem.

Testimonial Close

Maintaining and Building a Clientele

Customer Satisfaction