I heard a comment by a salesperson in a showroom recently that
created an opportunity for negative inferences by the customer. I
would like to say that the comment was made in a big box store or
in a competitor’s showroom, but it wasn’t. The statement was made
by someone in our showroom.
At our showroom, we set aside every Tuesday morning for
training, which includes product information, systems for internal
success and sales training. In fact, within the last 60 days alone
we set aside four hours of training specifically focused on selling
skills. However, after hearing the conversation that transpired
between this salesperson and customer, it became clear that more
work needed to be done.
After having a discussion with my salesperson about the
incident, I put together material for our entire sales staff that
is specifically designed to improve their opportunities to take and
keep control of a sale. Following are many of the points of that
plan.
SET FOR FAILURE
To begin, I’ll describe the situation: The consumer was a
husband who was alone and gathering information on our products and
services. After looking around, he had clearly developed interest.
The customer asked about getting an appointment at a time when both
he and his wife could come together. The response to his inquiry
was, “I am going to be here all day Friday and Saturday, so I am
available anytime.” The consumer’s reply was, “Saturday will work.”
Then there was silence, as if the customer needed to establish the
time.
Here’s where the negative inferences begin. The first big
failure was that the customer was handled with indifference rather
than enthusiasm. Research shows that over 60 percent of customers
choose not to do business with a person or a business when they
perceive an attitude of indifference.
Next, the customer was given a message indicating that our
salesperson wasn’t very busy. The salesperson also erred regarding
internal company policy, because we don’t take any Saturday
appointments after 10 a.m. due to the amount of showroom traffic on
the weekend.
STAY IN CONTROL
What could the salesperson have done better? Here are some
tips:
1. Qualify the customer. There’s so much we need to know about
the customer, and we can gather that information over the entire
selling process. However, there are four questions whose answers
will provide the starting point on the road map to sales success.
The questions of who, what, where and when need to be addressed
early.
In this case, the who question would have revealed the fact that
the customer’s wife was an important part of the process and would
need to be included. Knowing this, the salesperson should create an
appointment that includes the wife by giving the consumer a choice
of two or three appointment times. Or, the salesperson could have
gone with a more straightforward invitation, such as “I have
Saturday at 8 a.m. Would that work for you?” Either of these
approaches accentuates the customer’s importance as helps the
salesperson control the sales process from early on, and in a
non-aggressive way.
2. Let the customer know you’re a busy person. It’s reality;
customers like doing business with people who are busy. When a
salesperson lets the customer choose the time, it implies that the
salesperson is not busy. Customers may then wonder why. Conversely,
busy people have an aura of optimism and their enthusiasm about
their work draws prospects toward wanting to do business with
them.
3. Explain early what the process is, as well as what the
responsibilities of each party will be in creating a successful
project. This is the time to talk about design fees, time lines and
any other important conditions. If you or the prospect cannot meet
the necessary conditions and the conditions can’t be altered, now
is the best time to thank them and direct them to a resource where
their needs will be served. If a customer isn’t a fit, find out
early and move on.
4. Start closing the sale early. Ask questions and make
observations that assure that your prospect is dedicated to the
project. Though a yes answer to the question “Are we on the right
track?” may be what you’re looking for, be careful; it may be a
qualified “yes.” Watch your customer’s body language it may tell
you something different. Be sure to ask how the customer feels
about what you’ve accomplished so far. This gives the prospect an
opportunity to validate your chemistry together.
Another good question is, “I am comfortable to go to the next
step, are you?” This will only work if you have told the prospect
what the process is and what steps have to be accomplished and by
whom.
5. Ask “Do you have any questions or concerns that I haven’t
covered?” This question gives the client an opportunity to clarify
any questions and will start to uncover any burgeoning objections.
Asking questions like this will build trust and strengthen
communication.
6. Ask “Are you working with any other designers on this
project?” If you get a “yes” answer, follow it with “What are you
looking at?” “What do you like about it?” “How far along are you
with the designing and pricing?” and “Are there ideas you’ve found
that I should be incorporating into my design?” The better you can
define the competitive target, the better you’ll be able to
identify what your client really wants and needs, thereby gaining
the sale.
7. Set a time line for making decisions. Let your prospect know
that timely decisions help propel the project forward toward a
final decision. Let the customer know the expectations to be met
and establish a time for all decision makers to meet.
Take a look at your selling experiences in particular the sales
you wanted that somehow got away to see if the problem was related
to design, price, timing, your services or the fact that you lost
control along the way.
I know I’ll be using this article in next week’s sales meeting,
where we’ll do some role-playing and have open discussions about
how we can best develop and control the sale. I hope you’ll do the
same.