There are certain benchmarks that are met when people come to an agreement with one another. When you know what these steps are, you can repeat them and increase your success in having influence in your life and making sales!
#1. Build Rapport - People buy from people they like and trust, whether you're selling a product, asking for a raise or a second date, there needs to be a foundation of trust established for the relationship to progress to the next step - this is known as building rapport. Focusing on the ways you can help your prospect and keeping their best interest in mind is the key to building a relationship.
#2. Find The Need Or Desire - Next, you need to know what your prospect desires and if you and the prospect are a good fit. You're goal is to determine if what you're selling can meet their needs. To uncover the desires of your prospect you need to "probe" for their hot buttons. There is an art to conducting a needs analysis and when it is done well, the balance of the sales call unfolds with grace. Getting someone to open up and dialogue happens naturally when you and your prospective customer have a good rapport.
#3. Agree On The Need - Once you've uncovered the desire or need, you need to reaffirm that need to show your prospect that you heard them correctly and also to show them again that there is a need for them to change. You might say "so it seems that you find yourself loosing productivity because you are constantly having to answer the phone during your work day, is that correct?" When your prospect nods yes or says yes out loud, they're beginning to see the logic and possible benefits of doing business with you. Now, you offer them an opportunity to convince themselves that their decision to buy from you today is worth while by trial closing.
An example of a trial close might be, "If I can show you how having the temporary admin employee can be a solution that may improve your productivity and efficiency would you be open to trying the service?" You'll either get a "yes" or "I don't make decisions on the spot, I like to think about it," or some other response and it's all perfect because what matters is that you ask! If you don't ask, you get nowhere..so ask, and move your sale forward. Summarizing the need and trial closing will position you to successfully move to the next step.
#4. Present Your Company, Yourself and Your Product or Service - At this step you tell the prospect about you and why you and your company and service are qualified to meet their needs. You're talking about the big picture and mentioning any similar clients that you have helped who had similar needs. You may also let your prospect know that they can call your customers for a reference about your service.
#5. Fill The Need - Now, you specifically bring up the need that you and your prospect agreed upon and show and tell them how the features your product or service has benefits them and fills those needs. You might begin by saying "Earlier you mentioned that much of your concentration and productivity is diminished because you need to stop what you're doing and answer the phone. The ABC Company temporary admin employee is trained to skillfully adapt to any industry and proficiently handle distributing incoming calls in the organization. Having this Temp will free up your time by eliminating interruptions and help improve your productivity.
#6. Close - Closing the sale is now an elegant transition from the previous steps of the sale and can simply be "can you see how having this admin support person can increase productivity and improve job satisfaction at work?" It's also great if you can offer testimonials to your prospect to show them you not only can do what you say, but have done so for similar companies or people and those customers are happy.
#7. Cement The Sale - If you've done your work diligently along the way, you've earned the sale, got the commitment from the customer and gained their trust. Congratulations! To finalize your dealings with your new customer, you need to reinforce your efforts and help allay any remorse the buyer may have. The easiest way to cement the sale is to make an appointment to meet your new customer again to be sure the results you've promised have been delivered. No product or service is perfect, but selling is more about relationships between people than it is about having perfect performance from products or services. If your customer knows they can call you or talk to you if they're having any questions or need support, you'll have much more than a lifetime customer, you'll have another source of business referrals from a happy and satisfied friend.
The steps to persuasion are the same whether you're selling a product, service or idea. Enjoy having influence! It can improve every aspect of your life.
Deborah D'Ippolito is a sales and communications consultant who founded Top Sales Stars - a sales training and communications company dedicated to helping others improve their lives by becoming more influential.
Deborah D'Ippolito is the founder of TopSalesStars and a sales and communications consultant. TopSalesStars.com was founded to help others become become more influential. For Free Tips on Sales and Communications, please visit www.topsalesstars.com.
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