| As promised, we will now start on the new set of | | | | comment made by my salesperson. I had to make |
| sales mentor lessons to add to your selling skills | | | | additional incentives and change the salesperson that |
| arsenal. Today, the most important sales technique | | | | was assigned to her, just to gain back her trust in |
| that everybody knows but is usually taken for | | | | our company. |
| granted is - knowing your prospect. | | | | Hence, it is very important to slowly find out a |
| Obviously, the more you know your prospect, the | | | | person's beliefs whether to close the sale or avoid |
| easier it is for you to do the selling since you know | | | | conflict. |
| his needs, wants, desires, and specially his personal | | | | Examples of personal beliefs are religion, family |
| preference. Secondly, once you know enough of the | | | | culture, organizations, family background. |
| customers' attitude, you can make "custom" sales | | | | 2. Personal/business goals and objectives. |
| approach towards selling to a specific prospect. | | | | Once you are able to pin-point a prospect, it is |
| In formal sales training this approach is called | | | | important that you also understand the goals and |
| "getting-the-account-knowledge". From the word | | | | objectives of your prospect. Knowing the prospect's |
| account knowledge, it means that it tackles on the | | | | goals and objectives helps you evaluate whether |
| number of information you as salesperson knows | | | | your product/service will be beneficial for your |
| about your existing and future account. | | | | prospect or not. |
| There are many simple ways where we can actually | | | | For example if you are selling a high end baking soda |
| gain a customer's account knowledge gradually. I | | | | (with splendid quality of course), you have to ensure |
| stressed the word "gradually" since in selling, time is | | | | that you are selling to a prospect who has goals and |
| of the importance. In any sales situation there is | | | | objectives to maintain quality breads or cakes. Not |
| always two parties involved, your side (the | | | | only that, you also need to consider how it effects |
| salesperson) and the prospect's side. So the faster | | | | his bottom line income when he starts using your |
| you develop a very good relationship with your | | | | product, given the fact that he also wants to |
| customer, the faster you gain account knowledge | | | | maintain a certain amount of income in his bakeshop |
| and trust. Simply put, "gradual" means as you build | | | | or cake business. |
| trust, you gain more account knowledge. | | | | 3. Know your prospects frustrations. |
| Now there are many types of account knowledge | | | | Now I know this seems like related to personal |
| that you could gain from a customer but I summarize | | | | beliefs but since I have started selling, this has |
| it in my own set of importance. | | | | allowed me to gather the number of people I can sell |
| Here are the following: | | | | to by knowing their frustration. |
| 1. Personal beliefs. | | | | We all have frustrations in our life. Like in our love life, |
| In all my life in the "sales world", I believe that this is | | | | our health life, the way we look (there's nothing |
| the most important account knowledge that a | | | | much you can really do about that), our weight, and |
| salesperson should have. Knowing the prospect's | | | | many more. Knowing the prospect's frustrations help |
| personal beliefs not only helps you sell but also helps | | | | you target the most important aspect in his life that |
| you avoid giving wrong impressions to you customer. | | | | he wants to change. With that, you will be able to |
| For example, I had a salesperson before who had | | | | make your selling efforts and even your sales |
| mentioned something bad about the Muslim culture to | | | | presentation focused on solving his problem. |
| one of his biggest customers. In just a few minutes | | | | Now try this strategy on your daily selling and you'll |
| that customer suddenly became antagonistic and did | | | | be amazed at how effective this simple strategy is. |
| not want to talk to my salesman, and evidently | | | | It will enormously grow your closing percentage. |
| canceled his coming orders. | | | | Next we will talk more on how to gather this account |
| When I went to that customer to personally check, I | | | | knowledge through a simple step by step process. |
| found out that the customers' parents were | | | | Hope you have learned something from today's sales |
| practicing Muslims and that she was hurt by the | | | | mentor lesson. |