Selling Skills

Basic-Advanced
BY : Dr.Taleb Hammad
Selling Skills
 SELLING IS ……
• “Getting someone to do what
you want them to do the way
they want to do it” well &
willingly” ! ! ! !
V h.F.De BOEST
 Selling concepts

• Helping people achieve their needs

• Matching what you have to offer with
what the buyer wants
Selling?
CUSTOMER

.S A L E S R E P
 Selling process
• Preparation
• Business-like Introduction
• Presentation
– Help the buyer recognise opportunity
– Use open questions to gather information and
identify what they need: What, Where, When, How
, Who, Why.
– Closed questions to confirm clarity:
Is , Was, Does
 THE MARKETING MIX
THE CONSUMER’S ENVIRONMENT
I
N C
S O
PR M
T OD E
I UC IC P
T PR E
T
U PE R T
N S
T TIO DISTRIBUTI0N SEL ONA I
M O LIN L
I O G T
PR
O I
N O
S N

LEGAL SYSTEM
 PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE PATERN
TYPICL SALES CURVES

SALES

( $ OR UN)

INTRODUCTION GRWOTH MATURITY SATURATION DECLINE

TIME
 BICYCLE ANALOGY
BACK WHEEL FRONT WHEEL

PRO.KNOWLEDGE PEOPLE KNOWLEDGE

EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP SKILL

MKT. INTELLIGENCE/INF.
.TASK COMPETENCES ETC ETC…

POWER DERECTION
 OBJECTIVES

TERRITORY TIME

ACTION PLANNER
How to succeed

Preparation
Preparation Means
 Selling skills also used
in……..
• Marketing yourself
• Ideas
• Internal customers
• Public sector
 Customer
Marketing and selling begins and
ends with the CUSTOMER
Not your product
 Marketing

• Product - benefits
• Place
• Price
• Promotion – stand, posters, flyers,
tables, relationship marketing
 Why should a
customer buy from
you?
• fulfil a need • location

• fashion • value

• image • health

• salesmanship • fear

• advertising • legislation

• peer pressure • quality & reliability

• impulse • reputation

• price • after-sales service

Do not tell the customer about
your product and service until
you have found out which
company they are from and
what sort of cake they are
interested in.
 Selling skills

• Present the solution, while

overcoming customer concerns.
• Consider your competition
• Ask for the business
• Evaluate
Skills
• Networking
• Communication
– active listening
– summarising
• Persuading
• Influencing
• Negotiating
 REMEMBER
• Prepare your marketing and costing
• Stress (adapted) benefits to customer,
not just the features
• Draw attention to the strengths of your
product
• Ask for the business
• Keep motivated
He who whispers down a well,
about the things he has to sell,
will not make as many dollars as
he who climbs a tree and hollers.
Sharpen Your Selling
Skills
 Competing with
Competitors
• Two things to remember:
• Selling Skill of employees determine
success or failure of business
– skills to provide service and generate sales

• To customers the salesperson is the

business
– good or bad in the mind of customers
– focus turn salesperson into motivated
sales force
Six Steps Toward Selling
Success
• 1. Lay out the groundwork
– Knowledge
– Attitude
– Techniques

• 2. Approach and relate

– Sell the relationship
– Help customers buy the right thing
 Continued
• 3. Make the Presentation
– Know the features
– Sell the benefits - by answering “What is
in it for me?”
– Sell the advantages- by answering “Why
should I buy from this person?” and “Do
you knock the competition?”
• 4. Overcome the Objections
 Continued

• 5. Close and Supplement

– Always be closing- help customer decide how -not
whether they will buy.
• Can you see how this would meet your needs (or
solve your problem)?
• Since I haven’t heard any objections, I’m assuming
you agree with me? Right?
• Are you ready for us to talk about the final details?
• Shall we go ahead and get started with your order?
– Ask for the sale
– Suggest additional products after initial decision has
been made.
 Continued
• 6. Follow up and Make them Customers
for Life
– Contact customers after sale
– Send a “customer satisfaction” survey
– Prove your dependability
– Handle complaints promptly
– Add customer names to mailing list and
keep regular contact
– Ask for referrals
 Visualize Success
• Selling is people-serving-people
process that should include the
following:
– Training you staff to care about serving
customers
– Learning to listen to customers in order to
zero in on their needs
– Practicing courtesy in every situation
– learning about your products and services
so you can point out the benefits and
advantages
 Visualize Success-
Continued
– Suggesting additional items that will save
your customers time and additional
expense
– Making every customer feel welcome and
appreciated
– Following up sales with a thank you and a
satisfaction survey
Selling Skills
Effective selling
3 basic sales approaches
• Standard
– Pat statements and refined sales pitch
– Good for rookies, uniform for mgmt
– No listening

• Need Satisfaction
– Lots of careful questions to find
opportunity
• Problem-Solution
– Full analysis of customer needs
 Always be prepared
Before the Call
• Know your product inside out.
• Be knowledgeable about this industry.
• Know your competition
• Know the basics of the customers
needs.
• People in common.
• Believe in yourself, your company, and
product or DON’T be there.
 The pre-call Plan
• Always have a written plan
– Flowers for receptionist, get 2 names, name impression
• Always have a list of objectives for you/customer
– Free product trial, competitors terms, secure lunch date
• Always have a goal of learning something new about the
customer
– Equipment, ancillary products, 2nd tier suppliers
– Their “go to market strategy” and unique advantages

• Always try to have an actionable item for

you and your customer after the call
– Price on equipment, tech specs, trial in plant,
customer volume per month
 Before intro…
• Read the “sign in sheet”. Always.
Consider whether to write your
name/company legibly or not.
• Extra effort with reception. Always.
• Never talk in car in lot, elevators, lobby,
bathroom, etc.
• Review your written plan briefly.
• Look very relaxed in the lobby. (even if
not)
 First few minutes
matter…
• Nonverbal visual cues
– Your dress. Plan it.
– Look them in the eye and shake firmly.
– Smile broadly.
– Show personal enthusiasm in body
language.
– Pace yourself by customer…watch them
approach
 The opener…
• “I’m Cliff Brooks, How are you?”
• “Nice looking kids. I’ve got a few just about that
age, pretty darn busy around our place.”
• “How’s your day so far?”
• “How goes the battle today?”
• “Got your name from Joe…thanks for seeing me.
He thought this might make sense for us to get
together…”
• “Couldn’t help seeing those tanks on the side of
the building…I’d bet you are pretty happy with
those H&K 2 ton stainless auto top loaders?”
 Needs Discovery
• After closing this is the key selling skill.
• Question and listen. Really listen
– What’s not being said?
– What are they trying to say but “can’t”
– What’s the real need?

• Sometimes the needs are “just those of

the buyer, and not actual”. You
understand!
 Questions…
• Open probes…
– How are the new regulations from OSHA
hurting your business?
or
– “OSHA’s sure got our industry in a bind
right now. You guys seem to be doing so
well how are you doing it?”
 Closed Probes…
• Is delivery a problem for you?
– Or

• Given the shortage of trucking with the

strike could our dedicated fleet of
company owned delivery trucks help
with those delivery delays?
• Would extended payment terms help?
 Concerns/Objections
• Typically a natural part of any call
• An opportunity for more dialogue
• Helps both parties in buying process.
– “this is a buying process”

• Customer “indifference” is the killer not

active objections
 Handling Objections
• Listen
• Agree/restate without prejudice
• Get clear about the real issue
• Discuss solutions
• Ask for a commitment
 Closing…
• Trial closes might uncover more
issues/needs
– Is this what you had in mind?
– Would this do the job for you?
– How does this look?

• If still no…
– What specifically doesn’t seem as though
it meets your needs?
 Look for buying cues…
• Nonverbal yes’s
• Sounds good…
• Focus on delivery and terms in
discussion
• Timelines
• Pulling out PO forms
• Looking up stock/inventory
 Close
• Alternative close
– Which would you prefer the single case or
pallet quantity?
• Summary close
– With the 10% gain in factory efficiency and
unique new volume price program lets get
this on the books. When would you like
delivery?
 Post Sale
• Service, service, service.
• Know your company’s ability
• Don’t ever oversell
• Call and write.
• Creative thanks.
• Visit again soon after product delivery.
Five reasons salespeople
lose sales
• Apathy
• Misjudging you customer’s intent to
buy
• Lack of product knowledge
• Rudeness
• Failure to suggest other items
Dr . Taleb Hammad
B.Sc Pharmacy , MBA

taleb@mortar-and-pestle.net