Ever feel like you just need something to get you started today? Not an overhaul, just a fast tune-up to get you going?
This is just what you’re looking for.
It’s a 10-second sales tune-up that you can use today! It’s a quick and easy self-analysis designed for use, to make sure you remain focused and get the best results out of each sales opportunity.
To begin, read this short article with the 10 points followed the explanation of each one. This should take about 10 minutes.
Next, read the 10 sales tune-up tips included at the end of the article. This will only take you about 10 seconds. Read them over before each sales presentation to sharpen the focus of your sales skills and increase your closing ratio. The more you use them, the more effective and powerful each tip becomes!
THE TEN POINTS:
1. Capture attention.
Show them something new; something that you’re excited about and that they haven’t seen before. It will capture their attention and their interest will follow.
2. Excite imagination.
Get them to see or imagine how what you’re showing or selling them would give them what they’re looking for. Show them to imagine a future that gives them more of what they do want or less of what they don’t want.
3. Don’t Assume Anything.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but you always will be better off if you assume that you know nothing about the clients needs (even if you do). This forces you to get into active communication and find out. Just because you’re selling widgets and know all about them doesn’t mean that widgets are what he wants.
It might even be prudent to admit to the client that there may not be a fit between your services and the clients needs; and that your job to let them find out what they really need and see if you can help them.
Remember, if you’re doing all the talking, you can only find out about yourself. If he’s talking, you’re finding out about his problems, his pain. He will tell you in direct or indirect words exactly what he needs and wants.
When he does tell you what his area of pain is, focus on it and direct his attention to it to underscore it. This will also establish agreement that you’re both focused on solving the same problem.
4. Find their pain.
Pain is something they don’t want or loss of something they do want. This is an application of the “no pain – no gain” idea. If you help them remedy their pain, they’ll help increase your gain.
Get him to let you in on what his real, waking up in the middle of the night, cold sweat issues are. What is holding him back? What is the “nothing seems to work” area that’s driving him berserk? What would happen if those “stops” were not there or were handled? Go for the hot areas, find where his real interests are, don’t settle for an analytical, conservative, distanced response or you’ll leave empty-handed.
5. Help them through it.
You are there to help him. Once you’ve found their pain, then they must come to see that if they do nothing, it will get worse. Ask them “how would it feel if (their pain) continued and got worse?” Then ask, “How would that effect you, your business or your life?’
Get them to see that something needs to change and they have to have a personal demand for improvement before any positive change will occur.
Then ask them “When would you like to get started?” Work out the price and terms get the paperwork done, get a “start check” (don’t call it a deposit) and you’re off and running.
6. Objections are closing opportunities.
If he says, “It’s too expensive; it’s a lot of money, or that’s only for the big boys,” realize what he’s really saying. He’s only trying to get you to help him get through the pain of spending any money at all. It has nothing to do with you personally. You just happen to be there in front of him at this moment. His pain is still there. And his purpose of trying to get rid of it is still there. Ask him, “You do want to get rid of (his pain) don’t you?’ Help him over come the pain of parting with his money buy putting his attention back on what he will gain.
5. People buy emotionally and justify it logically.
When he says it’s expensive, ask him, “Compared to what? Or relative to what? Obviously, all services or products are not the same; so you need to find what he is looking at as a comparison. Someone might have told him about a service or product that they got for “x dollars”, and you’re is higher, but what they got might be far different from yours.
If he’s only stuck on the money, he won’t see that. Put his attention back on what he hopes to get, (the cure) and he won’t be thinking about money anymore. Remind him, “You would like to get this problem behind you as soon as possible wouldn’t you?” Starting anything new is usually painful in itself, so help him through this and he’ll thank you for it.
6. Logic makes people think, emotion makes people act.
Remember that emotion is the secret weapon that all successful sales people use. It is the bridge between thinking about it and going into action. Unless you can establish a feeling in the client of what it would be like to get rid of (his pain), or what it would be like to achieve (his goal), he won’t go into action. When the client becomes emotionally involved in what you’re offering, they’re sold.
7. People only buy a benefit.
If they don’t see this for themselves personally, difficulties will develop. This means that you haven’t done all the pre-close steps completely. Back up and find where you lost him and handle that step, then come forward. You’ll see the light-bulb go off in them when they see the benefit for themselves personally and not before. When you see it, immediately go for the close.
Say something like, “If I were in your position, I wouldn’t hesitate. It does seem that this is the solution you’ve been searching for doesn’t it?” “Now, lets get you started so you can get the results you’ve hoped for, shall we?”
8. Close one step at a time.
Notice that you will only run into “sales resistance” If you skip a step in the process and push them to run before they can walk. When you see this, back up to when they were doing well and find out if they didn’t understand something or ran into something that they disagreed with. Handle it and come forward. It’s like walking up a set of stairs. The final step (the close) is easy to take if you’ve comfortably taken each step before it.
9. Know when to stop selling.
This is the most important one of all ten points. Once you’ve found their pain and they clearly see that you can provide a benefit to them, cease all selling activities, immediately! The sale is closed. Now it’s just a matter of working out the details.
Don’t say anything more about the benefits, features, advantages, or anything. You can easily overrun the close by continuing to talk beyond the point when they are sold! Just remember that every word you say after the sale is closed, is a potential land mine that will blow up the sale that you worked so hard to close.
Stop selling when the sale is closed. I mean it. It’s important! Know when to STOP SELLING. It’s the most common error that sales people make. Stop making it before you become causality too.
10. Handle the paperwork.
Be prepared!. Have all your paperwork with you and within arms length. Know exactly where it is and how to execute a contract. Even if it’s just a preliminary agreement, get something in writing. Many sales are lost because of poor handling of the admin. If you consider the “administrative close” just as important as the “sales close” you won’t be far off. Approach this step as carefully and thoroughly as you would the sales process itself.
Now, here is your own 10-second sales tune-up to use as often as you want:
10 Sales Tune-Up Tips
1. Capture attention.
2. Excite imagination.
3. Find their their pain.
4. Help them through it.
5. Objections are buying opportunities.
6. They buy emotionally then justify it logically.
7. Logic makes people think – emotions make people act.
8. Take one step at a time.
9. Know when to stop selling.
10. Handle the paperwork.
Review each of the 10 points before your next appointment and see what happens. I think you’ll be surprised at the results!
daniel w. jacobs
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