Not to add to the clutter of information on the subject – - but just to remind you of something you already knew. Sales is always about the people.
In past writings I have covered this principle, but it deserves to be restated:
All sales is still about the people. And always will be.
If you still don’t get it, think of it this way. The focus must be about the people involved, not the process. The order of importance is: the people first and the process second. Always.
Okay, with that principle firmly established, we can now look at the process of selling.
There are four fundamental steps to any sale. They must be taken in this order. If you omit a step, you create problems for yourself and will fail. It is not guaranteed that you will make the sale if you follow these steps. But any sale you do make, will follow the four steps in this order, every time.
THE SALES PROCESS
1. Prospecting
2. Qualifying
3. The Presentation
4. The Close
PROSPECTING:
To prospect means to search for and explore in expectations of finding a future client or customer. It is an action verb, it is something you do. While most sales people hate prospecting and avoid it at all costs, it is essential to your success. If this step is not done, you will not close sales.
Prospecting is simply the action of interested looking combined with a willingness to communicate with people. (Note: there is an important difference between communicating with people and talking to people. Make sure you sort this out before you start.)
If you’re not interested and you’re not looking, you’ll never find a prospect or a potential customer. If you are always interested and always looking, you’ll find there is no scarcity of potential clients and customers — in fact, they’ll usually find you if you’re out there searching for them.
QUALIFYING:
In sales, qualifying is done to determine whether or not a prospect has the ability, authority or inclination to purchase what you are selling. Not all prospects are qualified. If they’ve already got a “solution” (even if imagined), they are not a qualified prospect for you.
A qualified prospect is someone who now has or once had a purpose that you can help them achieve. Only if they are “qualified” do you move to the next step in the process.
THE PRESENTATION:
A sales presentation is usually a pre-arranged meeting where the salesperson or sales team presents detailed information, demonstrations and answer any questions about the products or services. This is the key element on the bridge to turn a qualified prospect into a buying customer. All decision makers should be present and it often requires more than one meeting. It’s not just a canned sales pitch with a quick sale.
The sales presentation is still always about the people; finding a way to satisfy their purposes, needs, wants, and desires. It can take many forms, ranging from formal, structured meetings with many visuals and props, to casual, informal discussions, but in the end, it is always a live person who will say yes or no. Whether they like you and trust you will determine (to a large extent) whether they will do business with you. This is the step where objections are voiced and handled. Elements such as price, delivery, and other factors are discussed and agreed upon. The customers purposes are clarified and ways of satisfying them are presented. Done correctly, the presentation flows comfortably into the final step.
THE CLOSE:
The sales close. The most discussed, digested, and over-analyzed stage of the sales process. But it is the easiest. If you’ve done the previous three steps properly. It becomes a struggle only when you have failed to complete one of the other three steps.
This step, as much as any of the previous ones, is about the people. It’s a human activity where you’re providing the benefit they have already decided they want. Human beings act and react in many different ways as they want to own, but often don’t want to buy. Just remember that you’re showing them how they can achieve their purposes. Keep their focus on the end result they are trying to achieve and the close will take care of itself.
And most of all, remember: it’s still always about the people.
daniel w. jacobs
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