Outside Sales Training
To be an outside sales representative you must be an actor, motivational speaker, tightrope walker and dancer, be both a sprinter and a long-distance runner and have a skin that is part rhinoceros and part armadillo hide. Your ego must be so oversized that you believe that you can easily persuade that next prospective client to do your bidding, but yet be so sensitive that you pick up on the slightest and most subtle verbal and body language that they present.
Zig Ziglar said, "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." The successful outside sales rep disciplines themselves to follow all three by using a proven procedure such as this one.
Other People Are Reading
-
Appointment
-
Cold calling, either face-to-face or via the phone, is critical toward getting an appointment. When speaking with the prospective client for the first time, be cordial and non-threatening. Be alert for information that can be used in your favor. The goal is not to sell at this moment but to get an appointment to sell. Answer any questions by explaining that the information is much better understood during an appointment when there is no rush. Be persistent but not annoying.
Approach
-
Be prepared before you arrive. Don't sit in the car gathering your papers while the prospective client looks out the window thinking of reasons to say "no." If meeting at a home, step back a bit after ringing the bell so you don't crowd the door. In a business, wait attentively if the client is with a customer, and then when the opportunity arises introduce yourself in a confident, firm voice and remind the contact person of the appointment.
-
Fronttalk
-
The first few seconds are critical toward establishing trust in you, which is much of what they will be buying. Use this time to explain specifically what you are there to accomplish, your company background and personal credentials that leads them to understand why you can do what you say, and how the presentation is going to be structured. In a business setting, this should only be 60 seconds or so. An in-home sales meeting may take much longer as the home is complimented, the children are admired, and other conversational drop-ins are included to relax the family. This front talk lets them know that you are there with a plan and that you are taking charge of the next few minutes.
Fact Finder
-
Ask factual questions. Sales is much easier if the product fits the needs, and the needs will hardly ever be volunteered by the prospective client. Ask about previous history with similar products, their current desires and any future plans that may need the product.
Presentation
-
Present your product as a solution to their needs that you uncovered. Relate it to what they just said and use their words as a backup to your presentation. For example, if they said they were disappointed in their last vacuum cleaner because it broke after two years, point out in detail that your vacuum has a 10-year warranty and remind them of how important that is to them. If you mention a product feature, also give a benefit to the client. If you say your product comes in six colors then also point out how they can match any possible decor with their choice in color.
Paperwork
-
Use an assumptive close and start the paperwork with easy questions ... not necessarily at the beginning with the name and address. If the businessman mentions that he needs an alarm system with three door contacts, then note on the agreement that he will be covered with all three doors. If he complains about doing the paperwork, point out that you are just getting the info down so that you'll have it correct. When you finish, the agreement will have all the info down just as the prospective client told you they want it---which makes their final agreement all that much easier.
Referral
-
Working referrals right may mean never going on a cold call again. But it is normally the part of the sales close the sales rep hates the most. This is because most often it is done wrong, and the sales rep is afraid of screwing up an already approved deal.
Don't ask, "Do you know anyone who can use my product?" Do ask, "Can you think of one friend who can use ______________ (insert benefit here)." This moves the question away from you selling "products" and more toward them helping friends to get the same "benefits" they are receiving. And narrowing it down to one person as a potential customer allows the client to not have to be running through the whole universe of contacts in his head, to focus on just a few people.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit two businessmen shaking hands image by Alexey Klementiev from Fotolia.com
