He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
Chinese Proverb
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come
Chinese Proverb
You cannot avoid the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
Abraham Lincoln
Last time we talked about the six steps in selling. Let’s dig a little deeper into the first one.
Within research there are three more points to cover.
a) The Customer
b) The Products of Service
c) The relationship.
Customer: For researching the customer we need to know everything and anything that might be significant. In the Capital Goods Industries this means specifically the equipment that the customer owns. The make model and serial number of every piece of equipment; the hours of use of each unit and the applications; any special attachments or configurations on each unit. This is what determines the opportunity. The consumption of parts and service is dependent on the hours of use and the application.
Then we need to have a complete customer profile; family circumstances and birthdays and anniversaries, hobbies, etc. A company profile; in what industries they work (SIC codes); type of business, years in business, number of employees, influential, etc.
The Products or Services: This is the full features and benefits area. This has become a lost art for many people in sales. I think this is extremely important. It allows you to separate yourself from the competition. It allows you to sell value if you have this knowledge. I also think it is important knowledge such that you will be able to “position” your offering rather than making a presentation which can become stale and sound canned.
The Relationship: This is the purchase history of the customer with your company. What they buy and what they don’t buy. How the purchases relates to the potential – this for both parts and service.
With these three stages completed in Research we can move onto the second step in the sales process. Good sales people are diligent in their research. It makes a difference in their success. The time is now…..
What would you do if no one was looking?
That is morality, that is character, that is ethics.
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.
Jackie Robinson
At one point in your life you either have the thing you want or the reasons why you don’t.
Andy Roddick
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller
Selling is as old as the hills. It probably started with Adam and Eve, and I am not sure who was selling to whom. People who are not involved in the sales profession are somewhat intimidated by the thought of selling. There is still a negative connotation to being a salesman for many people. Imagine what the world would be like if there were no salesmen. What a thought that is isn’t it? So to better understand selling let me list the six fundamental steps in the sales process.
Within each of these six elements there are several important steps – more on that later. As in life selling is pretty simple it is people that screw it up. The time is now…..
Spring is here and although it is still early it looks like the heat is back in the desert. That makes me happy.
Last week I was in Canada for a couple of days (greeted with snow and 32 degrees) and had the opportunity to read about the new Canadian budget. They are changing a few things such as corporate tax and they have raised the age qualification for old age security to 67 but the startling thing was the goal of government spending at 12.2% of GDP form 14%. Contrast that to the Obama administration taking US spending to over 24% from 20%. One is going the right way and the other is going the wrong way. Will and Ariel Durant the noted historians observed in “The Lessons of History” (1968) that “freedom and equality are sworn enemies, and when one prevails the other dies. To check the growth of inequality, liberty must be sacrificed.” I wonder how many people realize that?
One last point there is an election in France this year and to listen to the politicians their spending is nowhere in sight. Their government takes 56% of the GDP to operate their country. I wonder how long it will take for investors to start raising the interest rates the French have to pay on Sovereign Debt. Have a great weekend. The time is now.
Never forget
People want to do a good job…..
People can always do more than they think they can…..
People are fundamentally lazy….
Women who strive to be equal to men lack ambition.
Anonymous
True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.
Socrates
Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.
Erica Jong
Presentations in the world of parts and service sales are truly a lost art. Rarely does a Parts and Service Salesman go to a customer and make a presentation on a product or service that they are offering. Yet this is a skill and call type that needs to be developed if we are to obtain the proper capture rate for the authorized equipment dealers.
The first problem that I encounter is that there is a serious deficiency in features and benefits knowledge on what we are selling. How did this happen? I submit to you it is because we are in the order processing business more than we are in the sales business. We will deal with this matter in more depth later.
The second is that we don’t know how to deal with objections. An objection is a huge signal indicating what it is that you as a salesman have to overcome in this discussion with your customer. They are telling you that there is something here that they don’t understand very well. You need to become adept at communications and show all your feature and benefits knowledge. One thing to remember is that the features are for you. It is the benefits that are for the customer so don’t spend a lot of time bamboozling them on fancy mumbo jumbo on fantastic features.
Finally is closing the sale. This reminds me of the high school dance at the gym. The guys lined up on one wall and the girls on the opposite wall. A boy walks across the floor to ask a girl to dance and returns in front of everyone having been turned down. Many salesmen have that image imprinted on their brain and they are afraid to ask for the order. Imagine.
Selling is pretty simple it is people that screw it up. The time is now…..
Last week I met a wonderful enlightened man. (I don’t mean to sound arrogant with that start but he was a breath of fresh air) He is running a store for a construction equipment dealership. We were talking about books and learning and he gave me two wonderful gifts.
The first was TED.com. Please check out this site. It is a terrific blend of thinkers and topics put together in a way that should stimulate some introspection and thinking.
The second was the Kahn Academy. Now please understand I am not promoting this group or product just bringing it to your attention. Have a look you will understand my excitement. Thanks Tim.
The time is now.
All students who take Subject Specific bundle of 4 classes are eligible to earn 2 Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s).
You must score 80% or higher on ALL classes. This completion entitles you to receive a certificate of achievement. This certificate will also highlight the number of CEU’s you have earned.
All students who take a Subject Specific class are eligible to earn 0.5 of a Continuing Education Credits (CEU).
You must score 80% or higher to obtain a passing mark for the class. This completion entitles you to receive a certificate of achievement. This certificate will also highlight the number of CEU’s you have earned.
