Last time we talked about the six steps in selling. Let’s dig a little deeper into the first one.
- Research
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…..
Selling Skills Part Four
The first last time we talked about the six steps in selling we identified them all. The last time we communicated was on the first step – research. Let’s dig a little deeper into the second one.
Well after having completed all the research on each customer in their assigned territory the sales professional is now ready for the next step. That is setting objectives for each and every one of their customers for each and every commodity of parts as well as each and every service program offered.
This also involves some research. The parts purchases should follow the opportunity calculated for each customer based on the machine population, hours of work per year and the application. This is also true for the service programs.
When reviewing the customer purchases against the opportunity for each account the sales professional will identify where there are parts or service programs that the customer does not purchase at the levels that the opportunity presents. This is normally an indication that competition has penetrated this customer for some of their products or services. The diligent salesmen determines who gets the business and who the customer likes about this supplier and develops a plan to combat that competitive advantage.
This leads the sales professional to have a specific series of objectives for each customer which will allow them to have a purpose for each call. This purpose is to save the customer money, improve machine availability of some other tangible benefit to the customer. Having a purpose for each call and objectives to strive to achieve makes a difference in the success of sales personnel. The time is now…..
Words of Wisdom #9
We must all feel some sense of value we are here for a reason.
We all must leave a mark.
That requires us to be able to measure our own progress or accomplishment each day
We must feel relevant, important no matter in what manner.
Friday Filosophy #8
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
Selling Skills Part Three
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…..
Words of Wisdom #8
What would you do if no one was looking?
That is morality, that is character, that is ethics.
Friday Filosophy #7
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
Thoughts on Selling
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…..
The 2nd weekend of April
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.
Words of Wisdom #7
Never forget
People want to do a good job…..
People can always do more than they think they can…..
People are fundamentally lazy….
Frdiay Filosophy #6
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