Sales Manual for selling services

Free career and business advice, hints, success tips for meeting customers, making an excellent impression and increasing your sales success.
This content is useful for all of us, because at some time we all need to make good impressions and sell services, such as ourselves.

Copyright 1995, Ike Siddiqi. Ike_Siddiqi@Hotmail.com

Edited and HTMLd by Tim Richardson

Last updated:  August 7, 2003

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Professional Motivation and Career Success: Great Tips from Ike Siddiqi

Who is a customer?

A customer is the most important person whether he/she comes in person, writes to us or telephones.

A customer is not dependent on us. We depend upon them for a living.

A customer is not an interruption to our work, he/she is the purpose of it. He/She is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to serve them.

A customer is not someone with whom to argue or match our wits. No one has ever won an argument with a customer.

A customer is a person who comes to us because he/she needs certain goods or services. It is our job to provide them in a way profitable to them and to ourselves.

A customer is not a cold statistic, he/she is a flesh-and-blood human being with emotions and prejudices like our own.

A customer is the most important person in this firm, for without him/her there would be no business!

Making sales opportunities

Prepare to pursue a suspect, prospect, contact, or customer.

How do they conduct their business to date?

Sources: Newspapers/Magazine/Friends/Colleagues

Gather information about the target client (person/company)

Send documentation/marketing brochures

Invite to seminars, lunch, dinner, social gathering

Writing letter for an appointment

Others...

Contact (1st)- Telephone calls

Yourself

Via secretary

Via other contacts (third parties)

Meeting arrangements (follow-up of phone or letter)

Schedule a phone call with the managers, most of them are very busy

Give reason(s), "why they should meet you" (BE CONCRETE)

Be short and stick to the objective (meeting them)

Do not give everything (information) away

Make them feel, you can (want to) help them

While on the phone:

Use their secretaries:

Ask their names (first and last)

Give them respect, importance and be kind to them

If the person you want to talk to is not present, ask them to help you

Ask them of other "decision makers" presence (who)

Have a smile on your face, they can hear it

Listen very carefully (attentive listening)

Keep the conversation attractive for them

Logistics, organisation and checklist

Confirm meeting in writing on the same day, stating:

• Day, date, and time
• Duration of the meeting (their available time)
• Possible number of people attending the meeting from both sides
• Ask details of their participants (names, titles, why present, etc.)

Equipment for visual presentation

Road maps and directions (preferably via fax)

Travel time duration (from your location to theirs)

Parking facilities, etc.

Prepare HAND-OUTS/tailor-made material (OVERHEADS), etc.

IF THEY ARE COMING TO YOUR OFFICE, REMEMBER ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS OTHERS ... (LIKE TELLING SUPPORT STAFF YOU HAVE ARRANGED A MEETING ...)

MEETING EXECUTION

(Initial physical contact)

THE FISRT, ALL-IMPORTANT MINUTES

The success of the first contact between a salesperson and the prospective client depends, to a great extent, on the first minutes of their meeting as everyday experience shows us.

PUNCTUALITY

Be on time (RESPECT THEIR VALUABLE TIME)

Do not try to meet your colleagues at client's premises (if at all!)

SECRETARIES

One of the first contacts at the client's premises is a secretary

Respect them and be kind, polite and attentive to them

Will THEY help you in future, as they could be second in command?Most of the secretaries are very confident and close to the bosses

Don't look them up and down, they won't forgive you. That's a promise!

PHYSICAL PRESENTATION

INTRODUCTION

Maintain always eye-to-eye contact (confident feeling)

Inquire their schedule, next meeting, availability.

Introduce yourself

Inquire their name (listen to pronunciation)

Speak normally and distinct (to be understood)

Handshake (THE FIRST PHYSICAL CONTACT)

Wait for them to offer their hand first
Should be firm and friendly
Don't forget to give them your business card, and ask for theirs

DRESS

Appear well-groomed and do not show sign of neglect, i.e.:

loose tie
dirty or crumpled clothing
provocative dress
unpolished shoes, etc...

SMILE

Please do, unless you are in the business of carrying coffins

Smile - and the whole world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone
The face is the mirror of your heart and a smile is the reflection of a happy soul
Smile at a stranger without saying a greeting and you could make them nervous (a reaction)

A SMILE for the customer is a YES

Show them that you like them

Do not fake a smile

NOTICE EVERYTHING

Be conscious, Observe them and their environment:
Physical presentation (clothing)
Voice
Hand shake
First words
Gestures

This will always leave an impression on you (positive or negative)

Seating arrangement:
While in their office, let them have their favourite place (seat)
Do not sit very close to them
Sit in front of them instead of next to them

• Observe and respect smoking/non-smoking environment
• Study decorations for conversational hints (ie. pictures, plants, trophies, books, certificates, etc.)

RESPECT THEIR TERRITORY

What is their territory? Their office (like their home, apartment, Garden etc.)

Their possessions (like their furniture, car, decorative material, etc.)

Appraise their territorial belongings (like you do at somebody's home while visiting)

HOW DO THEY REACT, IF AN INDIVIDUAL Without permission touches, behaves differently?

THEY REACT AGGRESSIVELY !!. Like our ancestors, in the stone ages.

HOW CAN WE AVOID THIS REACTION?

- Temper our natural aggressiveness, to avoid aggressive collision of characters

GESTURES...

A firm handshake, only when given. Avoid unnecessary long handshake

Avoid elbows on their desk

Don't be too friendly at first meeting

Standing / Sitting too close to them: watch it!

Finger pointing: don't

AND WORDS...

Never forget the golden rule:

"Always let the client begin the discussion"

Be constructive and positive

Controlling your own fear

To have confidence, we must feel prepared

Put brain in gear before you put mouth in action

Power of silence...

"Never open your mouth unless you are SURE that what you have to say is better than silence"

DURING CONVERSATION

Keep a pleasant face (smile when necessary)

Don't be to too familiar (frank) in early stages, if at all

Don't interrupt when they are speaking

Ask about themselves and the company

Open-ended questions:

What is it that is causing your concern?

Why do you think it has been like this for so long?

When are you going to have the funds available for this project?

How do you fee about it?

Where do we go from here?

Who will be using this system and what experience do they have?

Attentive listening:

Do not confuse Listening with Hearing

"you hear with your ears and listen with your mind"

When god created us he gave us two ears and one mouth so that our ears may work twice as hard as our mouth

Acknowledgement (affirmative gestures)

Iceberg theory (below)

Memorise everything

Power of silence

Ask permission to take notes and do it (respect clients' valuable words)

Avoid promises, request them to come back later and respond

Avoid arguments (you will lose the sale by winning the argument)

HAVE A CONCRETE EPILOGUE

Repeat their needs (and ours): valuable for both

Closed questions:

Try to get more YES answers from the customer

If I can solve this problem, would you be interested?

If the price is right, would you be...?

If Origin has the right skills, would you be...?

If we provide you the right proposal to solve your problem, would you..?

Remind them of their and/or your commitments or follow-ups:

Who will take the next step (repeat who, what, when and how to avoid confusion

If next meeting agreed, check diaries, suggest concrete dates and time and confirm immediately (and confirm in writing, the same day via fax or letter)

If proposal to be provided, do request it in writing and request them that you may come back to them with more questions if not clear enough

POST-MEETING

LETTER OF APPRECIATION

The same day (if possible)

Highlight main points of discussion

Remind them of their and your commitment

Follow up the next steps

The secret question?

Three basic questions, we keep wondering and would like to know more...

Why are first impressions always so decisive?

Why is it that some detail in our presentation, meeting or our actions can make the interview either fail or succeed?

Why should we attach so much importance to such emotions as fear or aggressiveness?

The answer to these questions are given in three laws which govern the behaviour of Human and reflected in the

ICEBERG THEORY ...

WE ALWAYS HAVE AN EFFECT ON OTHERS

We tend to generalize everything

Our actions always have an effect

... Even by our presence alone!

One positive point leads to another

And the same for negative points, too!

100% plus (+) or 100% minus (-)

Success and failure depends on the slightest things

OUR CONSCIOUS BEHAVIOUR CAN CONTROL OTHER's SUBCONSCIOUS REACTIONS

We always influence others

We can motivate their positive reaction with acknowledgement

We can control their behaviour with our conscious reaction

We can encourage their subconscious reaction with our conscious reaction

THE ICEBERG THEORY

What isn't seen can be the most important ...

The Three Rules

I. We always have an effect on others

Be well-groomed

Be punctual

Say "YES" to the client (inwardly); the smile

Be confident and polite

Inspire trust (create friendly/positive environment)

"Do I have the pleasure of talking with ..."

The client offers their hand first

The client invites us to sit down

We wait silently for the client to start the discussion

II. Be conscious of our actions and reactions:

1. In order to learn the client's motivations

2. By means of open-ended questions:

"How long have you been in business...?"

"How did you get to ...?"

"What did you like about our company / proposal...?"

"How can we help you...?"

"How can we prepare ourselves to assist you in the long run...?"

HOW, WHY, WHEN, WHAT etc...are the right way to keep them talking while you listen and prepare for the next move...

III: Never Say NO or BUT

Don't use "NO", use "YES"

Don't say "BUT" or "YES BUT", use "AND"

Don't say "I", use "WE"

Always keeps these three laws in mind,

AND...
IMPROVE YOUR CONSCIOUS ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR,

AND YOU CAN MORE EASILY FULFIL YOUR ROLE AS A SALES PERSON,

WHICH IS TO HELP THE CLIENT TO MEET THEIR NEEDS.

YOU WILL ALSO GAIN GREAT PERSONAL SATISFACTION FROM THIS.

WINNING TIPS

MORE theory:

THE MORE YOU LEARN,

THE MORE YOU WILL KNOW.

THE MORE YOU KNOW AND UNDERSTAND,

THE MORE YOU WILL USE.

THE MORE YOU TRY AND THE MORE YOU USE,

THE MORE YOU WILL SELL.

USING YOUR BRAIN:

WHEN GOD CREATED US, HE GAVE US TWO ENDS,

ONE TO SIT ON AND ONE TO THINK WITH.

SUCCESS DEPENDS UPON WHICH END WE USE MOST;

HEADS WE WIN AND TAILS WE LOSE.

 

PRODUCT vs SERVICES SELLING

MAIN DIFFERENCES

SERVICE	PRODUCT
MARKET YOURSELF INVEST IN HUMAN RELATIONS OFFER SELF SECURITY WHAT IS CLIENT's IMAGE ADJUSTED PRODUCT

Comments. Page modified: August 11, 2003

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