Selling has changed with social media...forever. If you don't recognise this, then your business will suffer and you will lose to those who embrace this new selling technique.

1. Inform, don’t sell!
Craig Pickering
B.BUS AFAIM CPMgr

2. Do you like interruptions??
2
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3. How do you choose a professional?
• Yellow Pages?
• White Pages?
• Direct mail letter?
• Ad in a magazine?
• TV ad?
3

4. Most people seek a recommendation
• Trusted colleague/friend
• Within your personal network
• Your online network
• If you are a professional???
4

5. Know Your Company & Your Market
• What do we do?
• What is our market? (ie. B2B or B2C)
• What are our products and services?

6. Know Your Company & Your Market (cont.)
• What are our competitive advantages?
• What is our value proposition?
• Who are our competitors?
• What do they do?
• What are their advantages?

7. Prospecting
• Which clients could place more business with you?
• Which companies should be doing business with
you within industries you already service?
• In which industries have you no clients but should?
• Rank prospects by:
• size
• business potential
• market growth

8. Salesperson
Client Key Contact/s Service/s to Offer
Possible
Business
($'000s)
Approach
(Phone,
Letter etc)
Who Should
Attend?
Contact
them by
(Date)
Proposal
completed by
(Date)
Appointment
by
(Date)
$ -

9. Prospecting (cont.)
• Coffee meetings
• Functions
• Networking
• Industry Associations
• Centres Of Influence

10. Prospecting (cont.)
Centre of Influence
A centre of influence is someone who is very well
respected in their profession or field of work.
Nurture these contacts and treat them with care and
respect, or they will quickly feel used.

11. Managing Your Accounts
• Identify your current customer base...
• Is it continuously updated?
• Does it contain all the information required?
• Which 20% of your customers provide 80%
of your business?
• Rate your clients (A,B,C or D).

12. Managing Your Accounts (cont.)
• Establish a contact cycle for each client based
upon their rating.
• Approach every key client regularly in person
or via a phone call.
• Establish a contact plan – who to contact,
how and when, which day and at what time.
• Set goals - how many to contact and in what
time-frame.

13. Managing Your Accounts (cont.)
Client Information
Keep your client information up to date, such as;
 Partners name
 Children’s names
 Hobbies
 Birth date
 Favourite football team

14. Project Selling
• Project (or Solution) Selling occurs when the sale
process takes place over a number of sales
appointments and activities.
• Follow-up is crucial yet studies show nearly half
of all salespeople do not follow up their own sales
calls or quotes.
• This means nearly half of all sales calls are wasted
by salespeople not asking for the business.

15. Sales Statistics
2%
3% 5%
10%
80%
Sales made on 1st contact
Sales made on 2nd contact
Sales made on 3rd contact
Sales made on 4th contact
Sales made on 5th-12th
contact

16. Sales Statistics
48%
12%
25%
10%
Never Follow Up
Stop after 2nd contact
Stop after 3rd contact
More than 3 contacts

17. Project Selling (cont.)
And it is so easy to do:
“Just a courtesy call to follow up the proposal I left with you
the other day. Do you have any questions or concerns?”
“Are you in a position to go forward with this today?”

18. Establishing Rapport
• Research prior to 1st appointment (incl. online)
• Known hobbies or mutual connection?
• Look around their office
• Start by asking about them and their business
• Listen attentively

19. Client Expectations
• Manage your customer/client expectations.
• If their expectations are lowered it is easier
to surpass them.
• If their experience exceeds their expectations
they will perceive you as providing excellent
service.

20. Budgets
Total Budget Figure
Equivalent no. of sales required
(divide budget by average sale value)
Calculate number of sales
required on a weekly basis
Number of appointments
necessary per week to achieve
this sales number
Number of phone calls required to
obtain the appointments required

21. Core Selling Tips
• Make sure you know who the decision
maker/s is/are!
• There may be a ‘Buying Group’ involved.
• Your prospect may say they have the final
decision, but do they really?
• Qualify your prospects!

22. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Successful salespeople care more about their
clients than the sale.
• Always look and act professional.
• Always have mints in the car.
• Always be on time. If you are going to be late,
ring and offer to make another time.

23. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Turn off the radio on your way to an appointment.
Think about what you are going to say and what
you want to achieve.
• Have an objective for every appointment. Do not
get out of the car until you have at least one clear
objective in mind.

24. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Listen. You have two ears and only one mouth, so
listen twice as often as you speak.
• Ask open ended questions – who, what, when,
where, which, why and how.
• Find out the customer’s wants, and if you can fulfil
them you will win their business.

25. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Make a note when you learn of important dates
(birthday, anniversary, etc.) and mention these on
visits close to these dates. Better still, send a card.
• Silence is better than saying the wrong thing. Take
time to consider your answer if you need to.

26. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• It is OK to say “I do not know, but I will find out” –
as long as you get the answer ASAP. The first time
you don’t, you lose credibility.
• Always do what you say you will do, and then make
them aware you have done it.
• Make notes. This gives the impression that what the
customer is saying is important to you.

27. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Repeat what is said to you, to show you are
listening and that you understand.
• “If you were in my position….” Get them to
empathise with you if possible. This can be useful
in overcoming objections.
• Empathise with your customers - “I can
understand why ........is important to you.”

28. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Give yourself something to follow up, i.e.: “I’ll check
that out and get back to you”, to build respect and
trust.
• Do not oversell. Once you have the sale thank the
customer and move on or you risk unselling.
• Know your customer’s business. Asking questions
about their business builds understanding and
rapport.

29. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• If you are not sure of something ask for clarification.
This is also effective in overcoming objections.
“Can you please elaborate on that? I want to make
sure I get all the facts”.
• Price can be negotiated up, as well as down.
• Finish each sales call with a personal comment, i.e.:
“Good luck with your son’s birthday this weekend”.

30. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Always ask for referral business - “I was hoping you
could help me….” – then qualify!
• Know your competition – knowing what you are up
against is priceless.
• Call people back instantly.
• Overcome the small objections first, leaving the
large one to last.

31. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• When something goes wrong it is an opportunity to
show the customer your ability to solve problems
(as long as you do not make the same mistake
twice).
• Keep the customer informed at all times, even
when the news is bad (even more so then).
• Mention price last, and only if you have to.

32. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
• Memorise several questions you can use for any
appointment, so if you get stuck you can go into
“automatic” mode.
• ‘Prime the pump’ – get agreement on small issues,
so getting a “Yes” and the sale is not such a big
step.
• Always follow-up!

33. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
Some powerful questions:
“What can I do to win your business?”
“If I can provide you with a quotation within the
timeframe and budget you have specified will I win
your business?”
“Who within your company makes the final decision?”

34. Core Selling Tips (cont.)
“Are there any other factors that will influence your
company’s decision?”
“Do you have any other projects coming up that could
use our services?”
“I was hoping you could help me. Who do you know
that may also benefit from our services?”

35. Closing
The most common issue facing salespeople!
Asking open questions allows for an easier close.
If you do not think you have ‘sold’ your product/service yet, use
a trial close to make sure then ask more questions.
Consider a joint sales call, either with a salesperson you respect
or your Sales Manager.

36. Closing (cont.)
Assumptive Close:
“To achieve this for you we need to get started now.”
Trial Close:
“Would you prefer delivery next Tuesday or Thursday?”
“Which one shall I order for you?”
“To provide a timely solution would you agree we need
to get started now?”

37. Closing (cont.)
Direct Close:
“Would you like to proceed today?”
“Can we go ahead with this now?”
“Shall we get the paperwork underway?”

38. Be Alert Not Alarmed
If you have a low ratio of sales to appointments there may be an
issue with closing, trial closing, negotiation skills or qualifying.
Qualifying is determining whether the prospect you intend to
approach actually has a need you can fulfil.
Not qualifying prospects results in poor closing ratios.

39. Selling is all about
people but is very
rarely personal!