1. THE SALES PROCESS
Part 2
TACTICS TO INFLUENCE THE BUYER
 HOMEOSTASIS
 SUMMATION
 REACTIONS
 RESISTANCE
 SUGGESTION

2. HOMEOSTASIS
(satisfaction with the status quo)
 « I don ’t need this product »
 « I ’m satisfied with my current supplier »
 « I have all I need right now »
What do you do if the customer resists change ?

3. OVERCOMING HOMEOSTASIS
Try this technique
 Explore the prospect ’s needs
 Identify the ones your product can meet
 Draw out his problems
 Ask what he ’s doing to solve them
 Bring out his needs and values
 this creates dissatisfaction
 he ’ll start listening
 you ’re increasing the chances of a sale

4. PLAN YOUR QUESTIONS
to fit with the person you ’re calling on
 By product or product category
 to disturb complacency
 to elicit data he has about the product
 to determine his need for the product
 By prospect category
Depending on WHO you ’re selling to
 different needs will emerge
 amount & kind of buying data will differ

5. OTHER KINDS OF QUESTIONS
Questions are useful tactical devices
 Preliminary
 Use fact not opinion
 Clarifying
 Fit the puzzle together
 Reverting
 Return to an item not adequately discussed
 Completing
 Get the full picture

6. SUMMATION
A repeated stimulus elicits a response
 a dripping tap
 an alarm clock
 a telephone
A sale is the cumulative effect of
a series of sales points

7. SUMMATION & THE SALESMAN
Summation can be temporal or spatial
 TEMPORAL
same stimulus, same location, different times
 a sales point is repeated at intervals
 SPATIAL
same stimulus, different locations, same time
 a sales point is presented in different ways
A given sales point can be expressed through
various phrasings

8. SUMMATION : WHEN AND HOW
When the prospect shows interest in your proposal
 Run through sales points using questions
 Note which ones appear to interest him
 These points will lead to a sale if accepted by prospect
 Take a single point
 Make an overall claim
 Follow up with a specific point
 When the prospect accepts that point
 Move on to the next one

9. SUMMATION NEEDS PLANNING
Every salesman should
 List all major sales points for his product
 Note alternate phrasings
 Use them during the interview
By knowing in advance what he ’s going to say, he can
 Adopt a natural & convincing manner
 Observe his prospect more closely
Note : the principle of summation applies between
as well as within sales calls

10. PROSPECT REACTIONS
The salesman ’s tactics
 Observe
 Understand
 Adjust to
the prospect ’s reactions

11. CLASSIFYING REACTIONS
 Positive
 any reaction favorable to the call objective
 Negative
 any reaction unfavorable to the call objective
 Voluntary
 pertinent comments, questions, objections
 Involuntary
 body language, spontaneous comments

12. SALES TACTICS
for positive reactions
The salesman adjusts his behavior to bring the
prospect nearer a close
 Positive voluntary
 move on to the next point
 close, if sufficient points have been covered
 Positive involuntary
 reinforce the point that prompted the response
 don’t move toward the close too quickly
 provide more information

13. SALES TACTICS
for negative reactions
 Negative involuntary
 change to another sales point
 if you don ’t, the reaction may become voluntary
 Negative voluntary
 assess the cause (personality, mood, co. policy)
 change the approach
Classifying reactions forces the salesman to
pay close attention to his prospect

14. SALES RESISTANCE
Verbal or nonverbal behavior that interferes with a sale
 Psychological
 Logical
 Deliberate
It ’s a signal that the prospect feels a conflict
between buying and not buying
Sales resistance is normal because it shows
the prospect is evaluating your proposal and
trying to relate it to his situation

15. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESISTANCE
 Resistance to interference
 Preference for established habits
 Budget consciousness
 Tendency to resist domination
 Predetermined ideas about the product
 Dislike of decisionmaking
 Neurotic attitude toward money

16. LOGICAL RESISTANCE
 Price
 Delivery
 Specifications
or any other variable

17. DELIBERATE RESISTANCE
The prospect
 Observes the salesman ’s technique
 Belittles the salesman or the product
 Agrees with everything the salesman says
 Uses physical techniques

18. SUGGESTION
Uncritical acceptance of an idea
The buyer acts in accordance with
the wishes of the salesman
ADVANTAGES
 Saves time - there ’s no discussion
 Avoids friction between buyer & salesman
 Focuses on benefits only

19. OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUGGESTION
Suggestion takes place
 When reasoning is inhibited
 When there is dissociation
factors influencing suggestibility
 prejudice
 ignorance
 low intellligence

20. KINDS OF SUGGESTION
and when to use them
 Direct : appropriate for inhibition
Try this product
 Indirect : appropriate for dissociation
This product should solve your problem
 Positive
Order it today
 Negative
Don ’t put off ordering this

21. PRINCIPLES OF SUGGESTION
for use by salesmen
 Indirect is better than direct
 Positive is better than negative
 Prestige of the suggester is a key factor
 Several people suggesting the same thing is better
 Attention level is a factor in suggestion
 Absence of an opposing idea increases effectiveness
 Repetition increases the probability of a result
 Ignorance of the topic helps get an idea adopted
 A disturbed state increases suggestibility
 It ’s easier to suggest when a relationship exists already
 Wording of the suggestion influences the customer
 Seeing an act performed is a good motivator

22. SUGGESTION : OTHER USES
 Reassurance
 Testimonials
 Guarantees
 Comparison