2. What’s on tap today?
 Opening Techniques
By telephone
Survey Openings
Face-to-face (prospective and existing)
Other opening techniques
 SPIN Openings

3. Openings
Good openings are important to the sales process
and should accomplish ______ goals:
1. Gain the __________________ of the prospect
2. Break into the prospect’s stream of ____________
3. Arouse the prospect’s _________ in your proposal
4. Allow you to secure __________ of the interaction
You never get a second chance to make a first
impression!

4. Opening Techniques
 The following opening techniques should accomplish
these ______ things in this order:
 1. Break into the buyer’s ___________ ____ ____________and neutralize
what’s in the buyer’s mind
 2. Establish what you wish to sell in the buyer’s ______________
 3. Arouse his/her _________________ in your proposition
 Best attention getters are ones that appeal to the specific
needs and/or wants of the buyer:
 Hopes
 Wishes
 Desires
 Circumstances
 Matters of common concern (ecology, competition, current
happenings/news/areas of concern)
Tailor your opening to your prospect!

5. Openings by Telephone
 Guidelines for incoming calls:
1. Answer promptly (how many rings should this be?)
2. Keep info sheets organized and ___________ at hand so you
don’t waste the caller’s time looking for the info they want
3. Identify yourself and your department (Ex. “Good morning.
Thank you for calling the Hilton Univ. of Houston Sales
Department. This is Alexis. How may I assist you?”)
4. Don’t chew gum, __________, drink, or smoke while on the phone
5. Obtain the caller’s name and contact information at the
beginning of the call (why is this important?)
6. Use the caller’s name often (why do we think this is good?)
7. Ask probing questions that will help you collect essential
information on the caller’s needs

6. Openings by Telephone
 Guidelines for incoming calls:
8. Use your active listening skills! _________________, restating,
summarizing.
9. Take notes! Your ____________ will fail you after the call – trust
me!
10. Only put the caller on hold if absolutely necessary (and check
back often to let them know they have not been forgotten).
11. Return calls/voicemails _____________! (What is a reasonable
amount of time between a missed call and calling back?)
12. Be sure to thank the caller for calling and that you look forward
to being of assistance to them.

7. OI“Smiling and Dialing (out)”
 Your sales call out should include:
1. Greeting
2. ________________
3. Gratitude
4. Purpose
5. ________________
6. Thank you
It’s ok to write down a script or outline of what you plan to say ahead of
time! It will help you present a concise and organized message!

8. Openings by Telephone
What does it sound like?
 Salesperson: Good morning, Mr. Cunningham. My name is Alexis Hoey and I
am calling from the Hilton University of Houston. We provide companies like
yours with a broad selection of meeting facilities. I appreciate you giving me
a moment of your valuable time and I promise to be brief. If I can show you
how to get more out of your company meetings, would you be interested?
 Mr. Cunningham: Yes, of course. Cunningham & Associates holds several
meetings every month.
 Salesperson: Thank you, Mr. Cunningham. Just so we can best meet your
needs, may I ask you a few questions?
What kinds of questions should the salesperson ask next?
 Salesperson: I will be in your area on Wednesday at 2:30pm and Thursday at
10:30am. Which will work better for you?
 Salesperson: Thank you for allowing me to visit with you today, Mr.
Cunningham. I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday at 2:30pm.

9. Survey Opening
 Surveying or asking ________________ is an alternative way of building
rapport and collecting the information needed from a prospective
customer.
 Salesperson: Good afternoon, Dr. Clark. I’m Alexis Hoey with Polar Hotels
and Resorts. My firm has asked me to conduct a quick survey involving
customer needs. Could you take a few moments to help me?
 Tip: If the caller suggests that the timing of your call is bad, apologize and
______________ a ____________ for another appointment.
 If the caller agrees to answer your questions, thank him/her and get right
to the questions. You should not take more than a _____________ minutes
of his/her time and should only be about ______ questions.
○ These questions should give you more information for qualification and arouse
________________ about your product or service

10. Face-to-Face Openings
(with prospective accounts)
 If you’re able to get face-to-face with a prospect on the initial call…
which of these is not like the other? Pick one.
1. Salesperson: Hello, Mr. Walker. My name is _______. Our company records indicate
we have not successfully earned the opportunity to serve your account. My
manager suggested that I personally stop by to introduce myself and share with
you the changes we’ve made at our hotel to see if we might earn the right to serve
the needs of your organization in the future. Could you spare a few moments?
2. Salesperson: Good morning, Mr. Currington. My name is ___________ and I’m from
Heavenly Resorts. I made a special trip today to pop in and introduce myself and
my company, and see if I may be of any assistance to your organization. May I
have a few moments of your time? I promise to be brief.
3. Salesperson: Ms. Brown, I’m _________ with Heavenly Resorts. I was just passing by
and thought I’d drop in to meet you.
4. Salesperson: Hello. My name is __________. I’m with Heavenly Resorts. The most
challenging part of my job is to be at the right place at the right time.
Unfortunately, I was not able to present my services when you planned your last
convention. In order to possible position my property as a potential convention site,
I need your assistance. I assure you that my approach is professional, personal, and
concise. Would you be kind enough to assist me by answering a few questions?

11. Face-to-Face Openings
(with existing accounts)
 Do’s and Don’ts when making a first-time call on a prospect that has
used your company in the past.
Which of these statements would you NOT choose?
 Salesperson: Ms. Hill, I’m _________ with Lonestar Hotel. There are two reasons I came
by today. First, I wanted to let you know that I have replaced James Coney, who
worked with you in the past, and second, in looking at your account, I’ve got a
couple of ideas I’d like to run by you that may benefit your firm.
 Salesperson: Mr. Anthony, I’m ________ with Lonestar Hotel. I took over for Eric
Williams who used to service your account.
 Salesperson: Ms. Patel, I’m _________ with Lonestar Hotel. A few months ago we
provided your firm with meeting facilities. If this is a good time, I’d like to let you
know about a promotion we have developed for firms just like yours as well as a few
other items that may be of interest.

12. Other Opening Methods
 Air of Mystery
 Service
 Idea
 Name or Referral
 Benefit or End Result
 Startling Statement
 Recognition or Compliment
 Product
 Question

13. Other Opening Methods
 Air of Mystery – gets buyer’s attention without
___________ the product or service being sold
“I have an opportunity for you today that on
average has increased the sales of our customers
by 20%.”
 Service – a promise to help the prospect save
_____ or improve efficiency by doing a job
they would normally do
“I will see that the travel itinerary and tickets are
distributed to you and your employees each time a
booking is made with us.”

14. Other Opening Methods
 Idea – gets prospect’s attention with a thought or plan
that improve his/her ________________ (benefit to him/her)
 “You will improve employee morale and productivity by awarding
weekend stays at our resort for your top three salespeople and families.
Let me show you some letters I have from other satisfied corporate
customers.”
 Name or Referral – this opening gives ________________ to
the salesperson, product, service, or plan
 “I was speaking with Harold Williams at HP the other day and he
mentioned that you might be interested in our all-day meeting
packages.”
 Benefit or End Result – identifying a specific benefit that
could result from your _______________
 “You will be able to devote more time to your business and customers by
letting our staff handle the details of your annual shareholder meeting. We
will provide you with a hassle-free, stellar event.”

15. Other Opening Methods
 Startling Statement – positioning something factual in a _____________
way to arouse attention (lost opportunity)
 “You have lost at least $15 on every room reservation you’ve made this
year by not taking advantage of our corporate membership program!”
 Recognition or Compliment – acknowledgement of prospect’s
professional approach and __________________ of his/her business
(they like me!)
 “You are a highly respected member of the community, so we would like
to extend you the first invitation to become a member of Cedar Creek
Country Club!”
 Product – demonstrates product’s benefits and features
 “Greater conference attendance and a more profitable, successful
event. Let me show you how our meeting room facilities and other
amenities can increase participation in you conference.”
 Question – question designed to motivate buyer to respond
_________________
 “Mr. Sumlin, are you interested in saving money on your business travel?”

16. SPIN Opening
 Series of questions to quickly develop rapport,
collect information, and illustrate that you are
interested in meeting customers’ needs.
 S – Situation questions
 P – Problem questions
 I – Implication questions
 N – Need-payoff questions

17. SPIN Opening
(S – Situation Questions)
 Situation Questions
 Generic
 Broad questions concerning
prospect’s general business
___________ as it pertains to your
product
 Provide general _______________
of prospect’s needs or problems
to smoothly transition to questions
about certain areas
 “Warm – Up” Questions

18. SPIN Opening
(P – Problem Questions)
 Problem Questions
 Digging for ________________
 Questions about specific
needs, difficulties, or
___________________ that the
prospect may be
experiencing (that you are
able to solve)
 Goal: get prospect to admit
there is a ______________

19. SPIN Opening
(I – Implication Questions)
 Implication Questions
 Questioning how the
specific problem __________
the prospect’s home, life,
and/or business.
 Goal: get prospect to
__________ the problem may
be a bigger deal than
he/she thought
 Have stats at this time if
possible
So you say that… Do you think… I’m assuming that… ?

20. SPIN Opening
(N – Need-Payoff Questions)
 Need-Payoff Questions
 Similar to “__________/End
Result” openings
 “If I can show you how to
take care of this problem
(name problem here), would
you be interested?”
 If yes, move into your sales
presentation
 If no, start with S,P, and I
again to establish that the
problem is important