Basic selling skills

Plan of Talk
1. Introduction to selling skills.
a) Principles of salesmanship
b) 3 dimensions of selling
2. Call sequence.
a) Pre-call planning
b) Opening.
c) Probing.
d) Reinforcing.
e) Gaining commitment.
3. Dealing with resistance.
a) Misconception
b) Real objection
c) Lack of interest
d) Skepticism
4. Using visual aids.
2/4/2016

Great things are not done by
impulse,
but by a series of small things
brought together.
Vincent Van Gogh

Principles of Salesmanship
There are three principles of salesmanship:
1. Human relation
2. Straight thinking
3. Presentation

Product Knowledge
 Product knowledge is essential for the success of sales calls.
 It helps the salesperson show the customers what they will
gain by prescribing and dispensing his product.

Cont. …
General information
– History
– Research and Development

Cont. …
Specific information
– Medical Background
– Product Information
– Mode of Action
– Indication and Dosage
– Limitation and Side Effect
– Advantages and Benefits
– Price

Cont. …
Competitors information
– Action, Indication and Dosage
– Limitation and Side Effects
– Disadvantages

Cont. …
 Product knowledge is indispensable for the salesperson to do
his job effectively.
 However not all information about the product should be
demonstrated to the doctor during the sales call, so that you
have to select what to say.

Knowledge is Power
Knowledge gives you the three elements of successful selling;
1. Confidence
2. Enthusiasm
3. Professional selling

1. Confidence
 It is hard to imagine a successful
salesperson who is not fully
aware of his product.
 If you know every details about
your product and competitors,
you will feel confident.

2. Enthusiasm
The salesperson hopes to make the
customer see the product as he
sees.
Enthusiasm is contagious, let the
customer catches it.

3. Professional Selling
The knowledge of why a customer
should use a certain product is as
important for a salesperson as
knowledge of what he has to sell.

Cont. …
However, the salesperson should guard against talking too much
about the product features and too little about what it will do
for the sake of the patient, instead of selling product features, he
should sell the effects and results of the product (benefits)

How to Demonstrate a Product?
Features
 They are the characteristics of the product.
 This is what the producer puts into a product to produce
useful effects.
 A Feature is an ingredient or description of an aspect of the
product.

Cont. …
Actions / Advantages
 They are the result of the feature. This is the way the product
works, the effect of the feature is the most important thing.
 Actions are typically reduction or increase of levels of body
chemicals.
 Advantages are typically relief of symptoms or speedy relief.
 Advantages also can be a relief of combination of symptoms
"pharmacological effect

Cont. …
Benefits
 They are how the end user is improved. These are the final
result of the action of the feature.
 Benefits state how the user is improved or getting better.
 Benefits could be to the patients or the doctor.

Cont. …
For the patient – owner – end user
Returning to normal life style.
For the physician – veterinarian
Doctor benefits are typically being able to prescribe confidently
and achieve control over the illness.

BUT
Features Never Change
Benefits Do
Depending on the needs

A BENEFIT THAT’S IMPORTANT TO
ONE CUSTOMER
DON’T ASSUME THAT
WILL BE IMPORTANT TO ANOTHER
CUSTOMERS

YOUR CUSTOMER WILL TRANSLATE
YOUR PRODUCT FEATURES INTO
BENEFITS
THEN, HE BUYS IT
BUT
REMEMBER THAT IT IS YOUR ROLE
DON’T ASSUME THAT

Organizing The Presentation
Feature action benefit (FAB)
In this method, you start with the feature and explain its action
and then come up with the benefit
Benefit action feature (BAF)
In this method of organization, you start with the benefit and
then prove it with the action and relate this action to the
feature.

The Customer
Perhaps, you are more oriented to the doctor’s role in
generating prescription for your product, but you should not
forget the retailer role in generating your sales.

Cont. …
Broadly speaking, what does the salesperson need to know
about the doctor?
 The problem facing the doctor for which the salesperson
product is the solution.
 The way the doctor thinks about his problem, the salesperson
product and the competing products.

Customer Buying Motives
 The doctor prescribes the product that fulfills one or more of
his prescribing motives (buying motives).
 We list out these motives below:

Convenience
Efficacy /
Performance
Appearance
Economy
Safety
Pride / Pleasure

How to Motivate a Customer?
Normally, more than one motive will be revolved during the
product demonstration, so that the salesperson have to organize
his presentation in an order which satisfy the physician motives
according to the physician priorities.

Cont. …
The core of the salesperson job is to uncover the doctor’s need
and then satisfy this need with the product benefits
Successful Salesperson
Salesmanship is the ability of the salesperson to convert a need
to a want and fulfill it with his product benefits
Professional Salesperson

Need and Want
Need is:
Want is:

Cont. …
To convert a need to a want for a specific product, you should
demonstrate your product benefits in a way that makes the
doctor realize the urgency of your product to fit a certain need,
then he will be the one who is seeking to buy your product.
In another word, combining more than one benefit which satisfy
more than one motive of high priority to the physician will
definitely convert the need to a want.

The Buying Decision Process
Need recognition
Information search
Evaluation of alternatives
Purchase decision
Post-purchase evaluation

The Buying Decision Process
and the Communication Challenge
Need
recognition
Information
search
Evaluation of
alternatives
Purchase
decision
Post-purchase
evaluation
Understand motivation or influence motivation
Understand how the customer
responds to information
Create
favourable attitudes
Create
preference for brand
Reinforce
satisfaction
Select and attend to information
interpret information
Change
negative attitudes
Reduce the time delay between
decision and implementation of decision
Address
dissatisfaction
Manage
cognitive dissonance

Stages of the Selling Process
1- Receptivity
 Receptivity is related to the salesperson and the product.
 Good personal relationship may positively affect customer
receptivity.

2- Focus
 Identity customers needs to help you get the customer to
FOCUS on his products needs .
 Customers focuses on the product characteristics according to
his needs.

3- Knowledge
 Relate and reinforce benefits to provides the customer with
knowledge about how your products address his needs.
 Gain commitment and follow up to help the customer to take
favorable decision.

4- Evaluation
 Customers makes an evaluation to determine which products
would satisfy their needs.

5- Decision
 Customers take decision to accept certain products or
indications and refuse others.

Competition
The salesperson has to accept the competition because there is
no other choice.

Cont. …
The salesperson should accept the fact that:
“These are the days of great product standardization, few
brands, if any, are superior over the others according to all
standards”

Cont. …
The basis of handling competition is to
Sell The Difference
The difference may be in the product efficacy, safety, price and
dosage.
Or
May be in the salesperson personality, presentation, and
knowledge.

Importance of Knowledge About
Competition
What is the importance of knowledge about competition?
Knowledge of competition provides the salesperson with a broad
background for better handling of his job & helps him orient
himself in his territory.

Knowledge About Competition
Includes:
1. Product comparison
 The salesperson should be fully aware of the information
about his product and the competing products, so as to
discover the strong and weak points of competitors.

Cont. …
2.Competitor selling activities
 What are the products recommended to the doctor by the
competitive salesperson, and whether the specifications of
these products recommended meet the doctor’s
requirements or not.
 How does the representative tell his story, the visual aids
used, the give - away, models, charts, samples, reports, and
demonstrations.

The Source of Information
The salesperson can collect information about competitors
through …
1. Careful and analytical reading of competitors aids such as
brochures, posters, charts and inserted leaflets…etc.
2. Medical journals
3. Asking doctors and retailers
4. Listening to doctors complaints
5. Competitive salespeople

What to Avoid:
1. Do not include any reference of competitor in your sales
presentation unless it is strictly needed.
2. Never initiate the subject of competition, let the doctor make
the first reference.
3. Do not allow the situation to take you away from the primary
task, which is to explain your product.
4. Never make a statement about the competitor before
checking its accuracy.

Cont. …
5. Never criticize competitors since criticism can be interpreted
as poor salesmanship.
6. The salesperson should always remember that the doctor
may like the competing brand, and as a result he might
consider the criticism as criticizing his own judgment.

Plan of Talk
1. Introduction to selling skills.
a) Principles of salesmanship
b) 3 dimensions of selling
2. Call sequence
a) Pre-call planning
b) Opening.
c) Probing.
d) Reinforcing.
e) Gaining commitment.
3. Dealing with resistance.
a) Misconception
b) Real objection
c) Lack of interest
d) Skepticism
4. Using visual aids.
2/4/2016

Pre-call
Planning
Opening
Probing
Reinforcing
Gaining
Commitment

Pre-Call Planning
 In particular, the pre-call planning is to find the doctor’s basic
problem or need for which the salesperson’s product is the
right solution, and to find the right way to approach the
doctor.
 Then, the salesperson has to plan how to concentrate on the
problem or the need and its solution when talking to the
doctor.

Cont. …
Being well informed about the product, the customer and the
competitors, the salesperson can prepare himself for the call.

Cont. …
The pre-call planning gives the salesperson a clear and detailed
picture of each doctor, so that a customized story can be built for
each one.

Steps of Pre-Call Planning
1- Identify the Customer
 There are as many types of doctors as there are people.
 Some doctors are nervous, others are disagreeable, many are
timid, sympathetic, calm, talkative, insulting, cooperative,
hesitant, undecided and intelligent.

2- Collect Information
 Present products and why he uses them.
 The standards he uses in judging products..
 The prescription philosophy as well as any personal
peculiarities, preference, and prejudices.
 The problems he is facing, his needs and wants.
 The objection and resistance that might be encountered
during the call.

3- Assurance
It takes place during the first few minutes of the salesperson
interview, the salesperson can revise the data he had collected
so as to assure them or exclude the information.

Benefits of Pre-Call Planning
1. Reduction of uncertainty.
2. Higher quality of interviews.
3. Better interpretation of the product in terms of the doctor’s
needs.
4. Increased confidence of the salesperson.
5. Sounder selling in shorter and more successful calls.

What is Opening?
Opening is the skill of capturing the customer’s attention and
focusing the sales call.

Opening Function
1. It helps you establish the purpose of the visit.
2. Allows you to highlight an important product benefit early in
the call.
3. It helps you direct the conversation toward customer needs.

Opening Time
Generally, you determine when to open, since it naturally follows
the casual conversation that often precedes the business part of
the call.

Cont. …
 However, sometimes a customer will directly signal you to
open, by saying
“What brings you here?”
“What can I do for you today?”
 Also, a doctor may tell you, with a facial expression or body
position, that it’s time to get down to business.

Opening Steps
Opening involves two steps:
Step 1:
Identify known or presumed customer need.
Step 2:
Propose feature and benefit that satisfy this need.

What is Probing?
Probing is the skill of questioning.

Types Of Probes
Type Definition Example
OPEN
A question that invites an
extended explanation
Sales Rep:
“What sort of problems do you have with
newly born calves?”
Veterinarian:
“there are several, diarrhea is the most
dangerous one.”
Closed
A question that can be
answered in a single word,
often “yes” or “no”
Sales Rep:
“Do you always face diarrhea in newly born
calves?”
Veterinarian:
yes

Probing Function
The general purpose of probing is to uncover customer needs
and concerns.
1. It allows you to guide the customer to reveal his needs.
2. With effective probing skills, you take control of the sales
interview.

Cont. …
Type Function Example
OPEN
Allows the customer to
describe a need
Sales rep:
“Doctor, what sort of problems do you have
with your NSAID?”
Doctor:
“High prices is the major complaint.”
Closed
Allows you to direct the
customer to a presumed
need
Sales rep:
“Do your patients ever complain about high
cost therapy?”
Doctor:
”Yes”

Probing Strategy
Begin with an open probe
Need input
Begin with an open probe
No need input
Switch to a closed probeReinforcing

Reinforcing
You probe to uncover needs that can be satisfied by the features
and benefits of your product, then you reinforce, you show the
customer why your product is needed.
Reinforcing is the skill that firmly establishes you as a problem-
solver and promotes your product to the customer.

What is Reinforcing?
Reinforcing is the skill of satisfying customer needs with product
features and benefits.
When you have successfully used the skill of probing, your
customer will either state or confirm a clear need that can be
satisfied by a feature and a benefit of your product.

Reinforcing Steps
Step 1
1. Agreement
2. Paraphrase the customer need
Step 2
1. Propose a feature and a benefit that satisfy this need

Reinforcing - Step 1
The first step in reinforcing is to paraphrase the customer need.
This shows the doctor that you understand his/her need and
consider it important.

Cont. …
First
You make a direct expression of agreement. Some examples
are:
 “Exactly.”
 “That can be a real problem.”
 “Absolutely”
 “That’s a significant issue.”
 “Without question.”
 “Good point, Doctor”

Cont. …
Then
You restate the customer’s need.
Restating is repeating the customer’s need in different words.
When you restate, do not repeat the doctor’s exact words,
paraphrase them.

Reinforcing - Step 2
Propose a feature and a benefit that satisfy the need
The second step in reinforcing is to propose a feature and a
benefit of your product that can satisfy this need.
In this way, you show the customer how your product can be the
solution to the need. To present the feature and benefit, link
them in one statement

Responding to Compliments
When a customer makes a positive reference to your company,
your product line, or your fellow employees, you should
reinforce it.
To respond to a positive remark, you should express agreement
with the comment and expand it to emphasize the positive
impression

What is Gaining Commitment?
Gaining commitment is getting the customer agreement to take
a specific action with respect to your product.
The action may be anything from reviewing a clinical paper to
using your product on a trial basis.
The key is to make a specific agreement with the doctor about
action steps that will lead towards product usage.

Cont. …
Gaining commitment is the skill of obtaining the customer’s
agreement to act.

When to Gain Commitment?
How do you know when a customer is ready to commit to using
your product?
Customer signals are important in gaining commitment. When
the customer gives you a clear-cut acceptance signal, this is your
signal to seek commitment.
Whenever a customer gives you an acceptance signal you should
attempt to gain commitment, even if it happens before you have
probed for needs.

Gaining Commitment Steps
It involves two steps:
Step 1
Review the benefits accepted by the customer
Step 2
Ask for action

Gaining Commitment – Step 1
Review the benefits accepted by the customer
When you attempt to gain commitment, it is crucial to review all
the benefits accepted by the customer during the sales call. In
your review, you do not need to include features.
Your review of all the accepted benefits should draw the
customer’s attention to areas in which your product meets
his/her needs.

Cont. …
Probe for an acceptance signal
If you decide to try to gain commitment without receiving an
acceptance signal, you summarize the accepted benefits and
then probe for acceptance signal.
The purpose of this probe is to test the doctor’s frame of mind.
You need to know whether he/she is ready to agree to act.

Gaining Commitment – Step 2
Ask for action
A request for action is actually a paraphrased sales call objective.
When you ask for action you must be specific.

Cont. …
ADVANTAGES SPECIFIC REQUEST:
1. Strengthen your role as a problem-solver.
2. Will help you evaluate your progress after the call.

Cont. …
You can make your requests more specific by including any of the
following kinds of information;
1. Asking for use in a specific number of patients.
2. Specifying a time period for trial use of the product

Types of Requests for Action
Requests for action fall into four general categories:
1. Trial-use
2. Continued-use
3. Expanded-use
4. Back to use

Cont. …
Type Purpose Result
Trial-use
To get a doctor to prescribe
the product on a trial basis
New business is obtained
Continued-use
To get a doctor to continue
prescribing the product at the
same level
Current business is
maintained

Cont. …
Type Purpose Result
Expanded-use
To get a doctor to
prescribe more of the product
for the same indication
Or
To get a doctor to
prescribe the product for a
new indication
More business is
obtained
Back to use
To get the doctor to prescribe
the product again
Retaining business

1. Review accepted benefits
Principal benefits accepted;
No acceptance signal
2. Ask for actions
2. Ask for action
Acceptance Signal
1. Review accepted benefits
1a. Probe for acceptance signal

Why Do Customers Raise Objection?
1. He is not yet prepared to accept your work for a new piece of
information.
2. Because he is expressing a competitor’s counter-claim and
wants to know whether this counter-claim is justified.
3. He does not understand your explanation for an important
point.
4. He is interested in your story and wants it to be reassured.
5. He wants to test your belief in your product.

Customer Resistance
Objections can be turned into assets and opportunities by the
skillful salesperson, and therefore they should be welcomed, and
highly interpreted as requests for additional information.

Types Of Customer Resistance
As a professional salesperson, you have to be able to identify
and respond to these four types of customer resistance:
1. Misconception
2. Lack of interest
3. Real objection
4. Skepticism

Cont. …
Misconception
An incorrect negative
assumption about your
product, due to a lack of
information or
misinformation.
X single daily dose does not
offer anything more the
competitors
Real objection
A legitimate shortcoming or
disadvantage of your product.
X price is too expensive for
me.

Cont. …
Lack of interest
Disinterest in your product
because of satisfaction with a
competitor product.
I am very satisfied with Y
Skepticism
Disbelief that your product
can provide the stated
benefit.
I find it hard to believe that X
has such a prolonged effect.

1- Misconception
Definition
An incorrect negative assumption about your product due to a
lack of information or the misunderstanding of information.
It is always accompanied with strong feeling and may be
aggressive attitude.

Cont. …
How to deal with misconception?
1. You should resolve it immediately.
2. Paraphrase the doctor objection and magnify it.
3. Provide the correct information to satisfy the doctor

2. Real Objection
Definition
A legitimate shortcoming or disadvantage of your product.
It is the most serious attitude, and handling it inefficiently may
spoil the call.

Cont. …
How to deal with real objection?
1. Acknowledge the doctor opinion, since you can not deny it.
2. Use the YES…BUT technique.
3. Minimize the doctor objection by maximizing the other great
benefits of your product.
i.e. showing the doctor that your product benefits outweigh
its disadvantage.
4. Try to position your product in an indication in which its
disadvantage is not of great importance.

3. Lack Of Interest
Definition:-
Disinterest in your product because of satisfaction with a
competitor product.
It is the most common situation in the field.
It is a challenging situation and when you pass it, you will enjoy
success.

Cont. …
How to deal with lack of interest?
First
You should identify the competing product in use, and you may
know it through:
Pre-call planning
Directly ask the doctor
Doctor may voluntarily tell you
Second
Analyze the competitor, ask series of closed probes to uncover
area of dissatisfaction, and this will be your entrance gate.

Cont. …
Third
Express your product advantages and benefits over the
competitor and acquire the doctor agreement.
Support this step with more benefits, and then ask for actions to
switch the prescription.

Cont. …
Note
Fully detailed knowledge about the competitor is essential.
Be prepared with more than one area of dissatisfaction, as the
doctor may not respond to the first one and sort them according
to the doctor priorities.

4. Skepticism
Definition
 Disbelief that your product can provide the stated benefit.
 It occurs after you reinforce the suspected benefit.

Cont. …
How to deal with skepticism?
1. Restate what you have just said using strong and confident
words.
2. Voice tone provides you with 50% of success.
3. Offer documents such as trials, medical journals….etc.
4. Give it to the doctor and ask for commitment and action. Set
a date in which you will deliver the document and Stick
accurately to it
5. Provide the requested document and highlight the area of
the doctor interest with light marker.
6. Get the doctor agreement and then ask for action

Read This
A 2-leg
sits on a 3-leg
and eats a 1-leg.
Comes a 4-leg
and takes away the 1-leg from the 2-leg.
The 2-leg gets angry
and takes the 3-leg
and beats the 4-leg.

Tips
1. You are selling your product not the visual aid.
2. Know your visual aid in details
3. Use it to support what you say, not to do the selling for you.
4. Make it clean and ready to use.
5. Use pen or marker.
6. Keep control of the visual aid.

Why We Use Visual Aids?
1. Attract attention
2. Increase retention
3. Improve comprehension

Tips
1. Make it coincide with what you are saying.
2. Rap it unless it is in use.
3. Make it seen by your audience not you.
4. Use it to illustrate point by point.

Basic selling skills

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