Sales Management

1. Prof. Aparna Kanchan

2. 2
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• How should the salesperson make the initial approach to
make a good impression and gain the prospect’s
attention?
• How can the salesperson develop rapport and increase
source credibility?
• Why is discovering the prospect’s needs important, and
how can a salesperson get this information?

3. 3
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• How can the salesperson relate the product or service
features to the prospect’s needs?
• Why is it important for the salesperson to make
adjustments during the call?
• How does the salesperson recognize that adjustments
are needed?
• How can a salesperson effectively sell to groups?

4. 4
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SALES
CALL

5. 5
FOUR A’S OF SELLING PROCESS
Acknowledge Acquire Advise Assure

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MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION
• Impression management: Process where salespeople
can manage the buyer’s impression of them
• Waiting for the prospect
• Be on time or call if you’re going to be late
• Make good use of your waiting time
• 15 minute rule
• Be polite and tactful when asking to reschedule

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MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION
Managing first impression
Identifying the prospects social style and status
Getting the customer’s attention
Developing rapport
Maintaining proper perspective and a sense of
humor, when things go wrong

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GETTING THE CUSTOMER’S ATTENTION
• Make effective use of time
• Halo effect: Manner in which you do something changes
a person’s perceptions of other things you do
• Opening: Method of getting the prospect’s attention and
interest quickly and making a smooth transition into the
next part of the presentation

9. 9
OPENINGS THAT SALESPEOPLE CAN USE
TO GAIN ATTENTION
Opening method Things to consider
Introduction opening - Simply introduce
yourself
Simple but may not generate interest
Referral opening - Tell about someone
who referred you to the buyer
Always get permission. Don’t stretch
the truth
Benefit opening - Start by telling some
benefit of the product
Get down to business right away
Product opening - Demonstrate
a product feature and benefit as soon as
you walk up to the prospect)
Use visual and not just verbal opening;
to create excitement
Compliment opening - Start by
complimenting the buyer or the buyer’s
firm)
Be sincere and do not indulge in flattery
Question opening - Start the
conversation with a question
Start two-way communication

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RAPPORT
• Close, harmonious relationship founded on mutual trust
• Should be a salesperson’s primary goal
• Small talk: Breaks the ice for the actual presentation
• Current news, hobbies, mutual friends
• Consider cultural and personality differences
• Share goals or agenda

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DEVELOPING RAPPORT
• Do not engage in the following:
• Controversial topics like politics and religion
• Trying to gain sympathy
• Complaining about others
• Gossiping about competitors
• Avoid using trite phrases

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DISCOVERING THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE
NEED

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ASKING OPEN AND CLOSED QUESTIONS
• Open questions: Require the prospect to go beyond a
simple yes or no response
• Encourage the prospect to open up and share a useful
information
• Closed questions: Require yes, no, or short fill-in-the-
blank type response
• Help in identifying problems and attitudes
• Summarize the prospect’s needs

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SPIN® TECHNIQUE
• Method of discovering needs with help of:
• Situation questions
• Problem questions
• Implication questions
• Need payoff questions
• Works for salespeople involved in:
• Major sale: Involves a long selling cycle, a large
customer commitment, an ongoing relationship, and large
risks for the prospect

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SPIN® TECHNIQUE
Situation questions
• Answered through recall information gathering and planning
Problem questions
• About specific difficulties, problems, or dissatisfaction
Implications questions
• Help the prospect recognize the true ramifications of the problem
• Motivate the prospect to search for a solution to the problem
Need payoff questions
• Focused on solution

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CONCLUSIONS ABOUT SPIN®
• Encourages the prospect to define the need
• Prospect views the salesperson more as a consultant
trying to help than as someone pushing a product
• For best outcomes, practice each component and plan
implication and need payoff questions before each sales
call

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DEVELOPING A STRATEGY
• Prioritize buyer needs
• Discuss features that address buyer needs
• Feature dumping: Discussing features that is of no use to
the customer

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RELATING FEATURES TO BENEFITS
• Feature
• Quality or characteristic
of the product or service
• Every product has many
features designed to help
potential customers
• Benefit
• The way in which a
specific feature will help
a particular buyer
• Customer benefit
proposition: Manner in
which a salesperson
shows how a product
addresses the buyer’s
specific needs

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OFFERING MORE VALUE
• FAB (Features, advantages, benefits)
• Instead of mentioning features and benefits, requiring
salespeople to discuss features, advantages, and benefits
• Advantage: Points out why a feature would be important
• FEBA (Features, evidence, benefits, agreement)
• mention the feature
• provide evidence that the feature actually exists,
• explain the benefit
• Ask if buyer agrees with the value and benefit of the feature

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THE PROBLEM/SOLUTION
MODEL
Source: Carl Sooder, used with permission

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ASSESSING REACTIONS
• Using nonverbal cues
• Verbal probing
• Trial close: Taking the pulse of the situation during the
presentation
• Allows the salesperson to stop talking and encourages
two-way conversation
• Lets the salesperson see whether the buyer is listening and
understanding what is being said
• Indicates whether the prospect is interested or not

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ASSESSING REACTIONS
• Selective perception: Hearing what one wants to hear
• Making adjustments
• Changing direction
• Collecting additional information
• Developing a new sales strategy
• Altering the style of
presentation

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BUILDING CREDIBILITY DURING THE CALL
• Credibility: Being believable and reliable
• Clearly delineate the time she or he thinks the call will
take and then stop when the time is up
• Back up verbal statements
• Credibility statements: Includes features of the
salesperson, organization and other related and useful
information

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BUILDING CREDIBILITY DURING THE CALL
• Avoid making statements that do not have the ring of
truth
• Make a balanced presentation that shows all sides of the
situation
• Balanced presentation: Is honest and shows all sides of
the situation
• Recognize cultural differences
• Demonstrate product expertise

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BUILDING CREDIBILITY DURING THE CALL
• Keep it simple
• Be honest and straightforward
• Never use a word unless you know the exact definition

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SELLING TO GROUPS
• Discover the following for each prospect group member
• Member status within the group
• Authority
• Perceptions about the urgency of the problem
• Receptivity to ideas
• Knowledge of the subject matter
• Likely resistance and ways to handle it

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SELLING TO GROUPS
• Develop objectives and plan
• Learn the names of group members and use them when
appropriate
• Listen carefully and observe all nonverbal cues

28. THANK- YOU