the sales process defined
Sales is rocket science. And just as rocket science is built from a foundation of physical and mathematical laws and principles, sales can be distilled to its very simple laws and principles. While branded selling "systems" and "approaches" serve several purposes (they help differentiate sales books and training material in order to sell them better as well as assist in articulating a message so it's easily learned and/ or implemented) the simple laws and principles underlying them all have remained relatively unchanged since the beginning of time.
Here's the bottom line for your records – fluff removed. Use it as a guide for the in-house sales training of your team or for your personal sales skill development (you do work on your most valuable asset, don't you?) Focus on one area each week or month. Print it out. Send it out. Tack it up.
the sales process
assuming your... product's or service's
features & benefits have been
identified
and you've...
defined & identified your
target market
the sales process begins
- prospect
- interview
- analyze needs
- present
- negotiate
- close
- service and follow-up
throughout the sales process, the salesperson should be
continually...
- positively expectant
- enthusiastic
- asking questions
- listening
- qualifying the opportunity (for both parties)
- discovering hot buttons (what's in it for them)
- building rapport
- establishing trust
- developing credibility
- developing a valuable relationship
- addressing objections
- planning next action steps
- confirming understanding
- asking for referrals
- seeking additional opportunities to serve & sell
- evaluating responses & results (positive/ negative)
- affirming decisions (minimizing buyer's remorse)