SELLING SKILLS &NEED CREATION

A C DHANASEKAR

TRAINER

CFIL

CHENNAI

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.

3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.

4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.

5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.

6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.

7. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualization.

BIOLOGICAL & PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

Physiological needs are those required to sustain life, such as:

air water nourishment sleep

According to Maslow's theory, if such needs are not satisfied then one's motivation will arise from the quest to satisfy them. Higher needs such as social needs and esteem are not felt until one has met the needs basic to one's bodily functioning

SAFETY NEEDS Once physiological needs are met, one's attention turns to safety

and security in order to be free from the threat of physical and emotional harm. Such needs might be fulfilled by:

Self Safety Living in a safe area Medical insurance Job security Financial reserves

According to Maslow's hierarchy, if a person feels that he or she is in harm's way, higher needs will not receive much attention.

SOCIAL NEEDS

Once a person has met the lower level physiological and safety needs, higher level needs become important, the first of which are social needs. Social needs are those related to interaction with other people and may include:

Need for friends Need for belonging Need to give and receive love

ESTEEM NEEDS Once a person feels a sense of "belonging", the need to feel

important arises. Esteem needs may be classified as internal or external. Internal esteem needs are those related to self-esteem such as self respect and achievement. External esteem needs are those such as social status and recognition. Some esteem needs are:

Self-respect Achievement Attention Recognition Reputation

Maslow later refined his model to include a level between esteem needs and self-actualization: the need for knowledge and aesthetics.

SELF ACTUALISATION Self-actualization is the summit of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It is the

quest of reaching one's full potential as a person. Unlike lower level needs, this need is never fully satisfied; as one grows psychologically there are always new opportunities to continue to grow.

Self-actualized people tend to have needs such as:

Truth Justice Wisdom Meaning

Self-actualized persons have frequent occurrences of peak experiences, which are energized moments of profound happiness and harmony. According to Maslow, only a small percentage of the population reaches the level of self-actualization.

SELLING SKILLS-NEED CREATION Know your product & Service. You must not only have ability to articulate what your

business does, but you need to understand how your business can help the customer. Before making your sales pitch, sit down for a moment, get a sheet of paper, and prepare what I call the "3-Column Approach." On the first column, write down all the benefits your product or service can bring. Next to each benefit on the second column, list down the customer needs or problems that it solves. In the third column, enumerate all the possible questions you will ask your potential customer to determine if the problem existed. If you speak from a list of prepared questions, you will have more confidence in your presentation, and will help you direct the conversation in a fairly organized manner.

This strategy will prepare you for all possible scenarios that you may encounter when making a sales call. By thinking through every possibility, you will be better prepared in determining how best to approach a client and handling objections.

Practice your presentation well.

You may have a great product that the customer needs, but if you fumble in your presentation, chances are that account will slip past through your fingers. In the same way when making a speech, prepare your script and practice presenting your piece out loud in front of the mirror. Do you look confident enough? Do you look credible? Do you sound authoritative?

 

Dress professionally and practice good grooming. Whether you like it or not, people will judge you with the way you look and first impressions can make or break a sale. If you are a safety consultant, for example, you should look conservative and project the image of a successful person who knows how to manage self safety & fire safety. A web designer can look hip and cool. Also, be sure that you bring with you marketing materials and other documents (e.g. brochures, testimonials, etc.) that will bolster your sales pitch.

SAFETY NEEDS

After introducing your business to your prospect, the next step should be to determine if there is a fit between your service and his or her needs. You can achieve this with probing questions to learn more about what your prospect wants and how you can fulfill his or her business needs.

If you are selling SAFETY Products & services such as Fire Extinguishers., etc.,, you need to ask your potential client if they're concerned with their demand & requirements with numerous in and out would like to understand the ways they could save money. You need to get them to talk about their experience with their current product or service provider (if any) and what they are looking for -- whether they want lower rates, lesser charges, fast response, cheaper equipment rental or lease, etc. This way, you find out the concerns of your prospect rather than simply telling him or her all about your product and how wonderful it is.

People appreciate it when you listen to them. Understand what they are saying then ask relevant follow-up questions, whether you are clarifying something or simply acknowledging their statements.

Remember: your ability to close a sale will greatly depend on your skill to make your prospect feel that you have the product or service which is designed for his sole benefit especially.

 

Think of your objection handling strategy

You need to thank your lucky stars if your prospects buy your product or service without any questions asked. More likely, people will give you reasons why they shouldn't buy from you, if not try all tactics in the book to get rid of you quickly. But remember this. Prospective customers say "No" as automatic mechanism to get rid of the salesman. Their objections are to avoid you for the moment. As part of your preparation, you need to think as many possible objections your prospect may have, then have ready answers to counter these objections.

In our high value products needs examples, like references and those who bought already and if the prospect counters that they already have a competitors with low prices .... To get the business, you need to be able to justify the prospect about the price structure, and then make them understand and accept the ways to save their money.

Review what went right or wrong after your sales calls.

Sales is a continuous process. And every prospect you face or call is different. After every sales call or presentation, think about the things that went right or wrong. What techniques did you use to finally convince the prospect to accept your offer? How did you present your business? How did you get the customer to talk about his or her business needs? What are the needs of the customer that you need to bear in mind when servicing the account? Incorporate all the positive things that you did to your next presentation in order to improve your sales technique.

If the sales call or meeting was a failure, then ask yourself why. Were you trying to penetrate thick wall that you didn't stand a chance right from the very beginning? Did you talk too much? Or, too little? Why weren't you able to communicate how your business can help him or her? Honestly accept your mistakes and strive to avoid them in the future. Think of ways how you can improve your sales presentation-- maybe you need to dress better, or maybe you need to improve your objection handling techniques, among other things.

Learn to accept "No" for an answer.

The fear of rejection strikes in the heart of most people. A lot of people freeze at the mere thought of presenting their business to a prospect only to be told, "No, we're not interested." One fact of life is that not everyone will be interested in what your business offers, even if you think it is the greatest product in the world. Some may be very satisfied with their current service provider or product; while others do not see its need. The key is not to take rejection personally; and just proceed to the next call. The more sales calls you make, the higher your success rate will be.,

"Just do it."

If you are ready to get that sale, take a deep breath and relax. As long as you are prepared and understand what you are doing, you will do just fine.

PRE REQUISITE – SELLING SKILLS

By knowing what stage of the buying process that your dream client is in you are better prepared to ensure that your sales call is a valuable experience for them.

If they are satisfied, you may make the experience valuable for them by helping the identify gaps in their performance that they didn’t know existed. If they have identified that they have unmet needs and that they are in fact dissatisfied, you can help them identify what will be necessary to improve their performance

If they are evaluating their many options, you can help them understand which offerings are best suited to getting them the outcome they need. If they are resolving concerns, you can educate them as to where the real risks lie and how best of avoid them.

 

Good qualifying can reveal the stage of the buying process, but you won’t always be able to decide it before your call. If you don’t know before, you have to decide it pretty quickly once you are in front of your dream client, instead of you waste their time.

Confirm Your Appointment

To ensure that your dream client has a worthwhile experience and is willing to commit to an advance that includes future appointments, you need to confirm that your plan to meet the criteria that they believe will make their time with you valuable.

After you have laid out your plan, ask your dream client if there is anything that they would like to add to it. It is important that you ask if they have anything to add so that you are sure to include it, and it is a mistake not to have a plan of your own walking in the door and proceeding your sales call to your client (or worse, leaving them with the impression that you had no plan).

Showing up with a strong, defined plan to discuss that you are not a a time-waster and definitely a value creator & supporter to their organisation.

Have a List of Powerful Questions

Questions have the ability to uncover problems, challenges, and opportunities. Powerful questions have the ability to also define you as a professional and are far more influential than many statements you may make as a salesperson.

Your dream clients benefit by your asking questions that help them to determine where their performance gaps are, how they might be improved, and what it will take to make those improvements. There is no doubt that asking these questions is to your benefit, helping you position yourself and your offering as the right solution.

But asking the questions in a way that benefits your client and positions you are two ideas that should not be mutually exclusive, and you are there sitting across from them to sell. They know this and agreed to see you. Asking the tough, but powerful questions define you as a consultative seller.

Help Them To Understand Their Needs better

One outcome that will ensure that your dream client finds their time with you to be valuable is helping them to better understand their needs. Doing a killer needs analysis can help your client better define the performance that they need to succeed and to compete and win in their space.

A needs analysis that extends beyond a single visit can include helping your dream client to understand the ground truth. It can also help them to understand and develop the change management plan that will be necessary to move their organization forward.

You can confirm this by asking the question: “Did you find this meeting to be helpful in defining and sorting out some of your needs?”

Help Them See Their Vision of a Better Future More Clearly

Eventually, on some sales call, you will present your solution. You will be tempted to make this all about you. That isn’t what your presentation should be about. Your presentation should tell the story of how you and your dream client will walk forward into a better future together.

Of course you are going to spend time exploring what you bring to that relationship, but only as it helps provide the details as to how what you do will better enable what your dream client does.

Your presentation has to include an outcome that benefits your dream client and not just by influencing them to choose you (even though you have to believe that this is a benefit to them). It has to help them see more clearly what it will take to get the results they need AND position you as the right choice to help them.

Help Them See Their Vision of a Better Future More Clearly

You can confirm that you created value by asking the question: “Did this help to restate your needs, and how we could work together to improve these results?”

This short post doesn’t begin to cover all of the ways that you can create value on a sales call, but it should get your juices flowing about what your responsibility is on every call, and how you can go about ensuring you create it.

Questions

How do you want your dream client to be changed by having spent their time with you?

How can knowing what stage of the buying process your dream client is in enable you to create value in the buying process?

How can you ensure that you add your dream client’s need is covered in your plan?

Do you have a set of value-creating power questions that line up with your dream client’s buying process?

  What is the intention of your needs analysis? Is all about helping you sell, or

does it also help your dream client buy?

What is the intention of your presentation? Is to convince them to buy, or is to help them see their way to a better future (one that includes you, of course)?

Secrets to Making More Sales Increase your sales by improving your

prospecting efforts. Many sales people don’t prospect as effectively or frequently as they could. If you want to grow your sales you need to target your prospecting efforts and dedicate a significant portion of your weekly schedule to prospecting. Prospecting every day will help you make more sales faster than almost anything else.

Increase your sales by improving your approach

This means you need to deliver a more effective opening when you contact a prospect via telephone or email.

Most sales people open the initial sales conversation by saying something like, “Hi Mr. Prospect, my name is Bob Smith from We Make Everything promotional goods. We offer a wide range of products that can be used as incentives and I’d like to meet with you to discuss your needs.” This approach is tired, out-dated and ineffective at securing appointments and getting more sales. If you want to grow your sales you need to create a better opening.

Increase your sales by asking tough, penetrating questions

The majority of sales people ask weak, feeble sales questions and prevents them from increasing their sales. High-value questions help you fully determine the prospect’s situation, decision making process, and other influencing factors.

Increase your sales by creating compelling sales presentations

The typical sales presentation is ineffective because it does not clearly identify how the prospect will benefit from your product, service or offering. To get an increase in sales you need to adapt every presentation so that it addresses the key issues your prospects faces in his/her business.

When you’re developing your sales presentation you need to make sure that you aren’t using a sales pitch. A sales pitch will only cause your prospect to tune you out and start looking for ways to end the sales call.

Increase your sales by keeping the sales conversation moving forward

This means gaining agreement at various points in the sales interaction including determining the next steps.

Close more sales by becoming adept at responding to objections. Too many sales people and business owners fail to properly prepare for objections and fail to grow their sales as a result. Sales people who consistently increase their sales plan for objections. They also know how to properly respond to any objection that a prospect might present.

If you are serious about increasing your sales, you need to ask for the sale

Too many people invest valuable time delivering a sales pitch but fail to ask their prospect for the business. This one concept will have an immediate impact on your business and will help you make more sales.

There you have it. Seven powerful strategies that will help you

improve your sales pitch, grow your sales, increase your business, and make more money.

INSPIRING TEN KEYS

The first key to inspiration is enjoyment.

It would take a spiritual master to get inspired about doing the dishes.

So find something that really excites

you. It can be anything that you really enjoy.

2.The second key is love. When you are actively pouring love into what you are doing,

this will guarantee that you are opening yourself to experiencing more inspiration.

  3. The third key is to trust yourself. Listen to that little voice inside yourself and

know that this comes from heart. This is called intuition.   4. The fourth key is to follow what your intuition tells you. The more you listen to

it, the stronger your intuition will become. If you don't pay attention, that little voice gets fainter and fainter until you can no longer hear it.

  5. The fifth key is to keep telling yourself "I can". These are some of the most

powerful words that you can ever use. When you say this to yourself often enough, you build abridge between

yourself and your inspiration.   6. The sixth key is not to listen to anyone that says "no you can't". They might

think that they may not be able to, and try to project this negative belief onto you, but remember to keep telling

yourself that, "I can! "

7. The seventh key is to believe in yourself. When you are backed by a strong belief in yourself and your dreams,

nothing is impossible.   8. The eighth key is to avoid negativity. Ask yourself, do you

really need to read the newspaper or watch the news on TV everyday ? Nothing kills inspiration

quicker than being surrounded by bad news.   9. The ninth key is acceptance. Accept that on some days you

feel much more inspired than on others. This is normal, nobody can be completely inspired every

minute of the day.   10. The tenth key is possibly the most important of all. Take

action every day, no matter how small a step it seems. Action is the fuel to the fires of inspiration. Make it a daily

practise to keep your fire burning.

The 10 most important words

“What can I do to help you be more successful?” The 9 most important words: “I need you to do this, and here’s why…” The 8 most important words: “That’s my mistake and I will fix it.” The 7 most important words: “My door is always open to you.” The 6 most important words: “Let’s focus on solving the problem.” The 5 most important words: “You did a great job!”

The 4 most important words: “What do YOU think?” The 3 most important words: “Follow my lead.” The 2 most important words: “Thank You.” The MOST important word: “YOU”

COOL

Any Questions?

A C DHANASEKAR TRAINER

CFIL CHENNAI.