I'm not a big fan of the term "sales techniques" because "techniques" could imply some kind of manipulation. The top sales professionals never use tricks or manipulation to close more sales. They use sales skills and sales strategies that best communicate the benefits of their products or services. There is no room for manipulation in professional sales training. The top sales professionals don't try to out smart their sales prospects. Instead, they are straightforward with their prospects and use their selling skills to follow a well-defined sales process. You'll find those selling skills in professional sales training.
If you want your prospects to be straightforward with you, you must be straightforward with them. Let me give you an example on how being straightforward with your prospects will help you close more sales. The selling skill outlined below is ideal when working in a highly competitive sales scenario.
Selling Skills
Today's markets are extremely competitive. Every day, products from all around the world compete for every single sale. This competitive sales environment keeps commissions high and the demand for the selling skills of top sales professionals strong. However, competition also keeps us on our toes and puts pressure on the sales process. The top professionals know they must separate themselves from the competition and show that their product or service best addresses their prospect's wants and needs. This can be accomplished with straightforward communications, between buyer and seller, during the sales process. This professional communications process is a selling skill and not a sales technique because it involves open and straightforward communications. I'd like you to take a closer look at these selling skills put to work when you find yourself surrounded by the competition.
Professional Sales Training
Here is some professional sales training advice for salespeople in highly competitive markets. These selling skills work well even when you know that you represent the higher priced solution. Yes, you can win with the higher price even when the competition has you surrounded once you master this selling skill. Let's put this sales strategy to work.
During the Probing step of the sales process, ask your prospect what separates them from their competition. I never heard a prospect say their product was the cheapest. Instead, they talk about their product's value. They may say their product is manufactured better or they have the best customer service or mention some other aspect of the value represented by their product. Why is this important? Because, you just made value, and not price, the dominant element of the prospect's evaluation criteria. In a competitive situation, someone is always ready to lower his or her price to close the sale. You don't have to play that game once you've firmly established, in your prospects mind, that value is what separates one product from another product. Anything can be made cheaper. True value is generated when something is made better and that's where you want your prospect focused. This is a very useful professional sales training strategy but we are not finished just yet.
Close More Sales
Next, explain to your prospect that there are many companies that would like to have their business and you would like to know what criteria would be used to evaluate different products. Yes, this is very straightforward and often it's the first time the prospect every thought about developing a purchasing criteria to evaluate products from different suppliers. However, once you are armed with this information, you'll know exactly which aspects of your offering must be highlighted to separate you from the competition. So, if your prospect says they looking for the most durable product, you'll want to spend extra time talking about the quality of your manufacturing process and how that results in a very durable product. There is no need for "sales techniques". Straightforward communications will get you all the information you'll need to close the sales. Take notes and list the entire evaluation criteria. Repeat it back to your prospect and get their agreement that they will base their decision on these points. But, we are not finished just yet.
Now you want to add to your prospects evaluation criteria to insure that your product's strengths are firmly listed on that list of product evaluation criteria. So, if your prospect fails to mention customer service as part of the criteria and you know you have superior customer service, you'll want customer service on the list of criteria your prospect will use to evaluate competing products. Ask your prospect why customer service is not on the list. Explain why quality customer service is important. Your mission is to get quality customer service on the evaluation criteria list.
It is interesting to note that "cheapest" never made it to the evaluation criteria. You now have a green light to present your product, point by point, as it relates to the buying criteria jointly established by you and your prospect.
This is the type of sales training I enjoy presenting because it represents straightforward communications during the sales process. I hope this professional sales training advice will help you close more sales.
About the Author
Nick Moreno, founder of the National Sales Center, is a well-established sales trainer and sales coach with more than 30 years of experience providing knowledge, empowerment and benefit to those he trains. Offering a competitive sales training advantage through education and cutting edge professional sales training DVD programs, his system, The Progressive Sales Process, is known for generating "Sales Superstars" who consistently reach much higher sales commissions. Mr. Moreno can be reached by contacting him at Nick@Nationalsalescenter.com or by visiting his web site at http://www.nationalsalescenter.com
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