| Quick, answer a question: Why do people buy | | | | interested in the fact that the machine the |
| from you?Bzzzzz. Wrong, if you answered | | | | rep was pitching could do enlargement and |
| with,- "Uhhh . . ."- Any description of your | | | | reduction. Her's couldn't, and she had to |
| product or service.You get an "Incomplete" if | | | | personally go down to the Quick Copy to have |
| you answered,- "Because we have great | | | | them done, and it was a tremendous hassle. |
| service."- "We have the best quality."This | | | | But, the rep had already mentioned so many |
| might seem rather basic to some of you, but | | | | other "benefits" that were actually perceived |
| if you quit reading I promise you're cheating | | | | negatives to the prospect, that she didn't |
| yourself. Unless you have an inside-and-out | | | | think it would be worth it to talk about that |
| understanding of all the possible reasons | | | | one feature. However, in isolation, it could |
| people buy from you, you're likely inviting | | | | have sold her.Even if you think you have a |
| objections. That's because you're probably | | | | clue about why people buy from you, do the |
| selling what you want to sell, or talking | | | | following exercise. And do it often, since |
| about what the company's marketing department | | | | situations change regularly.Here's an |
| tells you are "benefits." People buy for | | | | exercise we work on in training seminars. It |
| their reasons, not yours. Your goal on calls | | | | lays the foundation for everything else we |
| is to learn, remind them of, and understand | | | | do.1. Identify all the different levels and |
| their reasons for being interested in you, | | | | types of buyers and influencers for what you |
| and ultimately buying.An ExampleLet's look at | | | | sell. Describe them by title and/or function. |
| an example. A copy machine salesperson calls | | | | For example, depending on the organization, |
| a smaller company, hoping to sell a copier. | | | | you might have an Advertising Director as the |
| He speaks with the Office Manager who | | | | buyer. In smaller companies it could be an |
| typically makes decisions like this one. | | | | Office Manager, or maybe even the |
| After asking a few basic qualifying questions | | | | President.2. Taking each of these types of |
| he learns the office has four people in it, | | | | people, identify how they're typically |
| and they now have a big old monster of a copy | | | | evaluated in their job. A Purchasing Manager |
| machine that has been in the office for about | | | | is evaluated differently than a sales |
| eight years.Thinking he has a hot prospect, | | | | manager-the former on conservation, while the |
| the rep launches into a pitch about the | | | | latter on production. Why should we think |
| latest techno-copier that does everything but | | | | about this? We all have a desire to |
| write the documents for you. He overwhelms | | | | survive-at the very least-in our jobs, and |
| the listener with a point-by-point | | | | most of us want to thrive. Knowing how |
| description of each of the "benefits"-or what | | | | someone is measured in their environment |
| he thinks are benefits (they indeed are, to | | | | provides insight to what makes them tick.3. |
| some people).The prospect says, "What we have | | | | Regarding your types of product/service, what |
| is working just fine now."He retorts with | | | | do they want and need most? Be as specific as |
| some rendition of the "feel-felt-found" | | | | possible. Saying, "They want good quality," |
| technique and rams into a brick wall. He | | | | doesn't cut it. If you can't see, feel, hear, |
| writes this one off, and moves to the next. | | | | touch, or taste it, how can you describe it? |
| Same pitch, same result.What Went Wrong?So is | | | | Good quality manifests itself in the form of |
| the rep not skilled at closing? How about | | | | "A machine that requires virtually no |
| overcoming objections? Neither. You could | | | | servicing other than routine maintenance."4. |
| make a case for him not being a skilled | | | | Conversely, what do they want to avoid? |
| questioner, but that might not be fair. The | | | | Again, be specific, descriptive. Don't say |
| fact is, he doesn't have a clear | | | | "poor service." Better: "They hate having to |
| understanding of why people buy from him-from | | | | wait three hours to get an answer to a basic |
| their perspective, not his.You see, in this | | | | technical question."Answering these questions |
| case, the Office Manager was a technophobe. | | | | is just a start. After you've compiled your |
| She just traded in her IBM Selectric for a | | | | list, then you use the answers to create |
| computer for gosh sakes! And, she is paying | | | | questions to determine if, indeed, these |
| $300 per year, plus a per copy charge for a | | | | possible benefits truly are benefits.Art |
| maintenance contract on her current dinosaur | | | | Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to |
| copier-about half of what a new, smaller, | | | | prospect, service and sell more effectively, |
| more reliable machine would cost to buy!And | | | | while eliminating morale-killing "rejection. |
| that's not all. The prospect was really quite | | | | |