When I speak to sales managers and many sales people, their request for help most often centers around “closing sales.” They say, “Art, I need help with closing. I’m not closing enough business.” As we diagnose the situation together, it often times leads to one specific area where we can improve as sellers…and it isn’t necessarily closing sales – it’s needs assessment. Backing up the process further, we are back to preparation. Let’s look quickly at needs assessment.
• What information do we need so we can recommend the best product for their needs?
• How should we ask the questions? (“craft” each question)
• What order should we ask them in?
• Are there “hard hitting” questions we must have answers to? What are they? (We are going to need to “Pad” or soften these questions so we do not intimidate or offend our buyer.
• Resist the temptation to present your product and services before YOU are ready. Remember, if you prepare, you control the sales call.
• If you need to do research after the initial call, it should be because you uncovered new information, not because you weren’t prepared.
• I know this may seem elementary to some – ask open ended questions and LISTEN and NOTE the response. Write it out so your buyer can see the answer!
• If you uncover a need, examine that particular area further. Stay on that subject and systematically exhaust it, then confirm the information with your buyer and move to the next.
Selling is about continuous improvement. Closing sales is a result of preparation and effective needs assessment. Read something about selling every day if you want to perform in the Top 5%.
Good Selling,
Art
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