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While you are
giving your sales presentation pay strict attention to how your prospect
responds to your sales talk. Of course, if the prospect is already at the
second or third stage of the selling process, you should move on to the
next stage.
Always try to find out what the prospect wants most out
of your goods. Some people will be interested in every aspect of your
proposition. Some will choose one, or two things that are of the greatest
value to them.
Say a salesperson
is selling a popcorn machine and they have told the customer all the
benefits of owning one.
Salesman:
“Mrs. Jones, this popper cleans up in a breeze. All parts except the stand
can be immersed in water and dishwasher safe, so it will be easy to keep
clean. This machine will leave few kernels unpopped. In fact, each tasty
morsel will be plump and wholesome. Our little popper does the job of some
of the more expensive brands on the market and at a third of the price. And
it will not only produce the best tasting popcorn, it will save you time,
energy and money.”
Mrs. Jones:
“Did you say the popper comes apart and each piece can be immersed in
water?”
Salesman:
“Yes Mrs. Jones, everything but the stand. All of the parts to the popper
come apart for easy clean up. They can be washed in your kitchen sink, or
dishwasher. This will do away with greasy build up since it only takes a little
soap and water to clean it and no elbow grease.”
Mrs. Jones:
“How much is it?”
Salesman:
“It regularly sells for $19.95, but we’ve reduced the price for our grand
opening. Your price today is just $15.95.”
Mrs. Jones:
“I’ll take two of them. One for my mother and one for myself.”
Salesman:
“You’ve made an excellent choice Mrs. Jones.”
The salesman picks
up two popcorn machines and goes to the cash register to type up the order.
He stopped selling because he closed the sale.
In the above
example Mrs. Jones was most interested in the easy clean up. The money she
would save was secondary, or of little concern, if any. She was mainly
interested in how easy the popcorn popper was to clean because that saved
her time and energy.
How do you test to
see if a prospect is ready to buy?
You must give the
prospect a chance to show how he feels about your proposition. Some
customers will make it known to you that they are ready to buy, still
another customer may be ready to make a purchase, but hides this from you.
The best way to find out if this type of prospect is ready to buy is to
give a closing appeal.
Ask a question,
such as, “How many of these can you use Mr. Smith?” or, “We can fill your
order immediately.” or, “What sizes will you be needing?” This tests the
prospect’s interest and gives them a chance to buy.
Don’t make the
mistake of asking the prospect how they feel about your proposition, or
“Don’t you think you should buy this widget?” The answer will probably be no.
If after all this,
you discover the prospect is not ready to buy, no harm is done. But you
have implanted the suggestion of buying on their mind. How this plays
itself out depends on what you say next. The prospect’s interest in buying
could grow, or fall flat. Start the selling process again from the
beginning. Because until the prospect is ready to buy, you are not through
selling.
There is a danger
in moving on to something else and not closing the sale at the right moment.
The customer may get out of the buying mood and began having second
thoughts about making a purchase. They may loose interest in what you say
next because you didn’t reel them in when they were ready. They may decide
they can get along without the item, or they may remember they have a bill
to pay.
When the customer
is ready to buy give them the opportunity, or when you’re ready to close,
they’ll be ready to quit.
Copyright © 2005
Gloria Whitehorn and Dovemang.com All rights reserved
About The Author: Gloria Whitehorn is the
owner of several online businesses. She is the author of two books,
freelance writer, business coach and an authority on salesmanship and
business practices. Check out her site that's jam-packed with the exact
information you need to start, build, and grow your very own profitable
Internet business. I highly recommend visiting her website http://www.dovemang.com She knows what she's talking about. Subscribe to her free weekly online
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