In what should a sales manager be a super professional? Firstly in communication - with a client, designer, and supervisor. He must be able to convince, correctly set the task, and ask for help in difficult situations.
1. Active hearing
Most vendors strive to hone presentation skills. On average, the sales manager, communicating with the client on the phone, speaks 70% of the time. But the more the salesman listens, the better understands the specific pain of the buyer and his situation in general.
Active listening involves the ability to ask open questions and guide the dialogue.
Here are the basic techniques:
Pauses. Do not hurry to talk as soon as the interlocutor is silent. Give him time to think and perhaps express some more thoughts.
Paraphrase (retelling). Repeat briefly with your words what the client said. This way you will show the person that heard it. And he can look at his situation in a new way and probably want to add something.
Open questions. They should sound so that the interlocutor could not answer one-word «Yes» or «No».
Specification. Ask specific questions that will help to understand the details.
Perception Message. Tell the client that you have embraced his problem, for example: «Yes, I understand it is not an easy task to solve as soon as possible».
2. Story telling
Tell stories that can resonate with your CA. They must be clear, convincing, engaging and sincere. This will allow you to:
appeal to the buyer’s emotions and induce action
show the person how other customers solved similar problems with your product
Good stories are built around this pattern:
The protagonist of the story is not you, your company or your product, but a customer with a similar situation. He first tries to deal with the problem himself, but fails. And then there’s an assistant - your company or product - and together, you do the job. Conclusion: «We have done it for another client - and we can do it for you».
Learn to tell stories using your cases, research and other materials that will give weight to your words.
3. Handling objections
Here are some techniques that will help overcome the buyer’s resistance:
1 Gratitude. This technique allows you to reduce emotional tension, to make the client to himself. To answer the objection, start with a positive assessment: «It is nice to hear that you have carefully studied our proposal».
2 Empathy. Show that you are not alien to the feelings of the client: «I understand you, we also do not like to change suppliers».
3 Ask questions. Instead of taking a defensive position, find out the details: «With whom do you compare our offer when you say that we are too expensive?».
4 Yes, and that’s why. Do not argue with the buyer, but turn his words in your favor: «Yes, we are more expensive than competitors, and that is why we can offer you much more».
5 «Let’s compare». If the potential client is dissatisfied with the terms (cost, terms), try to compare your offer in detail with the offer of competitors. Show what you win: in terms of payment, the volume of parties, regularity of deliveries, warranties, etc.
6 Reference to the past. For example, if the customer does not want to change the supplier, remind him that he chose the contractor because of favorable terms. Perhaps now it is your proposal that will be most appropriate.
7 «This is normal/ So accepted». Refer to the usual practice: «For a company of your scale it is natural to have several suppliers», and «It is normal when a better quality product is more expensive».
8 Value before complexity. If the essence of the objections is the complexity of the product, focus on its functionality and result: «Yes, the team will have to spend time on training, but you will greatly simplify the work in the future».
4. Prevention of objections
Top sellers know how to prevent disagreements instead of fighting them. The Sales Executive has to think strategically and soften the objections before they come.
For example, if you know that your product is more expensive than competitors, do not wait for the client to ask an unpleasant question. Beat him: The cost of our product is higher than that of other companies, but for good reasons. Let me tell you how you will save in the end if you work with us».
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