CHAPTER 14 – PRESENTING THE PRODUCT –

SHOW & TELL PROCESS 1. Select a few sample products: match product features to customer’s needs 2. Determine customer’s price range show medium-priced projects 3. DON’T overwhelm customers 4. AVOID slang terms, 5. USE layman’s terms: Words the average customer can understand

Make The Presentation Come Alive DISPLAYING & HANDLING THE PRODUCT  Goal : create eye-catching display DEMONSTRATING THE PRODUCT  Goal : show off features of by demonstrating use of the product

Make The Presentation Come Alive Cont.. USING SALES AIDS  Goal: Use sales aids when presenting to help emphasize selling points  Ex) samples, magazines, graphs INVOLVING THE CUSTOMER  Goal: Let customer get involved with the product  Ex) walk around in shoes, test drive a car

HOLDING THE CUSTOMER’S ATTENTION  Goal: keep customer involved and listening  Ex) ask questions Make The Presentation Come Alive Cont..

OBJECTIONS UNDERSTANDING & PLANNING FOR OBJECTIONS  Objections: hesitations or doubts for a purchase  Excuses: reasons for not buying  Objection Analysis Sheet: lists common objections and responses

COMMON OBJECTIONS  Need  Conflict between a need and a want  “I really want these sandals, but I really don’t need another pair”  Product  Concerns about construction, ease of use, quality, color, size, or style  “I don’t buy 100% cotton shirts because you always have to iron them”

MORE COMMON OBJECTIONS  Source  Negative past experiences with a brand or company  “I don’t think I want to, the last time I placed an order with your company, I received it two weeks after the promised date!”  Price  “That’s more than I wanted to spend”  Time  Commonly excuses  “I think I’ll wait until July when you have your summer sale”

FOUR-STEP PROCESS FOR HANDLING OBJECTIONS  1. LISTEN CAREFULLY  Be attentive, maintain eye contact, let customer talk  2. ACKNOWLEDGE THE OBJECTIONS  Make the customer feel their objections are understandable  DON’T disagree with the customer or tell them they are wrong

 3. RESTATE THE OBJECTIONS  Paraphrase: restate something in a different way  Ex) [Objection] “I don’t like that color” [paraphrase] “would you be interested in the jacket if we could find it in another color?”  4. ANSWER THE OBJECTIONS  Answer with respect  Think of it as a way to better meet customer’s needs, not to tell them they’re thoughts are wrong FOUR-STEP PROCESS FOR HANDLING OBJECTIONS

7 SPECIALIZED METHODS OF HANDLING OBJECTIONS  SUBSTITUTION  Substitution Method: recommending a different product that would satisfy the customer’s needs  Used when a customer is looking for something other than what you are selling (different brand, model, style)  BOOMERANG METHOD  Brings the objection back to the customer as a selling point Customer “These ski gloves are so lightweight. They can’t possibly keep me warm” Salesperson “The gloves are so light because of an insulation material called Thinsulate. The manufacturer guarantees that Thinsulate will keep you warmer without the bulk and extra weight”

 QUESTION  Ask questions to learn why the customer has an objection  Never ask questions in an abrupt manner  SUPERIOR POINT METHOD  Technique that permits the salesperson to acknowledge objections as valid yet still offset or compensate them with other features and benefits  Lets customers see additional reasons for buying 7 SPECIALIZED METHODS OF HANDLING OBJECTIONS

 DENIAL  Based on misinformation  Back up responses with facts on product “Will this shirt shrink?” “No, it won’t shrink because the fabric is made of 50% cotton and 50% polyester. The polyester will prevent shrinkage”  DEMONSTRATION  Convincing method  Seeing is believing 7 SPECIALIZED METHODS OF HANDLING OBJECTIONS

 THIRD PARTY  Third-party method- using a previous customer or another neutral person who can give a testimonial about the product  “I can’t see how this machine can save me $1000 in operating costs the first year”  “Frank Smith, one of my customers, questioned the same point when he bought his machine a year ago. He now praises its efficiency and says that his costs have gone down by $1,200. Here’s a letter I recently received from him.” 7 SPECIALIZED METHODS OF HANDLING OBJECTIONS