ANDREW ZIELINSKI, MBA

Objectives – 10 Steps to Professional Sales in 7 Weeks Professional Sales Call Preparation – Pre-Approach Professional Client Relations – The Approach Needs Analysis 4. Product/Service Presentation - 1:1 and to Groups 5. Handling Objections 6. Negotiation 7. Closing 8. Follow-Up 9. Merchandising and Promotion 10. After-Sales Service

1. Professional Sales Call Preparation – Pre-Approach  Articulate the goal of customer call  Research: your company’s values and style, customer, competitive environment, economic situation  Review Customer File or Create One  Appropriate Preparation of product file, required materials, sales presentation  Review Handout on Preparation (Web Site – Class 21)  3 Steps to Preparation  1 – Research  2 – Buyer Personality Types  3 – Reeiew exercises in Steps 1 and 2  Review Assignment 5.1.1

2. Professional Client Relations – The Approach  Setting Appointments  Courtesy  Relevant Attention-Getting Techniques  Adjusting to Customer’s Pace  Developing a Relationship of Trust  Summaries on Slides 14-15, salesrep21 Powerpoint  Review Slides 17 – 27 for: Approach, Needs, Observing Behavior  How to Apply: Approach Techniques, Slides  Brining It All Together: Slides

3. Needs Analysis and More on Approach  Review Assignments and  Observing: “Personal Packaging,” Behavior  Dominant Communication and Learning Styles (salesrep 23, Powerpoint)  Introvert/Extrovert  Task/Results Focused vs People/Feelings Focused  Approach Guidelines – Slides 13 – 16, salesrep23  AIDA  Getting a “Yes”  The Four-Twenties  Understanding Buyer Motivation for Better Approaches  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs  Mapping Communication Styles, Learning Styles, and Maslow’s Hierarchy  Asking the Right Type of Question  Open  Closed  Directed  Offering Alternatives (Choices)  Sample Opening Questions, Slides 20 – 24 and Handout on Qualifying Questions, on Class web site, Class 24  The Approach Funnel, Slide 25

Structure of the Exam 13 Multiple Choice or True/False Questions  Pre-Approach  Visit Preparation  Approach  Communication/Buyer Styles  Greeting Customers  Prospecting  Qualifying Questions

4. Product/Service Presentation Covered in this Section 1. Product and Service Categories 2. Features and Benefits 3. Words that Work 4. Building Sales Pitches 5. Effective Presentations 6. Summary

1. Product/Service Categories Tangible Products Physical, obvious features – we see them, smell, touch, taste. We can handle them, store them, etc. Tangible Products Physical, obvious features – we see them, smell, touch, taste. We can handle them, store them, etc. Durable Products Relatively more costly, last a long time. Purchased less frequently and is often a replacement, end of guarantee, or introduction of new model Durable Products Relatively more costly, last a long time. Purchased less frequently and is often a replacement, end of guarantee, or introduction of new model Non-Durable Products Perishables, used for a short period of time. Also called “consumer goods” Non-Durable Products Perishables, used for a short period of time. Also called “consumer goods” Intangible Products Not physical in nature. An activity, a form of help or service that provides a benefit. Often referred to as a “service” Intangible Products Not physical in nature. An activity, a form of help or service that provides a benefit. Often referred to as a “service”

2. Features, Benefits, Characteristics Feature An attribute or particularity of a product or serive that defines or describes it factually thereby making it available for comparison and analysis Advantage A feature or aspect of a product that distinguishes it from competitive products Benefit An interest or advantage that the customer obtains by purchasing the product or service

FEATURES: Terminology and Examples Feature TypeDefinitionExamples Company Features A feature that highlights the enterprise and its expertise in order to set it apart from competitors. Used to show company’s reliability to gain customer confidence Years in business Location How well-known it is Client testimonials It’s support of the community Technical Features Information that identifies the product or service in terms of its components or technical capabilities. Directly related to the functioning of the product Style, size, color, weight How it was made How it works CommercialAlso product-related but pertaining to financing, sales terms and conditions, and any other transactional aspects Price, promotions Quantities on hand Delivery terms Guarantees

FEATURES: Terminology and Examples Feature TypeDefinitionExamples PsychologicalFeatures that evoke, in customer, their emotions and values. When in play, they cause customer to buy into more than just the product or service itself, but how it addresses their needs as a person Brand, Reputation, Exclusivity Endorsed by a famous person Locally produced Not tested on animals Organic EnvironmentalFeatures that show that the product or service is produced and exists in an manner that respect sound ecological principles. Important in these times of environmental consciousness Recyclable bags Restricting amount of middle distribution and processing layers Use of natural products only Biodegradable, organic, “green”

Advantages and Benefits  Some authors present these as separate aspects of a product  In this course, we consider them to be the same due to their close similarity. In fact, with some products or services, they are indistinguishable from each other  Typically, advantages include: durability, performance, reliability. However, in general, these aspects are better communicated through more developed benefit statements  Benefits – Statements on the value of the product or service to the customer as a function not only of what they do with the product or service but in how these will make their life better  A benefit statement requires the writer of this statement to be aware of the essence of WHY customers buy their product or service, for example, to reduce costs, to feel more important or prettier or confident. To address nutritional requirements, etc.  Benefit statements succinctly convey to the customer a sense of why this product or service is so important to them

Activity Developing Feature Statements 1. Think of the companies you are targeting for internship 2. Pick one product or service from one of those companies 3. Use the template on the next slide. You can copy it to a Word document 4. Write the name, brand, or model of this product or service on the first line of the template and save as: Assignment611_FirstName_LastName.docx or you save save as pdf 5. By searching the internet, find 4 features on this product or service and fill in the first column of the template 6. For each feature, find advantages and benefits that your customer would enjoy if they purchased this product or service and enter this information in the second column of the template 7. For each feature, in the third column, indicate two types of customers that would be interested by that feature 8. Copy the features in the first column to the template on the second slide, after this slide. Indicate the type of feature that each of your four features represents 9. Print a copy of your final table, write your name on all pages and hand in at next class

Activity Developing Feature Statements FeatureAdvantage/BenefitCustomer Type

Activity Developing Feature Statements FeatureEnterpriseCommercialTechnicalPsychologicalEnvironmental

3. Words that Work!  To build effective sales pitches, it is important to have the right words – experts have measured that 90% of a sales pitch’s effectiveness is based on choice of words  The Ted Talk on how images and words stimulate particular parts of the brain that affect behavior is quantitative evidence of this principle  Messaging is an important part of Marketing’s “4P’s,” as it pertains the one of these P’s, Product Key Principle  The key to an effective message is to be POSITIVE

Examples of Words that Work AffordableFreeUnique CustomizedIdeal AppealingNew AttractiveExhilarating AdvantageousPractical BeneficialProfitable GreenProven ExclusiveSafe EasyHealthy

Examples of Action Words that Work  Buy or PurchaseReduceWinSimplify  AddDistinguishMultiplyStabilize  UpgradeSaveAcquire  AttainBeautifyGain  EnsureAvoidProfit  GrowEaseProtect  CompleteFacilitateReap  ConsolidateFavorResist  DevelopInvestSucceed

Examples of Words to Avoid CostlyWorryMaybe ExpensiveInconvenientProblem FearDespiteSales Quotas, objectives CreditUnfortunatelyNothing DangerButRisk SorryHoweverOnly ExpenseNoWrong DisturbObscure PreventObjection WorryBreakdown ExcusePersonally, I…

Activity Using Words the Work 1. Download Activity from class web site (Class 26) 2. Transform the sentences provided into more positive pitches 3. Save the template, with your answers as: Assignment562.docx (or pdf) 4. Print and bring to next class 5. Please staple to Assignment561 before handing it in

4. Pitching Products/Services  2 types:  Rational – tangible, concrete (guarantee, value, delivery)  Affective – emotions, customer values, imagination (complexity of product, easy choice)  Holding a Winning Hand – the Four Aces of Pitching 1. Product Knowledge 2. Faith in Your Product/Service 3. Product Strengths 4. Proof

5. Effectively Presenting Your Product Remember AIDA? Approach – Discover who your client is Interest – Find what interests them, why they are in your store Desire – Create the demand in them Present your offer Offer support and proof Summarize and Call to Action Action – Close the Sale

AVOID  Speaking in an authoritarian tone  Asking questions as an interrogation  Jumping too quickly to a conclusion  Thinking or deciding for the customer  Interrupting  Using words that are too technical  Being too informal, familiar  Being aggressive  Being too insistent, too in a hurry to close sale  Put down your competitors, their products or services

Activity Building Pitches 1. Find customer motives or needs and create convincing pitches that are based on customer’s reason for visiting your business 2. Work with features, benefits, advantages as seen in this section 3. See handout for cases