1. Unit 5

2.  Selling an expensive product such as a car relies on both product features and on emotional aspects of decision making.  A car salesperson, for example, must be able to relate to the customer on all these levels in order to close the sale.

3.  Selling is, in many ways like putting a jigsaw puzzle.  you analyze the various parts by shape and size.  When you sell, you analyze your customer’s needs and buying motives.  use that information to begin framing your product presentation.

4.  1 st Step  What product or products to show your customer  2 nd Step  Think about what you are going to say and how you are going to say it

5.  After you have learned the customer’s intended use of a product, you should be able to select a few samples that match those needs.

6.  Begin by showing a medium-priced product. You can then move up or down in price one you begin to get some customer feedback

7.  To avoid overwhelming your customer, show no more than 3 products at a time.  When a customer wants to see more than 3, put away the displayed products in which the customer shows no interest  Why would you do this?

8.  Talk about the product’s features and benefits.  Tell your customer the product features that match his or her buying motives and needs.  Use highly descriptive adjectives and active verbs when describing product features.  Avoid unclear words such as nice, pretty, and fine.  Use Layman’s terms – words the average customer can understand

9.  If you are loosing your customers attention, ask a simple question.  Example: Now that you’ve seen the features of this product, what do you think about it?  The key is keeping the customer involved

10.  Display and Handle the product  Show the customer any special features of the product  Demonstrate  Show the customer how the product works  Involve the Customer  If possible let the customer try the product

11.  When you cannot determine a customers intended price range, what price level of product should you show?  For security purposes and to make your sales presentation effective, what would you do if a customer asks to see six pairs of expensive earrings?

12.  Objections  Concerns, hesitations, doubts, or other honest reasons a customer has for not making a purchase  Excuses  Reasons for not buying or not seeing the salesperson

13.  Objections can occur at any time during the sales process and should be answered promptly.  Objections can guide you in the sales process by helping you redefine the customer’s needs and determine when the customer wants more information.

14.  Objection Analysis Sheet  A document that lists common objections and possible responses to them.  Thinking of objections ahead of time gives you an idea of how to handle other objections.

15.  Need  Usually occur when the customer does not have an immediate need for the item or wants the item but does not truly need it  Product  Objections based on the product itself are more common  They include concerns about things such as construction, ease of use, quality, color, size, or style.

16.  Source  Often occur because of negative past experiences with the firm or brand  Price  More common with expensive merchandise.  Time  Reveal a hesitation to buy immediately  Ex. I think I’ll wait until July when you have your summer sale to buy those sandals.

17.  Listen Carefully  Acknowledge the Objections  Restate the Objections  Answer the Questions

18.  Substitution method  Involves recommending a different product that would satisfy the customer’s needs  Boomerang method  Brings the objection back to the customer as a selling point  Example

19.  Questions  Question the customer to learn more about the objections. While answering your inquiries, the shopper may even come to realize that an objection may not be valid.  Superior-Point Method  Permits the salesperson to acknowledge objections as valid yet still offset them with other features and benefits.

20.  Find a few ads (2) that promote products such as clothing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, athletic footwear, etc. Write a brief description of the ads you selected.  Then note whether the ads give information about the products’ features and benefits. Explain why they do or why they don’t.