1. Determine Customer Needs & Overcoming Objections
Marketing 2.09

2. Sales Process Preapproach Approach
Prepare for the Sale prior to meeting customer
Approach
Approaching the customer
Determining needs
Presenting the product
Overcoming objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Relationship building

3. Buying Motives Buying Motive Definition Rational
A buying motive that is based off of sound judgment.
Occurs from factors such as the economy, utility, comfort, convenience, durability, & security.
Emotional
A buying motive based on feelings or passions.
Purchasing something based on feelings.
Pride, Vanity, Jealousy, Fashion, Habits, Comfort, Love, Praise, Curiosity, Fear, Romance
Patronage
Consumer has a certain reason to support a store or a specific brand.
Superior service, product selection, better sales force

5. Three Types of Customers
There are three types of customers
Decided
Customer knows what they want to buy
Can be identified by the way they walk, expression in their eyes / face, & tone of voice
Undecided
Customer doesn’t know what they want to buy
Salesperson helps them make up their mind
Just-looking
Most difficult customer to sell to
Can be decided or undecided but don’t want salesperson assistance

7. The Approach in Retail Selling
If customer is in a hurry, approach them quickly.
If customer is undecided, let them look around.
Encourage customers to ask questions.

8. Approaching the Customer
Service Approach:
The salesperson will ask the customer if they need assistance
“May I help you with something?”
“How may I help you?”
Greeting Approach
Simply welcome a customer to the store
Can be formal or informal
“Good Morning”
“Good Afternoon”
Merchandise Approach
Can only be used when a customer is stopped and looking at a specific product
Ex: “Is that the size you need?”
Ex: “Are you interested in a specific color?”

9. Warm-Up
By what will the emphasis put on each phase of the selling process vary most significantly?
State and local laws
Economic Conditions
Product and client
Geographic area

10. Determining the Customer Needs
3 Methods

11. A salesperson’s focus should be to determine the CUSTOMER’S NEEDS as EARLY in the sales process as possible
Upselling
Pink Slime
Food Facts
Racial Profiling

12. Determine Customer Needs
Method #1 Observing
Look for non-verbal cues
Is the customer holding the merchandise, looking around like they need help, etc…
Looking for the customer to be interested in product
Mystery Shopper Video

13. Determine Customer Needs
Method #2: Listening
Give the customer your undivided attention, don’t interrupt, & provide feedback
Listen for cues to wants & needs

14. How to determine needs cont.
Method #3: Questioning
Ask open-ended questions to encourage customers to talk
Ask clarifying questions to make sure you understand customers’ needs
Don’t ask too many questions in a row
Don’t ask embarrassing questions

15. Present the Product

16. Sales Process Preapproach Approach Approaching the customer
Determining needs
Presenting the product
Overcoming objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Relationship building

17. Product Presentation Which Products to Show What Price Range to offer
After determining customer needs, select products that match those needs
What Price Range to offer
Avoid focusing on the price at the start
Begin by showing a medium priced product, you can move up or down with feedback.

18. Product Presentation How many products to show What to say
Show no more than three products at a time to avoid overwhelming the customer
What to say
Talk about product’s features and benefits.
Avoid jargon or using unclear or vague words
Ex: nice, pretty, & fine
Don’t use slang or double meaning phrases
Ex: “You look cool in that suit”

19. How can you make your presentation come alive?
Displaying and Handling the Product
Creatively display
Handle product with respect
Demonstrating
Demonstrate how product is used
Demonstrate features
Using Sales Aids
Use aids when impractical to demonstrate actual product
Samples, articles, graphs, charts, testimonies, warranty, etc….
Involving the Customer
If possible, get customer physically involved (hold it, smell it, taste it, use it., etc)
Have them use try on the shoes, swing the golf clubs, etc…

20. Sales Process Preapproach Approach Approaching the customer
Determining needs
Presenting the product
Overcoming objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Relationship building

21. Overcoming the Objection

22. Objection What is an objection?
Concerns, hesitations, doubts, or other honest reasons a customer has for not making a purchase.
Should be viewed positively by a salesperson because it gives you the opportunity to explain more

23. Excuses What are Excuses?
Insincere reasons for not buying or not seeing the salesperson.
Commonly used when they are not in the mood to buy a product

24. Five Common Objections
Need
“Do I really need this product?”
Product
Concerns with color, size, style
Source
Past experience with product or brand
“My mother really did not like GE appliances. She said that they are poor quality.”
Price
More than the customer wants to spend
Time
“I think I will just wait until next month when the product is on sale”

25. Specialized methods for handling objections….
Substitution Method
Boomerang
Question
Superior point
Denial
Demonstration
Third party

26. Assignment Working in your sales groups (3-4 students).
You will be assigned a method for overcoming objections.
The group will create a skit that will be performed in front of the class.
Every student must have a speaking part.
Props can and should be used where appropriate.
Explain what your method is and then demonstrate it
From watching the skit, the class should be able to effectively learn the method the salesperson is using to overcome the objection.
You can use this example as your video / role play grade from sales project

27. Steps of a Sale Approaching the customer Determining needs
Presenting the product
Overcoming objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Relationship building
Meeting Your Customer. Customers are the most important people to your business. As a salesperson, you want to make them feel welcome. An alert salesperson will give prompt, courteous attention to customers. When a salesperson meets potential customer, the salesperson should determine the best way to help the customer buy. Customers are predictable. They are either decided customers, undecided customers, or just-looking customers.

28. Sales Process Closing the Sale
Obtaining a positive agreement from the customer to BUY!

29. Timing The Close
Buying Signals are the things a customer does to indicate readiness to buy
Facial expressions
Body Language
Trying on Clothes
Holding merchandise

30. General Rules for Closing A Sale
Recognize closing opportunities
Help customers make a decision
Stop showing additional merchandise
Creates confusion
Narrow selection
Explain advantages or disadvantages of item being considered
Create an ownership mentality
Don’t talk too much or rush the customer

31. Closing the Sale
As soon as you recognize a buying signal, attempt to close the sale
There are multiple ways to close a sale
Which
Standing Room-Only
Direct
Service

32. Closing the Sale
Which Close: encourages a customer to make a decision between two items.
Review benefits of each item and ask…..
“Which one do you prefer? The red or the blue one?”

33. Closing the Sale
Standing-Room-Only “SRO” : When a product is in short supply or when price will be going up
“I’m sorry, but I can’t promise that I can make this same offer tomorrow”

34. Closing The Sale DIRECT Close: Directly ask for the sale
Used when buying signals are very strong
“Can I assume that we’re ready to discuss the details of your order.”
“Would you like to pay with a credit card or cash?”

35. Closing The Sale
SERVICE Close Explain services that overcome obstacles
Gift wrapping
Return policy
Warranties
Guarantees
Terms of the Sale

36. Closing the Sale
Suggestion Selling: Selling additional goods or services to the customer
Benefits the company, customer, & employee
Occurs after the customer has made a commitment to buy, but before payment is made.
Don’t load customer with unneeded items

37. Closing the Sale Ways to suggestive sell....
Make the suggestion definite
Don’t ask, “Will this be all?” Instead say, “This oil is recommended by the manufacturer.”
Show the item you are suggesting
Put complimentary items near each other
“This purse matches your shoes perfectly.”

38. Suggestion Selling Cross Selling Offer Related Merchandise
Person buys a golf club, suggest golf balls
Buys shoes, suggest socks
Up-Selling
Recommend larger quantities
“If you buy 2, you get 1 free”
“Would you like to supersize that meal?”
Special Sales Opportunities
Point out other sales that the customer may be interested in
Buying pants, mention sale on shoes

39. Relationship Marketing
Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM):
After Sale Activities to develop customer relationships
Nurture customer relationship
Keep customers informed about sales and news
Goal is to obtain customer loyalty

40. CRM Follow-up Customer service Keeping a client file
Ensure satisfaction, call, card,
Common on large purchases or online shopping
Customer service
Handle inquiries and complaints, keep customers satisfies
Keeping a client file
Useful info. for future reference
Evaluate sales efforts
What went well?, What can be improved?

41. Video / Role Play Approach Customer
Greeting: Service, Greeting, Merchandise
Determine needs: Listen, Observe, Question
Present the Product: Find a few they may like
Overcome Objection:
List objection / concern
Use all 7 methods to overcome individually to overcome it

42. Warm-up
Speaking in __________ means you are using words the average customer can understand.
Paraphrasing
Layman’s Terms
Tongues
Jargon

43. Sales Process Preapproach Approach Approaching the customer
Determining needs
Presenting the product
Overcoming objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Relationship building

44. Agenda
Sales Process
In your groups think of a sales situation where you can act out a sales scene
Retail
Door-to-Door
Telemarketing
Break up the project so that all members of your group are working
You will act out the script once done

45. Answer the following questions based on the sales approach used
Kid Salesman Video
Answer the following questions based on the sales approach used
What type of greeting did he use?
What method was used to determine customer needs?
What closing technique best describes the kid salesman’s approach to closing the sale?

46. Product Knowledge Greeting Macy’s
Greeting
Macy’s