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How to get sales & orders

30 March 2009

As part of my business coaching and mentoring I always involved with helping my clients "Get Sales" as well as being involved with delivering workshops on Marketing and Sales. This article explains the 10 step process that everybody should go through going from needing orders to receiving orders. It explains at each of the ten stages – prospecting, introduction on the phone, qualifying, buying criteria, demonstration at 1st meeting, selection of product, order decisions, asking for the order, dealing with objections, closing - what needs to be done, the key points to remember and examples of questions that need to be asked

After reading this you will have a good understanding about:

The structure of “getting orders” process from beginning to end
Some of the key points that need to be born in mind during each of the stages
The questions that need to be asked
The way that you need to check where the client is at each stage of the sales process
Customers often don’t know what they want and therefore it is crucial to know what you are offering

How to get Sales

Service is the goal… Discovery is the outcome … an Order maybe the solution

1. Prospecting - sorting out who to visit and contact

It is very easy to blindly think that everybody needs to buy your product/service. The truth is that initially not many will.
Due to time pressures and potentially unconscious behaviours to fill in time rather than look for orders the Getting Orders process is often never completed.
Many people prefer to look at the process as one of helping their clients to have a better life by facilitating a better use of the funds available.

A few salient points:-

Which boxes can you put them into in terms of knowing what their needs, wants, available budget, decision process, buying power and time scales are?
Are you asking the right questions to get them off your list so that you do not waste your time
What is it about the people you are contacting, which makes them a target market and will spend their money with you?
What interest signals have you picked up from them when you have met them?
If going into retail where is the market research to substantiate the choice of location?
If the prospecting you are doing involves telephoning and you eventually get through to the potential buyer/decision maker remember that all you want from the telephone call is an appointment.

2. Introduction – modify this to your own requirements
"I work with business owners and professionals to make significant strides in their professional and personal lives with a lot less effort….
In short hour long weekly sessions we discuss issues for which additional answers are needed. By me asking questions we generate solutions, which invariably come from looking at the issue from a different perspective..
May I ask you some questions about your business please so I can what I can do to help you…"

3. Qualifying – how to make sure that the person/company is part of your target market
The questioning and detailed needs analysis phase of the sale, enables the salesperson to discover what problem (pain) the prospect wants to resolve, when they intend to buy, under what conditions they will buy, what the budget is and who else is involved in the buying process.

It is allowing the prospect customer to explain and identify verbally or in pictures their level of interest and specific needs in the product or service that the salesperson is offering. The whole idea is to facilitate the buyer in considering all the information available and thus helping them match their requirement to your solution …your product

Remember to put this in your words and to always ask, “Is there anything else?” ..as there is always more …on average ask this three times for every question….

What is the biggest issue(s)/challenge(s) that you are facing at the moment?
What do you think is the most important out of these items to you?
Why is this important to you?
What is good about the issue? What is bad about it? What does it say about your strengths and weaknesses?
What do you need to do with that knowledge?
How long have you had it?
What have you done or are doing to resolve it?
Why do you think that it hasn’t been resolved?
What is stopping you resolving it?
What would you like to do about it?
What or who might get in your way?
What resources do you need to resolve it? How will you get them?
Who are you dealing with in this area right now?
What is the background detail involved in your requirements?
What do you want the product or service to do?
What have you learnt so far in your research?
What are the most important criteria to you?
When do you intend to make a decision?
What is the budget that you have earmarked for this purchase?
Are you the person who will make the buying decision or are there others involved?
How will you know when you have all the necessary information to make a decision?

4. Buying Criteria – What are the criteria that you (the purchaser) would use to choose someone to help you?

What would you like to see change?
What is this costing you in terms of time, money, energy and reputation?
How will you know when you have resolved it?
Do you have a budget to resolve this issue?
How would you know that I would suit your needs?

5. Demonstration - The point in the process where the salesperson is able to demonstrate the product in such a way that it fulfils the stated or implied needs of the prospective customer. Whenever possible feed the words of the prospective customer back to them when demonstrating your product or service.
Some questions to be born in mind….

How would you like me to demonstrate our product or service?
Do you have preferred focus or steps that you would like me to go through?

6. Selection - How would you normally select someone to help you with these issues?

What are the steps that you need to take to select people to help you with this purchase?
What is the structure for allowing them to help in a way that works for you?/Plays to your strengths and weaknesses?
What would I have to do to make you feel sure that I am the one to help you?

7. Decision – how will the decisions be made?
Are you the person who will make the decision on this issue?
Is there anybody else involved in this decision?
How do you normally make decisions?
How will you know that you have made a good decision?
In the past what made you realise that you had made a good decision about an issue?
How will you know that it worked?
How did you know it was the right thing to do?
Who else will be involved in the decision-making?
8. Action - how to ask for the sale
Is there any reason why we can't get started?
What needs to happen for you to make a decision now?
How long does it take normally for you to go ahead?
What normally makes you take action straight away?
How would you like me to proceed?
Would you like to schedule an appointment?..
Would you like to sign up for a group of sessions? ..
Is my proposal acceptable?…
Do we have a deal?
How could I prepare for when I contact you in 1/3/6/months?

8. Objections – how to get over them?

“We can’t afford to spend that much” …. What is it costing you not to fix it?
“I need to think about it” … What are your concerns?….What additional information can I give you?
“I’m not the decision maker”….go back to Decisions
“We’ve changed out minds”…what has changed since we last spoke?
“We’re not sure what we need”….go back to Qualify
“The competitive product is cheaper and does the job”….go back to Criteria and Qualify
“We’ll call you back when we need to” ….due to pressure of work can I call you back in say 1 month’s time
“No, I don't want to proceed." …It is CRUCIAL that you ask a follow up question - "is that no, not now - or is it no, never?"

9. Closing – don’t necessarily do it all at once i.e. do it gradually as you go along
There is a body of thought that believes that if you have carried out all the above steps and have facilitated the customer all through to the solution, closing is not needed as they will have bought anyway.
This is often considered as the final phase of the sale but it should have been going along all during the sale…getting incremental yes’s to this and yes’s to that….it is the process of building yes’s to all aspects of the sale…so that you get to the end and have only a small yes rather than a huge one.
Apart from incremental closes, many people need help with the final decision and so here are some “getting the decision made” examples

Question Close… What do needs to happen for you to progress/make a decision now? …What would help you to act on it straight away? …What usually makes you go ahead?… How would you like me to proceed?
Ask for the order – remember the more important the decision, less the logic and rational thoughts and more emotion is needed.
Conditional close – is it OK to say that if we satisfy/resolve/solve..…..then you will buy? ….If we can arrange this colour then that will satisfy all your requirements and you will be able to sign/buy/purchase won’t you?
Assumptive close – Which colour? ……..shall we deliver/make/design/supply? …Which day shall we book in the diary/deliver/arrange an initial visit?
………When would you like to schedule an appointment?
Availability Close ….A number of people are interested in that day but I can guarantee it for you, if you give me a deposit now..
Staged close – So the first part of the order will be ………….?
Trial Close - After we have delivered the ……..?when would you like the other…………..?
Cheque Close – Whilst I fill out the paperwork, please organise a cheque for £…….
Time Close … This offer is only available up until……so in order to make the saving I will need your agreement now..