Chapter 1

Selling Concept

What Is Selling?

Selling is 90% conviction and 10% communication of that conviction.

Selling can be defined as a process of transfer of enthusiasm from seller to buyer.

Selling is a transaction or transfer of any product, services or ideas for monetary gains.
What is a sales technique?

A sales technique or selling method is used by a salesperson or sales team to create revenue
and help sell more effectively. The technique typically isn’t a one-size-fits all and is often
refined through trial and error based on past experiences.

A sales process covers all the steps to get from a fresh, unqualified prospect to a customer.
It’s all about opportunities, deals and wining rates.

A sales method or technique can be applied to virtually any sales process, but it often only
covers a piece of that process. Rather than just outlining steps to take, it’s all about skills,
focus and communication.

You could put it like this: a sales process gets you from A to Z, a sales technique is the
philosophy you apply to enhance your sales process.

There are many sales techniques to close deals faster and sell more effectively, thought out
by incredibly clever consultants and experienced sales gurus. You don’t necessarily need to
choose experiment with some of them or even apply multiple methodologies to different
parts of your sales process.
 Chapter 2

Marketing Concepts

Marketing Approaches

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA) as “the activity, set of
institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at a large.”
Marketing deals with identifying client’s needs and ends with invention of product as a
satisfactory solution for that need.
Marketing Mix – The 4 p’s of marketing
The Marketing mix is a set of four decisions which needs to be taken before launching any
new product. These variables are also known as the 4 P’s of marketing. These four variables
help the firm in making strategic decisions necessary for the smooth running of any product /
organization.

Product – What the company is manufacturing?

Price – What is the pricing strategy used by the company?

Place – Where is the company selling?

Promotions – How is the company promoting the product?

What are the two types of marketing mix?

1) Product marketing mix – Comprised of Product, price, place and promotions. This
marketing mix is mainly used in case of Tangible goods.
2) Service marketing mix – The service marketing mix has three further variables included
which are people, physical evidence and process. They are discussed in detail in the article
on service marketing mix.

Marketing Mix - 4p's of marketing

The term marketing mix was first coined by Neil H Borden back in 1964 in his article “The
concept of marketing mix”. Several strategic analysts over the years believe that the
marketing mix can make or break the firm. Having the right marketing mix at the start of the
marketing plan is absolutely essential. Over time the concept of marketing mix has provided
a steady platform for the launch of a new product or business.
As mentioned before, the marketing mix is characterized by four different but equally
important variables. These variables are never constant and may be changed over time.
However, a change in one of the variables may cause a change in all the other variables as
well.

The Variables of marketing mix are as follows:

1) Product in the Marketing mix

The first thing you need, if you want to start a business, is a product. Therefore Product is
also the first variable in the marketing mix. Product decisions are the first decisions you need
to take before making any marketing plan. A product can be divided into three parts. The
core product, the augmented product and the tertiary product. Before deciding on the product
component there are some questions which you need to ask yourself.

What product are you selling?

What would be the quality of your product?
Which features are different from the market?
What is the USP of the product?
Whether the product will be branded as sub brand or completely new?
What are the secondary products which can be sold along with primary (Warranty, services)
Based on these questions, several product decisions have to be made. These product
decisions will in turn affect the other variables of the mix.

For example – You plan on launching a car which will have the highest quality. Thus the
pricing, promotions and placing would have to be altered accordingly. Thus as long as you
don’t know your product, you cannot decide any other variable of the marketing mix.
However, if the product features are not fitting in the mix, you can alter the product such that
it finds a place for itself in the marketing mix.

2) Pricing in the Marketing mix

Pricing of a product depends on a lot of different variables and hence it is constantly

updated. Major consideration in pricing is the costing of the product, the advertising and
marketing expenses, any price fluctuations in the market, distribution costs etc. Many of
these factors can change separately. Thus the pricing has to be such that it can bear the brunt
of changes for a certain period of time. However, if all these variables change, then the
pricing of a product has to be increased and decreased accordingly.
Along with the above factors, there are also other things which have to be taken in
consideration when deciding on a pricing strategy. Competition can be the best example.
Similarly, pricing also affects the targeting and positioning of a product. Pricing is used for
sales promotions in the form of trade discounts. Thus based on these factors there are several
pricing strategies, one of which is implemented for the marketing mix.

3) Place in the Marketing mix

Place refers to the distribution channel of a product. If a product is a consumer product, it

needs to be available as far and wide as possible. On the other hand, if the product is a
Premium consumer product, it will be available only in select stores. Similarly, if the
product is a business product, you need a team which interacts with businesses and makes
the product available to them. Thus the place where the product is distributed, depends on
the product and pricing decisions, as well as any STP decisions taken by a firm.
Distribution has a huge effect on the profitability of a product. Consider a FMCG company
which has national distribution for its product. An increase in petrol rates by 10 Rs will in
fact bring about drastic changes in the profitability of the company. Thus supply chain and
logistics decisions are considered as very important costing decisions of the firm. The firm
needs to have a full proof logistics and supply chain plan for its distribution.

4) Promotions in the Marketing mix

Promotions in the marketing mix includes the complete integrated marketing
communications which in turn includes ATL and BTL advertising as well as sales
promotions. Promotions are dependent a lot on the product and pricing decision. What is the
budget for marketing and advertising? What stage is the product in? If the product is
completely new in the market, it needs brand / product awareness promotions, whereas if the
product is already existing then it will need brand recall promotions.

Promotions also decide the segmentation targeting and positioning of the product. The right
kind of promotions affect all the other three variables – the product, price and place. If the
promotions are effective, you might have to increase distribution points, you might get to
increase the price because of the rising brand equity of the product, and the profitability
might support you in launching even more products. However, the budget required for
extensive promotions is also high. Promotion is considered as marketing expenses and the
same needs to be taken in consideration while deciding the costing of the product.

Production Concept
The production concept is a traditional concept, founded on the belief that the customers
favor those products that is highly available and affordable to them. So the concept assumes
that the cheap products are sold well and relies on the improved production and distribution
activities.
 Chapter 3

Goal Setting

Why Goal Setting is important in selling:

Sales Goals, Gives your salespeople personalized attention so they perform at their peak.
Achieving sales volume goals for your business is one of the biggest challenges any owner
faces. Many factors beyond your control can affect that final number--the economy, the
weather, the competition etc.

Make Action Plan for yourself first, by asking 3 questions.

a. What you want to achieve?

b. How you expect to Achieve it?
c. When you plan to achieve it? Time frame should be in your mind, note down.

SMART GOALS
Why Set Goals?

Top-level athletes, successful businesspeople and achievers in all fields all set goals. Setting
goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of
knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the
most of your life.
By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement
of those goals, and you'll see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long
pointless grind. You will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your own ability
and competence in achieving the goals that you've set.

Starting to Set Personal Goals

You set your goals on a number of levels:

• First you create your "big picture" of what you want to do with your life (or over, say, the
next 10 years), and identify the large-scale goals that you want to achieve.

• Then, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit to
reach your lifetime goals.

• Finally, once you have your plan, you start working on it to achieve these goals.

This is why we start the process of setting goals by looking at your lifetime goals. Then, we
work down to the things that you can do in, say, the next five years, then next year, next
month, next week, and today, to start moving towards them.

Step 1: Setting Lifetime Goals

The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your
lifetime (or at least, by a significant and distant age in the future). Setting lifetime goals
gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making

Step 2: Setting Smaller Goals

Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a five-year plan of smaller goals that you need to
complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan.
Then create a one-year plan, six-month plan, and a one-month plan of progressively smaller
goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on
the previous plan.

Then create a daily To-Do-List of things that you should do today to work towards your
lifetime goals.
At an early stage, your smaller goals might be to read books and gather information on the
achievement of your higher level goals. This will help you to improve the quality and
realism of your goal setting.

Finally, review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live
your life.

1. Sales for Professionals: Who is selling in this world? What makes selling the world’s
most important ingredient for success?

All entrepreneurs, Teachers, leaders, celebrities, Doctors, Philosophers, philanthropist,

consultants, IT programmers, manufacturers, Real estate investors, civil contractors,
builders, all are into selling businesses.

Anyone, who sales a product, service or an idea is a sales person, ByRobert Stevenson.

Everyone is selling themselves whenever they interact with someone.

a. You as a person create image in opposite persons mind either good or bad, means we are
selling ourselves every time.

b. Whenever you are representing any company formally by interacting with other corporate
people actually you are selling them your company’s image –good or bad.

Selling is Giving solution- Buyer gets solution for his problem while seller gets paid for
serving the solution; it’s a Win-Win for both the parties.

Selling an important tool to success

1. Today’s buyers have more options.
2. Competition has become sophisticated.
3. Today’s buyers are well informed and knowledgeable.

In a free economy nothing happens unless a sale takes place.

Selling a Learnt profession –

Most important values required for selling are

Integrity

Respect

Responsibility
Selling is 15% technical and 85% selling your personality, selling yourself.

Like every profession; sales too is a professional’s tool. Not everybody knows the principles,
discipline, attitude and the Professionalism that separates just a salesman from the
Professional Sales Man.

Getting prepared for sales

Rewards in selling: External and Internal

Internal Rewards: which makes you a great person are

Gratification

Satisfaction

Fulfillment

Meaningfulness

Peace of mind

Happiness

Security

Confidence

External Rewards:

Wealth

Recognition

Respect

Prestige

Good life
 Chapter 4

Principles of Selling

Principles of selling:

1. Commitment to be good sales professional.

2. Focus on goals - Don’t get distracted by any things, be focused with 100% concentration.
Nature will help you in that task. Visualize your goal.
3. Acquiring competencies in selling skills – Communication skills, right mind set.
4. Creating and following a selling system.
5. Putting in an organized effort.
6. Giving and getting respect.
7. Learning to relate to people
8. Lead generation and prospecting (Thinking out of Box, Innovative customized methods
of generating leads, use of modern technologies like web site and digital marketing, social
medias etc. External speaker.
9. Qualifying prospects- client profiling- Willingness to buy+ Money(Need – Case Studies-
solution- generating need for your product.)
10. Learning to approach to build rapport.
11. Building trust –Do you have right image in market?
12. Have you given that Extra mile to create your n your companies Identity? value system,
organizational culture, self-image, personality, self-awareness etc.( Case study of TATA)
13. Identifying the decision making process and key decision makers.
14. Fact finding and making presentations: How to Make Brochure, Catalogue?
15. Learning to ask questions: What will be your Turnover this year? Interactive
16. Uncovering the need of the customer Technical methods AIDA, SPIN and Sales Funnel.
Mock and interactive session with role plays.
17. Providing solutions
18. Overcoming resistance
19. Closing a sale
20. Keeping post sales commitment and service
21. Building the post-sale relationship
22.Avoiding mistakes and learning from experience
23.Learning how to stay motivated and how to handle rejections.
2. Qualities for a Winning Sales Professional:

Success Formula for Selling,

1. Be passionate about the profession of selling.

2. Believe in yourself and in your product too.
3. Believe in your employer and the company itself.
4. Believe in being a good professional by practicing integrity.
5. There is no substitute for hard work.
6. Practice persistence, don’t quit.
7. Be a possibility thinker. Always look at possibilities and potential.
8. Be optimistic.
9. Be knowledgeable about your product, services and industry.
10. Get used to continuous learning programs.
11. Evaluate your performance daily, weekly, monthly and reinforce the positive and replace
the negative.
12. Be enthusiastic
13. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
14. Become a high energy person.
15. Build high self-esteem and display self-confidence.
16. Don’t Procrastinate, learn to “Do it Now”.
17. Develop pride in performance.
18. Do the right thing every time.
19. Autograph your work with excellence.

These are qualities that also give you self-awareness that whether are you an Unprofessional,
Average or an Exceptional Sales Professional.

Attitude is everything.
PM A- Positive Mental Attitude (Present Mental Awareness)

Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying
“IT can’t be done”.

Success in selling comes through the following habits:-

Personal habits – like discipline, hygiene/health related factors, personal grooming etc..
Calling habit – making daily telephone calls for appointments, as well as daily doing sales
calls.
Prospecting Habit – Continuously gathering names and creating funnel.
Organizing Habit –Functioning in an organized manner, and having all relevant data in the
appropriate place.
Referral Habit – Asking for references from each prospect you met.
 Chapter 5

Sales – A successful Profession

Formula for success-

1. Be passionate about the profession of selling.

2. Believe in your product.
3. Believe in your own company.
4. Believe in being a good professional by practicing integrity.
5. There is no substitute for hard work.
6. Practice persistence. Don’t quit.
7. Be optimistic.
8. Be knowledgeable about your product, serviced and industry.
9. Get on a continuous education program.
10. Evaluate your performance daily, weekly, monthly.
11. Note down your 3 positive things you are doing for sales.
12. Be Enthusiastic
13. Empathize with your prospect.
14. Become a high energy person.
15. Do it now- Don’t be an escapist
16. Build self –esteem and display self- confidence.
17. Develop pride in performance.
18. Stand by your principles of integrity.
19. Don’t do anything halfheartedly.
20. Do the right thing, the first time and every time.

Image You Carry – Image is just not wearing formals and looking smart. It’s about setting
the first impression, the way we dress, our inner consciousness and many such aspects that
gives us the output to create a pleasing yet powerful image towards out buyer.

Selling involves Rejections – Like every human being, everyone cannot love us in our lives
and therefore expecting the same is also not right. Setting up right expectations from our
products, creating a deeper clarity towards the need of our target audience enhances our
inner confidence and gives us the right vision towards our product. Here we also would be
learning on how to handle objections and keep our selves motivated throughout the journey
of our sales process.
 Chapter 6

Sales Rejections

How to accept? NO gracefully.

How to be persistent?

Things people don’t Buy- common objections

1. No Need (benefits Vs. Features)

2. No desire (Or attention):- appeal to desire, talk exactly what they want. Best possible way
to help him.
3. No Trust (Don’t believe you):- you are making unbelievable claims. Body language, hair
do, body language. Create a story for back up.
4. No Rapport (Don’t like You or can’t relate with you) :-
5. No Hurry (Lack of urgency):- limited price or supply, have limits, make it real. Just be
pushy at right time.
6. No money (Affordability) – Adjust your paying terms accordingly:- make it affordable,
60 days money back guarantee.
7. No time (Busy) Adjust appointment according to him.:- never pitch when person is busy.
Judge prospect and book an appointment.

NO- Next Opportunity

On an average, if a salesperson meets four people, he is likely to close one sale. Therefore,
after every three rejections, one acceptance is likely to follow. The trick lies in meeting more
and more people without getting disheartened about rejections. As it is said Practice makes a
man perfect, the experience of meeting more and more people creates a better understanding
of the whole process and attributes of selling.

Transactional versus Relationship selling – Does your customer remember you beyond your
process cycle? Or does your customer remember only the entrepreneur / owner or the
decision maker of the company? Do you face a problem where your people within the
process of sales cycle are not able to build a desired relationship with your customer? Yes, it
does happen because we need to learn the way we sell.

Differentiating points between Transactional selling and Relationship Selling

Bonding and Long term investment in relationships

One satisfied customer can give sell repeatedly.

Psychology of Selling – like every study of science involves logical reasoning; sales too is a
study of science; a study in which we need to understand the technical aspects of selling
which create the base or the foundation of the attitude by which we sell.

The sign of good professional is that whether it is a good day or bad day, their output and
performance is constant.

Difference between price and cost: People buy value for money, not price.Never give the
price without establishing the perceived value.The timing and the technique of closing a
sale, both are very important.

Quality and Credibility – These are aspects that form the base for a long term sales
relationship between the buyer and the seller. Therefore understanding and putting it in
practice is extremely essential.

Passionate, consistent Reputability:-

Successful people can do the same thing repeatedly day after day, month after month and
year after year. Successful people are driven by the strong sense of purpose they carry within
themselves.

The most important thing to understand is that success in selling comes through being
willing to push oneself consistently to do the unglamorous portions, which form the major
chunk of sales person’s daily activities.
The glamour part the cheque comes only once in a while.

Sales Management Process and Techniques: The Activities involved in the Selling Process,
Selling tools and aid, how to identify the right people for making the sales decision.

a. SPIN Selling: SPIN selling is about asking the right questions. The wrong questions can
decline your entire sales process or even bring it to an unfortunate standstill. With SPIN, you
let the buyer do the talking.
SPIN is an acronym for 4 different types of sales questions designed to spark a prospect’s
interest and push him or her closer to a sale: Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-
Payoff.

1. SITUATION questions lay the very foundation of a sales cycle. The goal is to understand
the prospect and their situation and check whether your offering can serve their needs. This
information plays a vital part in the rest of your sales cycle. The more legwork you put in
determining which questions you should ask, the more useful the information.

So don’t ask “Who’s responsible at your office for new purchases?”. Instead, ask: “What’s
your decision-making process for new purchases?” to identify a decision-maker.

Another simple example:

“How do you currently organize your business printing?”

2. PROBLEM questions help make your prospect aware of a problem that needs to be
solved and identify problems that are often overlooked. These pain-points will be used to
accelerate a deal.

“What’s the biggest problem you have when managing all your office printing?”

3. IMPLICATION questions focus on the negative impact of issues and highlight the
urgency.

“If you don’t implement a new printing solution soon, how will this impact your business?”

4. Once a prospect realizes how the situation might deteriorate, NEED-PAYOFF questions
help them grasp the value of a real solution. The secret to success is to help the buyer to
specify the benefits themselves. Get these questions right, and a prospect will tell you how
your product helps them.

"If you cut the amount of time spent on printing, how would that impact your business?”

These 4 questions will help you discover what your buyer needs and what the best way is for
you to help him. If you use SPIN as a sales tactic, asking the right questions will prospect to
the right answers.

b. SNAP selling
Before modern buyers make a purchase decision, they’re overloaded with information
urging them to buy solution X or Y. This makes it hard to get buyers’ attention, since they
are wary of salespeople and their tactics. SNAP selling focuses on the way customers make
decisions: influence them positively, so in the end they feel they made the decision on their
own.
Customers make 3 decisions before they decide to work with you:

1st decision - allow access: Understand that customers are bombarded with interruptions and
distractions, and might think of salespeople as a pure waste of time. In order to earn access
to their time, convey relevant information in every touch point -- via phone, email, etc.

Examples: Instead of using buzzwords in your communication, use more honest low-key
wording:

Bad: “As an industry-prospecting company, we deliver world-class printing technology.”

Good: “We’re dedicated to help you save money with efficient printing.”

Moreover, quit sending generic “just checking in” follow-up emails, instead send an email
with useful resources to educate and influence such as a customer testimonial with tangible
results. To respect a prospect’s limited time, only ask for 5-minute mini-meetings. The less
time you ask for, the more likely they’ll want to chat.

2nd decision - initiate change: Once customers want to speak with you, salespeople need to
demonstrate the value of your offering to the bone. What’s the ROI? How much time does it
cost to implement your solution?

Examples: Crazy-busy people are always interested in new insights to achieve their business
objectives. Share resourceful and bite-size research to provoke your prospects’ thinking.
Guide them through the complexity of a decision with a straightforward overview of the
steps to take (i.e. a step-by-step guide on how to digitise office documents).

Also, keep your ears open for words like “dissatisfaction, bottleneck, challenges, issues,
frustration, trouble, concern” so you can dive further into the problems and solve them with
your business solution.

3rd decision - select resources: At this stage, prospects decide which products to choose;
they’re looking for ways to justify their choice and try to minimize the risk. According to
this principle, one of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is being too nice, so focus on
helping the prospect make the decision: be flexible and willing to collaborate, but clearly
draw the line about what they can or cannot expect from your offering.
Examples: Sketch out the competitive landscape, make an overview of the pros and cons of
you and your competitors’ offering and prepare yourself to combat objections. If a customer
wants something you can’t offer, walk away. But if you have something different to offer,
highlight this added value.

Create a decision map for yourself from a buyer’s perspective that maps out the different
roads that lead to a closed deal. In addition, provide them with a roadmap with an overview
of characteristics and benefits that helps buyers summarize what you have to offer.

Throughout these decision phases, there are four basic components to bear in mind:

Keep it Simple: respect your buyers’ time and make it incredibly easy to adopt what you’re
selling. Pack information into stackable thirty-second phone messages, ninety-word emails,
or one-page letters.
Be invaluable: rapidly build trust and showcase the value of your offering. Demonstrate that
you truly understand their business, objectives, and priorities - and you’ll set yourself apart.
If a business is really concerned about their team’s welfare, highlight how your solution will
help them improve in this area.
Always Align: align with your customers’ needs, issues, and objectives. Make people want
to work with you and you’ll quickly gain access to the decision-maker.
Raise Priorities: A buyer always has certain priorities. Selling successfully means
understanding them and tapping into them. Tie the Organization’s priorities into your
messaging. For example, if saving costs is a top priority, highlight this aspect throughout the
entire sales process.
SNAP selling helps you to focus on the way a consumer thinks. Respond to their thoughts,
priorities and objectives to win their trust and truly show them the value of your offer.

c. The Challenger Sale:

Steers away from the idea that a good sales approach starts with building a relationship with
a prospect. The reason: customers are too busy, too well informed, and have too many
options to invest in a relationship.

The model splits B2B salespeople into 5 personas: relationship builders, hard workers, lone
wolves, reactive problem solvers, and challengers. After an in-depth assessment, challengers
are by far the most successful. Salespeople can adopt this by using a three-part sales model:
teach-tailor-take control.
Teach: For well-informed potential customers, you need to bring unique, educational
information or a new approach to their problem to the table. The Challenger Sale method
educates prospects on how they can overcome their challenge differently and uncovers needs
they don’t know they have. They have a competitive mindset and are careful observers to
deliver insights that make customers re-think their business and their needs. Prospects are
brought to an “A-ha” moment: the new or innovative approach is eye-opening.

Tailor: Throughout the sales cycle, you might talk with different people. Each person
requires a tailored approach. To make your message stick, personalize conversations: make
sure your communication is in tune with boththe organization and your contact person’s
individual goals, motivations, needs, and concerns. Take a look at the company’s website:
what’s their look and feel, do you get a sense of what their company culture is like? Try to
practice this as much as possible.

Take control: The key to ultimately close a deal is to pursue a goal in a direct, yet
nonaggressive, two-sided way. To take control, you need to talk to the right people;
decision-makers or people than can influence decisions. When a prospect pushes back, the
Challenger Sale method shifts the conversation from price to value and challenges a
prospect’s thinking.
Concrete tips to put the Challenger Sale technique into action:

Create a plan for each conversation with a desired end goal and notes on how to get there.
Make sure there’s always a two-way exchange of information and value.
A transaction should be mutually beneficial to each party. If not, walk away.

Some people hold onto a certain way of thinking. In an assertive yet non-aggressive way,
this method strives to challenge that. Change a potential buyer’s viewpoint, and prospect
them to an “A-ha” moment.

d. Sandler Sale method

The Sandler Sales method encourages salespeople to act as a reliable, trustworthy source: the
buyer actually convinces the seller to sell. To get to this point, Sandler-trained salespeople
facilitate an in-depth, heart-to-heart discussion moving beyond technical issues, and focusing
on the impact of a challenge on a business.
Next to discussing the technical side of an issue, the buyer emphasizes the high-priority
needs, not just for the company, but for themselves. In order to get this point, a seller should
focus on 3 levels of pain:

Technical: the seller explores the very details of a technical issue and encourages the buyer
to outline the problem on a business and personal level. This way, the buyer actually
convinces the seller they should invest in your offering. First meetings with prospects are
about discovering their needs, so jumping right into a demo is out of the question.
The business-financial impact: buyers usually aren’t convinced to buy something just
because it helps solve their technical issues. However, if a solution actually brings business
value like saving time and money you can spend on other, more relevant projects, this is
when you can really get your buyer’s attention. Go beyond cost-saving arguments, and
quantify the impact of a solution such as being able to focus on priorities. E.g. by being able
to print x times faster, you’ll save x amount of time and x amount of money.

Personal interest: next, try to put these problems in a personal context. People sometimes
make decisions for their own personal reasons, not just for the company. “How is this issue
making your life more difficult?”. A potential buyer who can personally gain something
from your solution (e.g. like being able to work less after hours or reducing work frustration)
will be much more committed to the deal. The only way to get to this point is if a buyer
convinces you, and more importantly themselves, that a solution is a very high personal
priority.
Identifying these 3 levels is the most important part of qualifying to move beyond a
technical issue and magnify the importance as well increase the sense of urgency.

In short, the Sandler Sales technique not only focuses on the technical aspects, but helps you
outline the financial and personal impact a sale can have on your prospect.

5. Consultative or solution selling

With this technique, a salesperson acts as an expert consultant and asks questions to
determine what the prospect needs. The focus is on how the prospect feels when he or she’s
talking to you. The goal: forming a long-term bond by putting the customer first.

The consultative selling process focuses on 6 principles:

Research: In the first step, you gather all the information you can get about a prospect before
you start a conversation to help you stack up on ammunition for your prospect qualifying
process. In addition, you need to look for information about your competitors: how do you
rank up against a competitor? Before you establish a connection with a customer, you need
to become an expert in the buyer’s business as well as anticipate any questions they might
ask.
Ask: the key lies in asking the right questions about their needs and pain-points. Start with
more basic and general questions and move onto more specific ones. Go from “How do you
currently manage your office printing?” to “How much time do you spend on it daily?”. This
will help you frame the situation and get an idea of what your solution does differently.
Listen: be genuinely interested in your prospect and absorb as much information as possible.
Identify what’s said, and more importantly, what not. Nonverbal cues like tone of voice are
just as important too. Let the buyer do most of the talking. Ask clarifying questions like,
“Can you expand on this?”, as well as summarize key takeaways from what your buyer said
to avoid misunderstanding. Keep your ears open for what’s important to their business and
its people: productivity, cost-efficiency, team welfare, etc.
Teach: Don’t teach about your product or service, but help them overcome a business
challenge and build a plan to reach their goals. Make sure your ‘why’ is clear throughout
your conversations: clearly stress that you’re here to help someone improve.

Qualify: if you have a chance to help, dedicate your time and attention to those that are a fit.
Next, it’s important to follow through: don’t come across as too pushy in the run up to
closing a deal, but you want to stay top-of-mind too. If you’ve carefully listened and clearly
jotted everything down, you can use this “juice” to send them relevant information in case
you haven’t heard back from them in a while. Think about what will interest or help them
and make sure you stand your ground.
Close: selling the deal should be fairly easy to qualified prospects as they typically have the
budget and power to decide in place. If there’s a push back, you can decide to dive right in
and point out the consequences of leaving the situation as is. “What will happen if you can’t
reach your goal?”
According to this technique sale should result in one of these three things, at all times:

A customer achieves their goal (i.e. printing more efficiently)

You solve their problem (i.e. printing no longer lags behind)
You satisfy their need (i.e. save money)
Solution selling has the intention to create a long-term relationship between a business and a
customer. The solution salesman lets buyers feel successful throughout the entire buying
process. The only way to do that, is to listen to them.
Discover more tips in this customer-centric selling blog which explores the principles of
international sales experts Winning By Design.

These 5 techniques all stretch the importance of qualifying potential customers. Don’t sell to
everyone you encounter, but talk to prospects to figure out if you can offer them what they
really need.

SPIN will help you ask the right questions to uncover their needs.
SNAP focuses on the way a customer thinks and how you can react to that.
The Challenger Sales tactic also zooms in on a specific way of thinking, in order to
challenge and create a new perspective.
The Sandler Sale creates that new perspective by showing potential customers the technical,
financial and personal impact their choice can have.
If you want to invest in a long-term relationship, Consultative or solution selling is the way
to go. It’s not about asking or showing anymore, but about listening.
Is your sales stuck in a rut? Selling effectively and closing a deal faster is about applying the
right sales method that works for you.
 Chapter 7
Personal Selling

Personal selling is one of the forms of promotion or marketing communications used by

organizations to communicate with the marketplace and drive purchases of their products.
Along with advertising, public relations, and sales promotion – personal selling makes up
the promotions mix or marketing communications mix of a company.

Personal selling can be defined as: direct person-to-person communication between sellers
and potential customers, with the aim of persuading potential customers to purchase
products.

Personal selling often occurs face-to-face, however it can also take place through telephone
conversations, online video conferencing or online text communication.

Personal selling is an effective way to promote and sell high priced and/or complex
products. This is because the person-to-person approach allows for detailed explanation of
products and any individual questions or concerns the customer has can be immediately
addressed.

Main Steps in the Personal Selling Process

There are many steps involved in the process of personal selling: prospecting, pre-approach,
approach, sales presentation, handling objectives, and follow up.
PROSPECTING

The first step of the personal selling process is called ‘prospecting’. Prospecting refers to
locating potential customers. There are many sources from which potential customers can be
found: observation, social contacts, trade shows, commercially-available databases,
commercially-available mail list and cold calling.

PRE-APPROACH

The next step in the personal selling process is called the ‘pre-approach’. The pre-approach
involves preparation for the sales presentation. This preparation involves research about the
potential customers, such as market research. Research is useful in planning the right sales
presentation. During the pre-approach the salesperson may also plan and practice their sales
presentation.

THE APPROACH

The next step in the personal selling process is called the ‘approach’. The approach refers to
the initial contact between the salesperson and the prospective customer. During this stage
the sales person takes a few minutes, for “small talk” and get to know the potential customer.
The goal of the approach is to determine the specific needs and wants of the individual
customer, as well as allowing the potential customer to relax and open up.

SALES PRESENTATION

The next step in the personal selling process is called the ‘sales presentation’. The sales
presentation involves the salesperson presenting the product or service, describing its
qualities and possibly demonstrating features of the product. Ideally the sales presentation
will be individualized to match the needs and desires of the potential customer.

HANDLING OBJECTIVES

In some cases, after receiving the sales presentation, the potential customer will have some
questions or concerns. In order to secure a sale, the salesperson must address these questions
or concerns; this step is referred to as ‘handling objectives.’
CLOSING THE SALE

The next step in the personal selling process is referred to as ‘closing the sale’. ‘Closing the
sale’ refers to finalizing the sale and persuading the potential customer to make the purchase.
During the ‘closing the sale’ step, prices and payment options may be negotiated.

FOLLOW UP

The final step in the personal selling process is referred to as the ‘follow up.’ The follow up
involves the salesperson contacting the customer after the sale to ensure that the customer is
satisfied. If the customer has any existing issues with the product, the salesperson will
address them. A successful follow up stage of personal selling can be very effective in
ensuring repeat sales, evaluating the effectiveness of the salesperson, and obtaining
additional referrals from the satisfied customer.
 Chapter 8

Sales Funnel

Sales Funnel :

A sales funnel is “a series of steps designed to guide visitors toward a buying decision. The
steps are composed of marketing assets that do the work of selling
Stages of a sales funnel

While each organization has its own way of managing the sales process and customer touch-
points towards a purchase, these are structured into three distinct stages.

1. Top of the sales funnel: awareness and discovery

Early in their journey, your potential customers are going through a specific problem and are
researching and learning about it.

This early in the journey, they are still identifying their challenge. They have many questions
about it as they likely haven’t named the problem itself—they just know the symptoms.

They are trying to verbalize their problem and are looking for a trusted source of information
and education. Here are some examples of questions they might be having for specific
industries:

• A customer support software: “Customer support industry benchmarks”

• A mattress store: “Why does my back hurt after sleeping?”

• An electricity provider: “Average electricity bill”

At the top of the sales funnel, your prospect wants to feel educated and confident to be able
to talk about their questions and problems when the time comes.

From a marketing perspective, they want content that will guide them through the topic that
matters to them, including blog posts, videos, and even quizzes.

In this stage, your Untouched prospects turn into Contact made prospects. More precisely,
they are now your Leads. It’s time for you, the sales rep, to ask relevant questions and
qualify your lead, which is what brings us to the next stage.
2. Middle of the sales funnel: researching solutions

In this stage, you’re no longer dealing with nameless and faceless contacts. They have now
named and defined their problem, and they are looking into all available solutions such as
products and services.

Questions in the middle of the funnel are no longer generic. Instead of asking ‘why’
questions, your leads are diving into a range of opportunities to remedy their struggle.

Using the same industries as in the previous section, these might be their questions:

• “How to provide good customer support over the phone?”

• “How to choose the best mattress for [condition]?”

• “How to break down an electricity bill?” or “How to choose an electricity provider?”

At the middle of the sales funnel, you lead is diving deeper into the specifics of the problem.
They understand what’s bothering them in great detail and want to know the possible
solutions.

At this point, they might not necessarily be evaluating solution providers such as specific
companies and their products. Instead, they are looking for types of solutions available to
them.

For example, they have yet to decide if they will buy a software solution for in-house
support teams or outsource support altogether. Another example: they aren’t sure if they just
need a mattress topper or if they should buy a new mattress.

The content that serves your leads best in this stage includes in-depth guides, comparison-
style checklists, pros versus cons lists, and other insightful pieces.

In this stage, your Leads become Qualified as you get to talk to them and ask them questions
that help you decide whether your offer is the right fit for their problem.
3. Bottom of the sales funnel: making an educated purchase decision

Finally, the bottom of your funnel is when your leads now know everything about their
problem, the best type of solution for them, and are ready to select the provider to purchase
this solution from.

This is why their questions and concerns in this stage become vendor-driven. So their online
searches, as well as their questions to you, might look something like this:

• “Does [provider 1] provide better support software features than [provider 2]?”

• “Who offers the longest and most complete warranty policy for mattresses?”

• “What are the electricity contract terms with [provider 1] versus [provider 2]?”

That’s what helps your lead make a decision that suits their exact needs, specific problems,
budget, and other relevant resources.

The best content for the bottom of the funnel are frequently-asked-questions pages, videos
about product features, live demos, and side-to-side competitive feature analysis. These
reinforce their confidence in your offer as they keep seeing its fit for their specific problem.

This is when your Qualified leads go through Proposal presented and Negotiation phases,
after which you ideally win their business.

Real-life examples of sales funnels

With this breakdown of sales funnel stages in mind, we can now look at some sales funnel
examples. They will show a salesperson can guide the prospect from the moment they
become a lead through to purchasing by understanding their key pain points and providing
the right answers at the right time.

This is where sales and marketing work in perfect harmony to attract, nurture, and impact
the decision-making process of a potential customer. This is also where you can see how
well your marketing funnel aligns with your sales process.
 Chapter 9

Closing Techniques

To close a sale with a prospect, there are many techniques you can employ. Here are a few
of them:

Traditional Sales Closing Techniques

Traditional sales closing techniques usually employ some psychological tricks designed to
give that final nudge. Here are two of the most common.

1. Now or Never Closes

2. This is where salespeople make an offer that includes a special benefit that prompts
immediate purchase. For example:

“This is the last one at this price.”

"We’ve got a 20% discount just for customers who sign up today.”

“If you commit to buy now, I can fast track you to the front of the implementation queue.”

This technique works because it creates a sense of urgency and can help overcome inertia
when a prospect wants to buy -- but for some reason isn't pulling the trigger. Of course, you
should always establish value before offering a discount or promotion.

2. Summary Closes

Salespeople who use this closing technique reiterate the items the customer is hopefully
purchasing (stressing the value and benefits) in an effort to get the prospect to sign. For
example:
“So we have the Centrifab washing machine with brushless motor, the 10-year
comprehensive guarantee, and our free delivery and installation service. When would be a
good time to deliver?”

By summarizing previously agreed-upon points into one impressive package, you're helping
prospects visualize what they're truly getting out of the deal.

3. Sharp Angle ClosesProspects often ask for price reductions or ad-one because they know
they have the upper hand -- and they also know you expect it. If you have approval from
your sales manager to do so, try the sharp angle close technique to catch these prospects by
surprise.

When they ask, "Could you add on a few extra hours of onboarding at a discounted rate?"
reply, "Sure. But if I do that for you, will you sign the contract today?" It's likely they won't
be expecting this response -- first, because you agreed to their request, and second, because
you've proposed closing today.

Modern Sales Closing Techniques

These canned closing techniques probably seem a little old-fashioned. Perhaps they strike
you as a little too "salesy," particularly in light of the rise of inbound sales.

In particular, the idea of closing itself needs to encompass any and all incremental
agreements you secure throughout a sales process -- not just the moment of final purchase.

In a sales engagement, reps should endeavor to:

Discover the customer’s needs

Effectively communicate how specific products or services offer an affordable and

satisfactory solution to those needs
If these two requirements are properly achieved, then there should be no barrier to closure.
The closing question can be asked directly at that point.

4. Question Closes

To achieve these two foundational goals, it's imperative that reps ask prospects probing
questions. Effective salespeople focus on closing a sale as soon as a conversation with a
prospect begins. Through a series of questions, they develop desire in the client and
eliminate every objection to purchase.

One can even close the sale in the form of a question, which allows the rep to address
outstanding objections while gaining a commitment at the same time.

For example: “In your opinion, does what I am offering solve your problem?”

The question allows you to discover whether the prospect is sold on your product while
keeping the door open for further selling. If the answer is ‘no’ it remains their opinion (not
yet the truth), thereby allowing you to continue to sell. If the answer is ‘yes,’ then signing on
the dotted line is the next step.

Here's another question close: “Is there any reason why we can't proceed with the
shipment?"

This question asks either for closure or more information as to why the customer isn’t quite
convinced. It’s win-win.

5. Assumptive Closes

This closing technique draws on the power of positive thinking. If you believe, from the first
piece of email outreach, you will close this deal, it can have an incredible effect on the rest
of the sales process.
What's important here is to closely monitor your prospect's interest, engagement, and
objections throughout. After a call or meeting, ask, "Did this presentation align with your
expectations?" If you've just provided them with new information about your product or
service, ask, "Does this sound like something that would be valuable to your company? Does
this meet a specific need or pain point?"

By keeping your ear to the ground -- and assuming good intent from the start -- you'll bring
an authority and direction to your sales process that wouldn't be there otherwise.

6. Take Away Closes

If you have kids, you've likely noticed if you take a toy away from them -- they'll want it
more than ever. Use this similar psychological practice on your prospects.

If they're balking on price, remove a feature or service and present the discounted offer to
them. It's likely, they'll be thinking about the part you removed rather than the discounted
price.

7. Soft Closes

The soft close is a way to show your prospect the benefit of your product and then ask a low-
impact question to ascertain whether they'd be open to learning more.

For example, "If I could reduce widget maintenance by 25% and increase widget
productivity by 15%, would you be interested in learning more?"

You've clearly stated the benefits without making any demands or sudden requests.

If the example above still seems too direct, you could ask, "If I told you I could reduce
widget maintenance by 25% and increase widget productivity by 15%, would that align with
your company goals?"
This removes their need to commit to you in the slightest, and gives you more time to learn
about their business needs.

Being skilled at closing is arguably one of the most important techniques a salesperson can
master. Find a mentor or fellow salesperson who excels at it and learn from them.

Want more? Get tips on closing difficult prospects here. And learn how to avoid sales
closing mistakes here. If you're still hungry for more techniques, check out these habits of
highly effective closers. And, when all else fails, see these ways to bring stalled deals back
from the dead.