Providing what is Valuable to the

Customerand

Gaining Commitment to Action

Providing what is Valuable to the

Customerand

Gaining Commitment to Action

with Duane Weaver

OUTLINEOUTLINE

• Providing Value– Productive questioning– Assessing productivity– Don’ts– Focus forward– Consultative questioning

• Gaining Commitment– Closing the Sale – the ultimate?

Providing what is valuable to the customer

Providing what is valuable to the customer

“You can direct a customer’s attention by the way you ask them a particular question…only by establishing what that value is will you be able to see whether you can in fact provide that value which in turn will make it easier for the customer to buy from you.”

Martin & Colleran, 2003, SOLD! How to make it easy for people to buy from you, p. 26.

Productive QuestionsProductive Questions

• Moves customer towards being ready to buy:– Focus on pains– Focus on needs– Focus on best solutions

• Moves ability to sell forward:– Identifies key pains– Identifies key stakeholders– Addresses related benefits for only what is needed

Assessing Productivity of Questions

Assessing Productivity of Questions

Please get into groups of four and discuss a familiar sales situation that one of you has recently been in (come up with one type of question for each quadrant of the following grid that may have been asked or could have been asked):

1. Friendly2. Unproductive3. Directive4. Productive

Builds RelationshipD

irect

s B

usin

ess

Out

com

e

DIRECTIVE

UNPRODUCTIVE FRIENDLY

PRODUCTIVE

Martin & Colleran, 2003, SOLD! How to make it easy for people to buy from you, p. 32.

Some Questioning Don’tsSome Questioning Don’ts

• Make the customer:– defend themselves– focus on what would stop them from buying– focus on competitor’s product– Anything that causes the customer to stop

moving forward (red light, foot on brake, lack of hill)

FOCUS ON FORWARD MOTIONFOCUS ON FORWARD MOTION

• Direct the discussion and focus your attention and the customer’s attention on:

– the potential to do business

Productive Questioning whilst building relationships

Productive Questioning whilst building relationships

Consultative Questioning Cycle:

1. Give a piece of info

2. Ask a question

3. Demonstrate understanding

4. Listen

Ask a question

Demonstrateunderstanding

Give a pieceof info

Listen

Martin & Colleran, 2003, SOLD! How to make it easy for people to buy from you, p. 64.

GAINING COMMITMENT to actionGAINING COMMITMENT to action

• CLOSING A SALE APPEARS PARAMOUNT:– #1 request for assistance by sales managers, sales directors,

and sales teams– Most often talked about and demanded by sales management

• Is it?– “We think that too much attention is placed on a topic that in

essence is simple and straightforward. Think about it. If you haven’t got the customer in a state where they are ready to buy your product, it’s a symptom of what happened before, not what technique you use next to attempt to close the sale. You can ask as many closing questions as you like. It ain’t gonna make a ha’ penny worth of difference.”

Martin & Colleran, 2003, SOLD! How to make it easy for people to buy from you, p. 64.

Closing – commitment to actionClosing – commitment to action

• Gaining satisfied customers that make long-term commitments to use your products, services, or ideas, as well as your store and service over and over again– Satisfaction– Long term relationship– Repeat business and/or referrals

• Focus on ways to help a customer make a longer term commitment (be a brand)

Commitment to ActionCommitment to Action• Involves:

– Ownership (customer owns commitment)– Action (commitments requiring an action by the

customer are more likely to be acted upon)– Public (a genuine commitment is one made in public,

the more people that know about something the more likely it will progress)

• The most likely commitment to a purchase is one that provides to the customer what you have established as valuable to them.

Martin & Colleran, 2003, SOLD! How to make it easy for people to buy from you, p. 75.

Identifying CommitmentIdentifying Commitment• Listen to the following ten examples of customer commitment

and…– Identify if whether you feel it is a useful customer commitment by

writing down:• YES• MAYBE• NO

1. Write2. Asks info3. Customer commits to keep in mind4. Phones colleague5. Further appointment6. Takes card and agrees to call within 1 week7. Take customer out by request8. Pass card to their manager with intro9. Follow-up email re: what is agreed10. Follow-up email re: what is agreed

Upcoming ProjectUpcoming Project

• Start reading “Value Added Selling” Chapters 1,2,4 and the downloadable old Chp. 4 “IDENTIFY YOUR VALUE ADDED”.

• Next seminar we will begin to build figures 4.1 and 4.2 for your teams• Teams of 10• Project will involve selling• Two members from team will serve as observers on other teams• Each team member will provide:

1. a brief one page report on the personal experience2. as well as the “sales manager’s report” and3. a peer review* report.

These will added into your grade for the project (all threeare due March 1st right after reading week).

• Observers will assess team success• Each team will provide a peer assessment for their team

(see above*)• Proceeds will go to a registered charity or scholarship fund chosen by the

class

ANY QUESTIONS?

THANK YOUTHANK YOU

• Your teams should now be formed. Please make sure your list has been submitted to me before you leave today…(10) per team as well as…

• Who the SALES MANAGER is?

HAVE A GREAT DAY!