As salespersons we know that occasionally (really more often that we like) we are going to get an Objection. The question is, “When do we handle those objections.” For many years professional salespersons have followed a practice of handling objections at four different times in the sales process. Understanding exactly which objections should be handled at which places in the sales process is another of those great sales techniques. The four times to answer an objection are: (1) before it comes up, (2) immediately when ...
Do Great Closers Have a Closing Instinct? Yes! How Did They Get It? What must we know even before we meet our prospect that will help us make the close of the sale more natural and comfortable? Tom Hopkins can probably still hear his mentor, Doug Edwards saying, “All great salespersons have a ‘closing instinct.’” When asked if these great salespersons were born with these “closing instincts?” He said, “Of course not! They got their ‘closing instincts’ by closing too soon and too often rather than closing too seldom and too late!” (That is an excellent phrase to ...
What Causes a Qualified Prospect to Buy … and to Buy Now? A prospect buys all products/services on emotion! However, there must be a “logic safety net” in place when he reaches the “Buy Zone,” so he can justify his emotional decision. What causes a qualified prospect to buy and buy now? The answer is: a professional salesperson has taken a prospect into the “Buy Zone” and then closed. What is the “Buy Zone?” The “Buy Zone” is that point in time when our prospect has bought our ...
Why Doesn’t a Qualified Prospect Buy Now? It is not uncommon for a thoroughly qualified prospect to stall on making a buying decision after he has heard a perfectly delivered feature, advantage and benefit presentation on a correctly priced product/service that is exactly what he wants/needs. Read on and find out why? Often after a prospect has heard a presentation and has been asked to buy, he puts up some resistance to buying at that time. Very often what he says has a tendency to cause the salesperson to lose momentum and ultimately bring the sales process to a halt. ...
Zig Ziglar, one of the most well known sales authorities of all time defined selling. Zig said, “Selling is the transference of feelings. If I can get my prospect to feel about my product or service the way I feel about my product or service, he will not only want it … he will demand it.” To persuade someone, it is not nearly enough to get them to think as we think, it is imperative that we get them to feel as we feel. Getting a person to feel the ...
Is Everyone a Prospect? Yes! Really? Sales and income are lost when a salesperson does not know how to: find the persons who should buy his product/service; recognize when a prospect has an interest in his product/service; identify the level of interest; create or increase the level of interest so as to produce a qualified prospect. Is everyone a prospect? Yes! Really? Of course! He is a prospect for someone. Whether or not he is a good prospect for us is what we must determine. Each of the various sales areas requires the ability to identify prospects for ...
[caption id="attachment_193" align="alignright" width="225" caption="It is a Warning, NOT a stoplight."][/caption] Many years ago, I can recall as a new salesperson, how disappointed and frustrated I was when confronted with Objections. Fortunately, very early in my sales career, my company sent me to a sales training course. It was taught by a man named J. Douglas Edwards. I was to learn that he is considered to be the greatest sales expert ever. Doug Edwards actually created many of the great sales techniques that professional salespersons use today. Tom Hopkins, ...
How often are salespersons found to be surprised, even shocked, when we do not close a sale that we thought was a “sure thing?” This happens too often. One of the principal reasons this happens is that the salesperson was never actually dealing with the REAL decision maker. For the purpose of this article the term “decision maker” will mean the individual or the set of individuals required to approve a purchase. As the great J. Douglas Edwards was fond of saying, “If we are NOT talking directly to the decision maker, pack up and leave; unless we just want to ...
