Selling is the lifeblood of business and a good sales team will make a MASSIVE difference to the bottom line.
Selling is a learnt skill that can be improved with constant practice. Here are six selling tips we use to make many businesses boom.
1. Find The Right People:
Constantly be on the look-out for people who have the potential to make good sales people, even if a position is not currently available. Happy, friendly, approachable people should top your most-wanted list, because job skills can be taught but personality and attitude cannot. Other qualities include, honesty, hard worker, enthusiasm, and an ability to show initiative and be self-motivated.
Knowing the person’s DISC behaviour type and combining that with establishing what each person’s values are, will allow you to know in advance whether the person will fit into your culture and your team. Values are what drives an individual.
These qualities and traits are extremely important to know these days as it is very expensive to make the wrong choice because you were uninformed.
The best way to establish what each person’s behaviours and values are is by having a full DISC Combo report completed, which we have been doing for companies for many years. If you’d like more information about having one done for you or your team please call our office on 02 9994 8033.
Your existing staff members are a good place to start looking for potential candidates, including job advertisements in the pay packets of your employees or displays in the staff room. The advantage of recruiting internally is that you don’t have to worry about whether they will fit into your club culture and way of doing business.
2. Train Your Team:
“It is more expensive not to train your people and have them stay, than to train your people and have them leave” Zig Ziglar.
All staff, not just your sales team, should know about the eight-step selling cycle: prospecting, initial contact, qualification, the tour/explanation, price presentation, overcoming objections, closing the sale and referrals.
When people understand the big picture of a business they feel pride in their knowledge, and are more likely to become informed advocates for your club.
Also have your sales staff tour and present to the instructors, and have the instructors train the sales people. When each experience’s the other’s job first hand they develop a healthy respect for each other, and are more willing to work as a cohesive team.
After any type of workshop training or seminar the implementation and reinforcement, process is the key to ensuring that a sales and management team learns and implements all the new selling skills. Continual reinforcement is the major catalyst to ensure success in the utilisation of these sales techniques and strategies. To make any training effective, it must be an ongoing process and reinforced regularly by senior staff and management.
3. Establish Commonality: An Essential Skill
Finding something in common in the first two minutes will increase the probability of a sale, because the prospect will open up to you and tell you the truth.
Many sales people say they understand how to create commonality but when you take a good look at most sales professionals in action, this skill is done poorly and commonality is not established. Sales people who are able to master this magical skill and combine it with a sales process are usually more successful, have the highest closing rates and make the most amount of sales. An easy rule to follow, is to make commonality a priority, this will assist in creating enough rapport with the prospect.
Once rapport has been created and sustained the prospect will buy from you easily. PLEASE NOTE: Laughing together (not a nervous giggle) is a sure fire way to establishing commonality thus rapport.
4. Always Qualify Strongly:
Once rapport has been established, a successful sales professional will always qualify their prospects. The art of qualification is between 80% to 90% of the success of a sale.
If you have established enough affinity the prospect will allow you to find out what their problems, challenges or frustrations are. This is crucial; as all sales people must know that the number one motivator of human behaviour is to avoid pain/frustration, then move towards pleasure. Once the prospect has discussed their pains/frustrations to the sales person, they can then explain how their products or services will be the solution (because people buy the feeling).
Some great questions to use (done in a casual manner, almost tongue in cheek) after the problem and solution has been established are “How good will you be feeling once you’ve (solution)?” Listen and chit chat about the outcome positively, before asking, “How would you feel in comparison if you did nothing and you stayed in the same condition as you are in now (state a reason e.g. for your 10 year school reunion)?” Listen, then say “don’t worry by (using your product or service) you be well on the way to (rectifying the problem).” Conclude with a question: “Are you looking forward to that?” or “how good will that be?” Smile and nod “Well let’s make that happen!” This can only be done if rapport and commonality have been established.
5. Give The Client What They Want:
Remember to always give the client what they want. Many sales are lost because the sales person thought they knew best. Listen to what your prospect tells you, then tailor each tour or explanation of your product or service to give them a personalised solution.
Teach them some ways to achieve their result and show them you and your team are experts in doing that.
Every purchase is an endeavour by the prospect to find a solution to their problem. If a person comes to a club and after rapport is established they tell you they want to lose weight because they think they are too big for their liking, all you need to do is ensure that they really want the result, then show them how your club and services will help them get the solution to reduce their problem.
Give the prospect what they want, inspire them by confirming you and your team are experts and they will buy. The tour of the club will make or break your sale. If you prove you can help them achieve their results and feel positive and that they belong there, then the close will be virtually done.
6. Ask For The Business:
68% of sales are not made because they are not asked for. Time and time again sales are lost because the salesperson is uncomfortable about asking because they fear rejection. If everything else has been done well then closing the sale should be a natural progression in the conversation.
One easy thing to do to increase closing rates, is to test-close regularly throughout the presentation.
This is done by asking questions to test the buy temperature. The more small agreements you receive, assists the prospect make a larger one later on. The more specific you make a test-close the more effective it will be.
For example, many people use the test-close “Can you see yourself training here?” This is not effective as it is not tailored nor specific. To improve this test close make it specific “So Christine can you see yourself working with your trainer at the club to reduce weight around your tummy and thighs so that you’re ready for your holiday in December? How good is that going to be?” Listen and chat about the positives. Then always confirm convenience, “And training three times a week on Monday, Wednesday & Saturday is convenient for you?” Listen and acknowledge!
The plain fact is that closing is done by just asking a few questions once the solution has been presented. When closing the sale you can give the prospect two ways for them to buy, this will increase your success. To make this easy for you use alternative choice questions like “So which way are you leaning more towards, is it the (A way) or the (B way)” then ask for the sale.
In this day and age you can assume and do a Recommendation Close “From what we’ve discussed today my recommendation is that you must train two to three times a week and that is convenient for you isn’t it?”
Listen
“So lets start you on (x) way and get you ready for the reunion. Are you looking forward to that?”
Listen, “Ok lets do this”.
Never ask them to pay as this will take the prospect into a logical way of thinking and this helps create objections. Always ask the prospect to “Fix it up”, “Take care of that” or “Look after that” and then give them two options, “How would you like to take care of that — savings or credit?” The complete closing sequence should be practiced daily and must be second nature for a sales person to perform.
Examples Of The Complete Closing Sequences:
“So John, which way are you leaning towards is it the A way or is it the B?” Wait for the decision then say, “Great all we need to do now is fix up a little bit of paperwork to get you ready for your holiday in December. So John, how do you want to take care of that—is it savings or credit?” Listen, when they say savings you would say “So it’s savings is it?” they will say yes. Continue by saying “Okay I’ll take care of that now and lets get you ready for your trip are you excited?”
Or
Recommendation & Assumptive Close:
“By losing your weight by (Month) you’ll be feeling more relaxed and confident for your 10 year school reunion. You’ll need to train two to three times per week, and that was convenient for you wasn’t it?”
Listen
“Okay, all we have to do now is fix up a little bit of paperwork, I’m just curious, how would you like to take care of that—savings or credit?”
Listen
“So it’s credit is it? Great, I’ll take care of that now and let’s get you ready for your 10 year school reunion are you excited? Okay, let’s do it!”
There are loads of things you can do to maximise your profit at your business, the six I have outlined will give you the biggest bang for your buck and time. Feel free to contact me on 02 9994 8033 if you have any questions. Have fun and ‘Do The Damage’ DTD.