Setting
the Direction of the Call – Part One
Consulting Sales,
Sales, Consulting, Sales consulting training, Sales management consulting,
Sales and marketing consulting, Sales process consulting, Inside
sales consulting, Small business sales consulting In most cases,
even if a customer
provides you with a second chance, a certain
level of skepticism (even miniscule) will always be in the back
of their head. Therefore, it is important to know how to effectively
set the direction of a call to ensure future success.
This stage is
broad in that it begins with the usual pleasantries that accompany
the initial interaction with a client and then takes you from the
use of benefit statements
to questioning to uncover client
needs. It is during this time when you can determine a great
deal about your client’s priorities and where they are in the buying
process. In part one of this section, we will take you from the
initial interaction to the use of an introductory
benefit statement.
Building
Rapport and Gaining Trust
As we always
say, people do business with people they like and this is where
you will begin to establish a relationship with your client. Given
that different
behavioral types have different needs, it is important to get
a good feel for the person you are dealing with in order to establish
rapport and find common
ground. A doer will be more open to talking about common business
interests or shared associations. A talker will be more willing
to talk about shared interests. Oftentimes, they way a person’s
office is laid out and decorated can tell you a lot about what is
most important to them.
For example,
the General Manager of a division of a large energy trading company
that we worked with was known for his love for auto racing. His
office was covered with Ferrari paraphernalia and a great way to
get on his good side was to talk about his passion. Learn what is
of interest to your client
and use this to establish
rapport. Equally crucial is to be sincere in your interest.
People can see right through insincerity. Also, read your client
to understand when it is time to finish the initial pleasantries
and move into the business discussion. With some people, this may
be after ten seconds. Watch for verbal
and visual cues.
Bridging
Now that you’ve
had a chance to connect with your client, it is important to be
able to transition smoothly into the reason for your call. Prospective
and existing clients will appreciate your concern for their
time. It shows respect and conveys the message that you are serious
about the way you handle yourself and your business.
Client: “…and that’s why we’ll definitely go back
to Palm Springs. We had a wonderful time there.”
Sales Rep: “That sounds great! Speaking of time,
I want to make sure that we maximize your time by getting down to
business.”
Another example of how to bridge could
be:
Client: “I’m proud of my work with
the association and the way I’ve been able to help our membership
over the years.”
Sales Rep: “I can see you’re serious about what
you do and take pride in your work. To ensure that our time today
reinforces
your goals, I’d like to start by talking about why I wanted
to meet today.”
Benefit
Statements
We’ve already
talked about benefit statements and why they’re important. Now is
the point when you can use an initial benefit statement to kick
things off on the right foot. What is most important is to ensure
that your benefit statement provides what it implies… benefit. Not
benefit for you but benefit for your client. Remember, clients always
want to know, “what’s in it for me?” This is the point when you
position your company and yourself in a way that sets the tone for
the rest of the sales
call.
An introductory benefit statement is
made up of four parts and is very similar to the FAB statements
we have discussed:
1.
A recap or Reminder of previous discussions, part
successes or a general need found with other companies in the client’s
sector, industry, etc. This is where you express a concern for your
client’s needs.
2.
A characteristic of your
product or service – this is the Feature in FAB
3.
Information or recommendations
– the Advantage in FAB
4.
The value and ultimate benefit received by the client. This is “what’s
in it for you” or the Benefit in FAB.
An example from our industry includes:
R – “During our last meeting, we had talked about your team’s
need to find a time management system that could be rolled out across
all departments to increase productivity.”
F – “One of the things I wanted to discuss with you today was
the portability of our time management system and the fact that
it can be incorporated into any planner, PDA or existing tool used
by your employees.”
A – “This allows your team to take advantage of our methodology
without scrapping their existing tools.”
B – “This enables them to quickly integrate our system and with
less resistance to increase productivity across all departments.
Can you think
of some introductory benefit statements that will enable you to
make a successful transition to the heart of your meeting? Think
about what will make your client’s ears perk up with interest. Remember
that you need to “show” them why they should care about your product
or service.
In part two, we will build off of benefit
statements and how you can use positive
client feedback to strengthen and reinforce the value you bring
to the table.
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