Sales professionalism 9
By: Dr. M. Shehab
All rights reserved to the writer
After approaching customer sales person goes through presentation. Presentation is the product story where the sales person tells the customer how product can solve his problem.
There are three goals of this presentation: to uncover the customer’s need known or unknown, to convert all product features into benefits, Matching the product’ benefits with customer’s need to satisfy him.
First to discover the customer’s need during presentation sales person uses probing techniques (questions). These questions are used to collect information from the customer. Sales person also uses probing to clarify his assumption about customer and control the call.
Simply questions are two types: Open and closed. Where open questions start with Who, Where, Which, What, When, How, why. These questions are used mainly to encourage customer to talk and uncover his needs. Normally open questions are used in the start of presentation.
Closed questions are used next. These questions yield precise and clear cut responses, yes or No. Sales person can used this type of questions to street the direction of the call and to decide to continue in this way or not. If the customer respond by no he can goes again to open probe, if he answer yes he can go though benefit tag questions .
Benefit tag question is one benefit in the form of statement followed by a closed-ended question. It Gives a precise answer whether the presented benefit really appeals to the customer or not.
During these process sales person must be good listener to what his customer is saying identify his need properly.
Remember Ideal composition of a conversation is 20-30% Statements and 70-80% questions.Ideal talk ratio is 40% medical rep and 60% customer.
This sequence of questioning through presentation can be demonstrated in the following diagram as questions funnel.
Medical rep must understand features and benefits of his product. He can turn features into benefits appeals to customer buying motives. Customers usually buy for benefits not features.
Salespeople can use different types of presentation like:Standard memorized presentation,Outlined presentation and Customized presentation.
A- Standard memorized presentation
This type of presentation is called canned presentation. Salesperson presents the same selling points (benefits) to all customers. The standardized memorized presentation ensures that the salesperson will provide complete and accurate information about product. This type of presentation is very effective in telemarketing. Standard memorized presentation has some advantages and dis-advantages:
- It gives salesperson self confidence
- It’s suitable for new salespeople.
- It’s inflexible , it offers no opportunity for salesperson to adapt the presentation
- It doesn’t concern on customer’s needs
- Participation of customer in this presentation in minimized
B- Outlined presentation
This type of presentation is pre-arranged that outlines the most important sales points to be discussed with customer. This type of presentation is well organized It is informal and natural than memorized one. It provides more opportunity for customer participation. It doesn’t give salesperson opportunity to present all products’benefits. It may not match with customer needs, sales person may say specific message
C – Customized presentation
It based on a detailed analysis of customer’s needs .This presentations offers opportunity for two ways communication .It builds the customer’s respect for the salesperson and company. It is time consuming and costly for salesperson and company. Salesperson may spend a lot of time in discovering customer needs without sales made
As we see in presentations types that the more sophistications of selling job the more needs to customized presentation and also for the product sold. Simple canned presentation can be used in simple products with low professional sales people. Customized presentations used in high sophisticated products with high professional sales people.
In real life Presentation can last few minutes so the major point you must concentrate on is identifying the need then presenting product’s benefits according to this need. In many training sessions we see many medical reps finish the call without identifying the need. So be careful of this step. Be a good listener.
You have one mouth and two ears use them with the same proportion.
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