Meeting customers and sales appointments
This Meeting customers and sales appointments Info Sheet will guide you seamlessly through the sales appointment or customer meeting - from planning to closing to the follow up actions needed to ensure that you stand out from the crowd.
1. Know your product and your USPs
The more you know about your product or service and your USPs, the more confidence you will exude and the easier it will be to make sales.
2. Research your target customer
You must know who your target customer is and why they want what you can offer. If they have a website, review it and other sources of information about them. If possible, call them and ask them what is important to them. Let them see that you understand their business or industry and can cater for their needs.
3. Find out what is motivating the customer to buy
In order to make a successful pitch, you must understand your customer and their motivation for buying. Is it economic? Your unique product or proposition? If they are open to change, is this due to poor previous service from a competitor? Do they have a personal motive or a business motive? For example, if they are renting a holiday home is it for a team-building exercise or is it for private use?
4. Know the opposition
You must know who you are competing with and their strengths and weaknesses.
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1. Link benefits to needs
Tailor your proposal or presentation for each individual customer and provide solutions for their unique needs. Ask questions to find out how to meet their needs:
- ‘What is important to you?’
- ‘What influences your decision?’
- ‘What do you need to help you to arrive at a conclusion?’
Link the benefits you offer to their needs.
2. How to handle unasked questions
Every presentation has objections. Most are hidden, most are silent.
You must start with the assumption that there are objections. Remember, it is your job to find them, confront them and answer them. Consider simple effective questions like:
- Is there anything I missed?
- Is there anything you are uncomfortable or unhappy with?
- Have I answered all your criteria?
- Is there anything you would like me to explain further?
3. How to handle difficult questions
The best tip to deal with a difficult question is to simply ask a question.
As long as you ask questions you are not expressing your view. If you express your view too early - 'In my opinion, you are wrong' - you run the risk of offending the customer.
The more questions you ask, the more information you will receive. This will guide you to the solution. Ask questions such as:
- 'What would you like me to do for you next?'
- 'How can I help to solve this dilemma?'
4. Review and recap
Before you finish a presentation or proposal, make sure you summarise. Your summary should focus on customer needs rather than on your business. Use phrases such as, 'You said X was important to you'. Ask question such as:
- ‘Have we answered all your questions?’
- ‘Is there anything further I can do for you?’
- ‘Do you need more information on any of the issues we talked about?’
- ‘Can we take your booking?’
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1. Ask for the sale, straight out. The single biggest sales failure is a reluctance to ask for the sale. Customers expect it and will admire you for doing your job.
2. Ask effective closing questions such as: 'Would you like to book this date or the other?'
3. Ask assumptive questions such as:
- 'When you come, would you like us to organise...?'
- 'Nearer the date, we can call you to arrange .....'
4. Understand that you only need to be 1% better than your competitor to win the sale.
5. Always talk with the assumption that they will book. Such as: 'When you are here you will really enjoy.....'.
6. Never apologise for what you are, have or do not have. For example, you should never say: 'If you do decide to stay with us we would be so grateful....'.
7. Understand what buying signals are. For example, 'If we book tomorrow, can you guarantee....?'
8. Don’t be afraid to offer a complimentary sample.
9. Don’t fill a silence unnecessarily. They might just be thinking and about to buy.
10. Remain confident. Confidence builds trust.
11. Always have something up your sleeve. Such as: 'If you book today, we will ....'.
Remember!
You don't close a sale; you open a relationship if you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise.
Patricia Fripp
Professional Speaker/Speech Coach
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1. Staying in touch after the sale is one of the most common failures of sales people who are often too busy seeking out the next exciting opportunity. Yet, a customer already recruited is less costly to maintain and staying in touch maintains a valuable relationship.
2. Keep in touch to the benefit of the customer, not you. All sales and marketing communications should offer the customer information that is useful, helpful or valuable to them, eg a recipe, a map or a list of upcoming local or regional events or festivals.
3. Include a call to action that will entice customers to make contact with you. If you find it difficult to create a call to action, it is a good indicator that your communication is not of benefit to the customer. For example, a newsletter might include the following call to action: ‘Why not call us today to reserve your superior bedroom and preferential theatre ticket'.
4. You can keep in touch effectively in several ways:
- Email
- Telephone
- Your website
- Twitter
- Linkedin
- Newsletters
- Articles
- Referring business to them
- Promoting them on your website
- Text messaging
- Other social networks
Upselling simply means selling an additional or secondary product or service at a value added price. It is often the most resisted form of selling but it is a positive choice for the customer and should be presented as a superb ‘added value’ benefit to the main sale.
Upselling examples
- Buy three nights and get the fourth night free
- Stay two nights and we will treat you to a picnic on the lake
While these look like 'value' offers, they have the advantage of retaining the guest for more nights than was originally intended. The 'upselling' occurs because they will spend more while enjoying their additional nights.
Upselling, just like sales, is the responsibility of everyone. A housekeeper can upsell a message to 'see our fantastic leisure centre'. A waiter can upsell food and wine.
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