4.00 Understand channel management and selling.

1. 4.00Understand channel management and selling. 4.03 Perform pre-sales activities to facilitate sales presentation.

2. Terms toKnow • Define the following terms: prospect, prospecting, lead, referral, endless chain, center of influence, bird dogs, cold calls. • Prospect – a potential customer • Prospecting – looking for potential customers • Lead – someone interested in your product(s), synonym for “prospect”

3. Define Cont. • Referral- a customer referred by another • Endless chain- one customer refers another who refers another who refers another… • Center of influence - a person recommending you to your target market.  Usually this person has a lot of pull over the people that you want to meet and a recommendation from them is a hugely valuable utensil in your prospecting toolbox. • Bird dogs – point out the buying customers • Cold calls – contacting leads that have not expressed any interest in your products (phonebook)

4. Prospecting • Identify sources of prospects. • Employer’s customer list • Customer contacts with the company • Online, Walk-ins, telephone calls, written letters, etc. • Purchased customer lists • Explain which salespeople should prospect. • All sales people tasked with building sales business • Describe how prospecting can help salespeople. • Increase contacts and sales

5. Prospecting • Describe methods of prospecting. • Endless chain: Works on the principle of “Multiplication” of relations. The salesman collects the names and addresses of friends and relatives and interviews the persons who are likely to be prospects. They may not turn out to be a prospect but they may know someone who will.This method is most effective in development of prospects of intangibles like investments and insurance. • Personal Observation Method: For a prospect minded salesman, prospects are everywhere. The salesman plays the role of a keen observer. A salesman who is alert to identify the prospects, does it so easily and quickly. That is why, this method is popularly known as “eyes and ears” inductive method. He observes keenly, meaningfully and meticulously. It may be a conversation – a street comment- cinema house chitchat- office grape- vine talk- comments at public meetings- remarks at recreation,etc. A good salesman reserves some time daily for meaningful observation to gain prospects.

6. Prospecting Prospecting methods continued • Cold Canvas/Calling Method: This method works on ‘laws of averages. Also know as the ‘new account’ method. Here, the salesman does not know the prospect. Taking a chance by collecting the names and addresses of such leads in a particular locality and calling on them. The underlying idea is to benefit a person by calling on him. Salesman uses ‘you attitude’ and is used in case of consumer and industrial goods. • Direct Mail and Telephone Method The salesman contacts the former and present users of the products by mail. The contact message covers the arrival of new products. Circulars,sales letters, and advertising folders can be sent to both old,current and likely customers depicting the latest features of the product or line. This direct mail approach needs a selected mailing list which is up-dated. This is as good or better than a personal call, because it uncovers the unknown prospects and makes prospect need-conscious. It is a great time saver and has the same effect as that of a personal call.

7. Prospecting Prospecting Methods continued • Center of Influence Method: Every individual is the center of influence in one way or the other. A salesman develops a selected band of persons who serve as his center of influence in his own territory or the community. The more friends a salesman has, the more center of influence he can tap in finding the prospects for his products. He asks the dominant members of this group to use or endorse his products. These selected persons are either the customers or the influential friends of customers. Such persons may be ministers, doctors, lawyers, bankers, professors, club officials, business leaders, social workers and the community leaders. • Bird-dog Method: ‘Bird dog’ is the nick-name given to those persons who visit houses at a definite interval. For instance, we have electric or water meter readers, gas boys, milk suppliers, news-paper boys visiting in official capacity many households in a particular locality. Even these may be watchmen, liftmen, household servants. These ‘bird-dogs’ or ‘sales associates’ provide a good deal of demographic information relating to households on which the salesman can capitalize. This works out as the most reliable source of information and economical too. The information is got without asking the prospects. http://www.preservearticles.com/201103164570/8-useful-methods-of-prospecting-used-by-successful-salesmens.html

8. Prospecting • Explain how to construct a prospect list. • Keep track of contacts, build a database • Describe how to use a prospect list. • Assign proper salesperson to make contact • Explain the importance of maintaining accurate prospect lists. • Increase odds of completing a sale, decrease chances of annoying potential customers • Prospect on a regular basis to replace lost customers. • Demonstrate procedures for prospecting for customers.

9. Qualifying a lead • Explain why salespeople need to qualify their prospects. • To know what products the customer is interested in buying • To identify potential products • Discuss reasons that some salespeople fail to qualify prospects. • Takes time and research • Identify the criteria that prospects need to meet in order to be qualified • Interest in the product, means and willingness to buy, has the authority to buy • Good credit rating • Discuss steps a salesperson can take to qualify prospects prior to meeting with them. • Look at previous orders, read notes on prior contacts, send information forms that the customer fills out

10. Qualifying a lead • Explain how to qualify a prospect’s need for a product. • Research and/or ask questions • Describe how to qualify a prospect’s means and willingness to buy a product • budget, time to meet with salesperson, timing of sale, where are they in making a buying decision • Discuss how to qualify a prospect’s authority to buy a product. • Ask assumptive questions, “At what level will the decision to buy our product be made?” h. Demonstrate how to qualify a prospect.

11. Pre-Approach & Pre-Visit Research • Explain why salespeople should conduct pre-visit research. • To better understand the needs and wants of the customer • To come across as knowledgeable to the prospect • Identify factors about a prospect that are useful in sales situations. • What are his/her goals • What benefits are important to him/her • Identify sources for pre-visit research that provide company information that can be useful in sales situations. • Database, prospect’s website, other suppliers, lower level employees of the client company

12. Pre-Approach and Pre-Visit Research • Describe how to use collected pre-visit research during a sale. • Prepare a presentation • Demonstrate how your product solves their problems and meets their needs • Demonstrate how to conduct pre-visit research. • Look the company up on the internet • Check the financial records (publicly traded) • Make some calls or pre-visits

13. The Introduction to the Approach • Explain benefits associated with booking appointments with prospective clients. • Client has set time aside to talk with you • You have a predetermined time schedule • The client will have prepared to meet with you Discuss the importance of the introduction when calling to set up a sales appointment.The client must understand who you are and who you represent • Describe what to include in the introduction when calling to set up a sales appointment. • Your name, the company’s name and the products you will be presenting as well as the benefits of the products to the client/prospect. • Primary and secondary dates and times should be offered • Confirm with whom you will be meeting

14. The Introduction to the Approach • Explain factors that influence what to say when calling to set up a sales appointment. • Familiarity with the person and company • Your company’s position in the industry • Prior experience • Identify barriers encountered when attempting to book appointments with prospective clients. • The “gate keeper” • Too busy, changing dates and times, change in whom you are meeting • Explain how voice mail can be helpful in getting an appointment with a customer. • Important information can be conveyed in the proper tone g. Demonstrate how to book appointments with prospective clients.

15. Sales Presentations • Identify reasons for preparing for a sales presentation. • Increase chances of successfully selling • Understand the client and their needs • Identify factors about the customer/client that should be determined prior to making a sales presentation. • Who are your current vendors? • Who is the decision maker? • How fast are decisions made? • Identify factors that affect the preparation needed for sales presentations. • History with the client (Good or bad? Previous orders and satisfaction, what can the product do for them?) • Describe preparation needed for sales presentations. • Know the needs of the client • Practice , Practice, Practice • Identify and correct distracting mannerisms of presenter

16. We may not be aware of our mannerisms, but other people are. Distracting mannerisms can pull attention away from the speaker, and cause them to lose their train of thought. Here are 14 distracting behaviors. Are you guilty of any of them? • 1. Scratching ourselves • 2. Bite or licking our lips • 3. Play with or stroking hair, mustache or beard • 4. Picking teeth, fingernails or cuticles • 5. Adjusting glasses, hair or clothing • 6. Clicking pens • 7. Bending paper clips or playing with rubber bands • 8. Drum our fingers or tapping our feet • 9. Whole body movements such as rocking, swaying or pacing • 10. Jiggling pocket change • 11. Clearing our throats • 12. Frowning in concentration • 13. Yawning with the mouth wide open • 14. Twisting a ring, or removing and replacing it These unconscious mannerisms send the message that we are tired, bored or distracted. We can catch ourselves and eliminate distracting habits so we look poised and professional. Ask a trusted friend or co-worker to help you identify your tics and twitches. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/993656

17. Sales Presentation Prep • Describe ways to prepare for a sales presentation. • Set up the information and demonstration, have ALL your materials • Practice • Create a tentative sales presentation. • Explain how to ask for a sales-presentation appointment. • Demonstrate procedures for preparing for a sales presentation.

18. Presentation Software • Identify characteristics of effective software sales presentations. • Color, motion, clear and concise, large font/type • Key terms, not too wordy • Discuss purposes of using presentation software packages to support sales presentations. • Bring the conversation alive • Offer discussion points • “A picture is worth a 1,000 words”

19. Using software to sell • Describe ways that salespeople can use presentation software packages to support sales presentations. • Introduce the product and new ways to use it • Build discussion / make it more understandable • Explain how salespeople can use online sales presentations. • Generate interest, offer information, promote • Demonstrate procedures for creating a software presentation to support sales presentations. • Use large Font/Type for easy viewing • Visual aids should only be used if they support your message