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Welcome to the Momentum Business Coaching
Newsletter for Small Business
October 2004
6 Street Sales Techniques
for Small Businesses
Sales is a contact sport and prospecting for new business is
the name of the game! You will never meet a salesperson that
failed because they had too many prospects to talk to.
For the majority of salespeople, finding new customers is without
a doubt the most difficult and stressful aspect of the profession.
Prospecting should be viewed more as a mindset rather than
merely as an activity.
It is something you need to be constantly aware of because
you never know where your next prospect will be coming from.
It really doesn't matter how competent you are or how well you
know your product line, if you don't have a qualified prospect
in front of you, you don't have a sale.
1. Prospecting for new business is similar to working out.
You know it is good for you and it will produce positive results
if you do it routinely. Professional salespeople prospect
daily. It is important to block-off specific time on
your calendar for prospecting activities such as phone calling
and emailing. Treat your prospecting time with the same
respect as you would any other important appointment, otherwise,
there is a tendency that it will slip through the cracks. This
is not the time to check your emails, play solitaire on the
computer, make a personal phone call or chat with your associates.
Stay focused and take your prospecting seriously. Set
the tone by closing your office door and have your incoming
calls held unless it is a call from a client or a prospect.
2. Be prepared, get organised and take good notes.
It is critical to have a computerised contact system to record
remarks and future contacts or appointments.
3. Use a script - don't shoot from the hip.
There is only one thing worse than listening to a salesperson
read a script over the phone and that is to listen to a salesperson
without a script. Obviously, it is important to not only have
a script but to practise it until it sounds smooth and natural.
Set aside time to role-play with an associate over the phone.
By taking turns presenting and critiquing you will gain confidence,
polish your script and be more effective. When prospecting,
avoid the temptation to sell over the phone. Your objective
is to gather information and make the appointment.
4. Strike while the iron is hot!
When working with a new prospect, it is important to make contact
quickly. Prospects are perishable. No matter how interested
a prospect may appear, don't wait for them to call you. You
are only one of many competing interests for your prospect's
time and money.
5. Keep the high ground and avoid the temptation to badmouth
your competition.
While it is fair to make head-to-head comparisons, you should
avoid personal attacks. Attacking your competition makes you
look unprofessional and petty. Emphasise the benefits of your
product or service by guiding your prospect through a comparison
of quality and price. Play to your strengths and not the weakness
of your competition. Let your prospect draw their own conclusions
from a well-presented comparison.
6. Rejection is a natural aspect of the sales process so
don't take it personally.
Learn from rejection, use it as a feedback mechanism and look
for ways to improve your presentation. Salespeople who take
rejection personally lack perseverance and seldom make the sale.
Sales is a numbers game pure and simple. As a professional baseball
player, if you can average four hits out of ten times at bat
you are heading for the Hall of Fame. Research indicates
that in sales you can expect your prospect to say no five times
before they buy. With this in mind, realise that with every
sales rejection you receive, you are one step closer to making
the sale!
So ask your salespeople how many rejections did they have last
week. It's a great way of finding out how pro-active they are
being.
For a more complete description on "Sales Techniques for
Small Business" or a free consultation, simply contact
John Buckley of Momentum Business Coaching at 045-881888 or
e-mail jbuckley@momentumcoach.ie
or visit www.momentumcoach.ie
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