8 Steps to have successful Sales Call

As a sales person , our success and closure ratio depends upon our sales calls and how we are approaching our end clients. For a successful sales call you must prepare yourself before you start calling. below steps will surely help you to improve your to improve the same:

1. Homework

• Check the client background prior to call (meeting)?
• Do research about the person and business before the meeting?
• Share clear agenda and outline of the meeting before you go to meet.
• At least have three value added points which you can share with him ?
• Keep marketing material with you ?
• Find answers of below three questions before you meet :
  A. What you want as a outcome of this call?
  B. What you want to figure out in the call?
  C. What would be next step to take him towards closure?

2. Compliment and Introduction

• Observe the ambiances of prospect’s office
• Prospect’s personal interests, hobbies, family and so on?
• Don’t jump directly to the business bridge to the business topic smoothly?
• Listen more than I spoke? 80% listening , 20% speaking
• Let customer share his vision, goal and challenges

3. Qualifying

• Find out who the decision-makers are by asking “Who else besides yourself might be involved in the decision-making process?”
• Ask what process they normally go through when considering a new vendor?
• Find out how and why they made the decision for their current product or service (assuming they are replacing a product or service)?
• Find out what their time frame is?
• Find out if funds have been allocated–and how much?
• Find out their specific needs?
• Ask if they could change something about their product or service, what would it be?

4. Surveying

• Ask open-ended questions (who, what, where, when, why, how, how much, tell me about it, describe for me)?
• Ask about the corporate structure?
• Ask about the prospect’s role at the company?
• Ask what’s important to them?
• Ask what’s interesting to them and then focus on that?
• Ask what risks they perceive?
• Ask how we can help solve their problems?
• Ask what they think about our company?
• Ask what they like and dislike about their current vendor?
• Ask how industry trends are affecting them?
• Ask “what if?” questions?
• Ask what they would like to see from a vendor and salesperson in the area of support after the sale?
• Ask what their short-term and long-term goals are?
• Ask how I can become their most valued vendor?
• Ask what is our next step?
• Establish a specific follow-up schedule?
• Parrot the prospect to encourage him to expand, elaborate and go into detail about each answer?

5. Handling Objections

• Listen to the entire objection?
• Pause for three seconds before responding?
• Remain calm and not defensive?
• Meet the objection with a question in order to find out more?
• Restate the objection to make sure we agreed (communication)?
• Answer the objection?
• Complete the six-step process?
  1. Listen
  2. Define
  3. Rephrase
  4. Isolate
  5. Present solution
  6. Close (or next step)

6. Presentation

• Prioritize the prospect’s needs?
• Talk about benefits to the customer?
• Use layman’s terms?
• Link the benefit to the prospect’s needs?
• Verify each need before moving on?
• Present myself, company and product in a positive light?
• Re-establish rapport?
• Ask if anything changed since our last meeting?
• Pre-commit the prospect?
• Give a general overview of the product or service?
• Keep the presentation focused on the customer’s needs?
• Involve the customer in the presentation?
• Summarize the prospect’s needs and how our product or service meets those needs?

7. Closing

• Get the customer to identify all possible problems that might be solved by my product or service?
• Get the customer to identify the value of solving the identified problems?
• Get agreement that the proposed solution provides the values identified?
• Ask for the order (“Why don’t we go ahead with this?”)?

8. Customer Maintenance

• Write thank you letters for appointments, orders and so on?
• Earn the right to ask for reference letters and referrals?
• Establish a schedule for follow-up calls and customer visits?
• Ask for referrals (“Do you know three people who could benefit from my product and service like you did?”)?
• Send thank-you notes to lost accounts?
• Ask what are three important things we can do as a vendor to keep our relationship strong?

This checklist will help you stay focused. If you need any help then be in touch with sales training programs will help you to do sales in a proper way.