Sales Methods. Customer-Oriented Solutions
Imagine the situation. Two customers enter the shop and look very much alike. Original branded suits and a famous brand of watch accentuate the similarity. They are almost the same age. The men spend a long time choosing what they want. One leaves with toys and sports equipment, while the other buys an elegant, expensive piece of jewellery.
So how are they different? They are actually two opposite segments of the target audience. The first has 2 children and is about to have a third. Two dogs and a house in the country. The second lives alone in a spacious flat, has a career and is not denying himself anything. If you offer the first person membership of a closed sports club or a single-seater convertible, for example, your advertising campaign is guaranteed to fail. But the same promotion, tailored to the second, will be successful and effective. Assessing a customer's motivation, ego triggers and trust markers is 90% of the work that leads to a sale.
Plan and scripts
Most successful salespeople use sales scripts, perhaps without even realising it. Some have a clear algorithm, while others, more experienced, intuitively pick up a conversational pattern. It doesn't matter whether you're selling offline and seeing the buyer's eyes, on the phone or in correspondence. When you close a deal, you're using a sales technique. Let's talk about it.
The specialists of Halla Systems Co. Ltd often encounter a situation where our clients and sometimes our partners do not have a clear understanding of the needs and motivations of their customers. Chaotic promotional efforts and lack of a clear plan lead to a drop in demand for the product they offer.
Halla Systems conducts a preliminary audit of the client's business, identifies competitive advantages, studies the target audience and business characteristics. Our specialists work with commitment, create scripts for specific products and use various methods and systems to build sales processes. Uniform rules and algorithms of interaction with the customer improve the quality of service and optimise the process of handling enquiries.
Active listening method
Knowing how to listen and hear. A salesperson who is able to listen attentively to the customer will be able to better understand their needs and wants. Ask questions, be genuinely interested in what the customer has to say. This will help you find the best solution. Active listening is a powerful sales technique. You should try to understand the customer's real problems and pain points. Reframe the customer's phrases and use them as a basis for persuasion. Ask open questions.
The CAB method: building a conversation with the customer
The CAB (Characteristics, Advantages, Benefits) method is a variation of the AIDA model. It is a great tool for structuring information about a product or service. It helps to structure the conversation with the buyer. Following the methodology, the salesperson first describes the features of the product, then talks about the benefits (why these features are important) and finally talks about what the customer will get from buying this product (what the benefits of these features are).
The BANT Method: Evaluating the sales process
How do you know if a prospect is "commercially viable"? The BANT (Budget, Authority, Needs, Timeline) method, which became popular in the 1960s, allows you to evaluate the sales process in general. It makes little sense to look for prospects whose budget is much lower than the cost of a salesperson. The process of analysis allows you to understand the customer's potential, whether they have the means. Is their need a priority? Which of the customers can accelerate the company's sales? By answering these questions, the salesperson can make the right decision.
SPANCO: Turning a prospect into a loyal customer
The SPANCO method (Security, Performance, Adaptability, Need, Cost, Overall impact) helps to focus on the key aspects that influence the customer's decision. With this method, it is easy to present a product by highlighting characteristics such as: safety, performance, adaptability to the customer's needs.
SONCAS: understanding customer motivation
SONCAS (Satisfaction, Ownership, Need, Comparison, Authority, Security) is a popular sales method that allows you to understand the customer's motivations and helps you to choose the right and valuable arguments. The customer does not want to take risks. They are often interested in unusual or rare goods, prestige and their inaccessibility to a wide range of people. To eliminate possible objections, it is necessary to give the customer a clear argumentation describing: guarantees, certification and quality.
SIMAC: attract attention to better convince
To sell something to an Internet user, it is necessary to attract his attention, to stand out from the competition. From the mass of distracting and entertaining content.
At the crossroads of the four previous sales methods, the SIMAC method allows you to develop a commercial proposal that will attract and interest a potential customer. The five letters of the acronym stand for five different stages of the sales process - Solution, Information, Money, Authority, Consequences.
Customer-centric solutions
Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to selling. Therefore, every salesperson should study the habits of their target audience in order to implement an effective sales strategy. Never "sell" a product. No amount of sales scripts, super salespeople or gimmicks will help. If your product doesn't solve a customer's problem, there's a 99.9% chance that no one will want to pay for it.
In just a few years, the world has moved from "self-centred" promotion of a product or brand to customer-centred solutions. Digitalisation has changed the way customers shop. They are no longer looking for the lowest price or the best value for money. Today, it is important not only to adapt to their new expectations, but also to anticipate their demands.