The Business Contact

Converting the prospect’s attention from the social contact to the business proposal is an

important part of the approach. When you convert and hold your prospect’s attention,

you have fulfilled an important step in the selling process. Furthermore, without this step,

the door has been closed on completing the remaining steps of the sale.

Some salespeople use a carefully planned opening statement or a question to attract

the customer’s attention to the sales presentation. A statement or question that focuses

on the prospect’s dominant buying motive is, of course, more likely to achieve the desired

results. Buyers must like what they see and hear, and must be made to feel that it will be

worthwhile to hear more.

CONVERTING THE BUYER’S ATTENTION

AND AROUSING INTEREST

T hroughout the years, salespeople have identified and used a number of effective

ways to capture the prospect’s attention and arouse interest in the presentation. Seven of

the most common will be explained in the following material:

■ Agenda approach

■ Product demonstration approach

■ Referral approach

■ Customer benefit approach

■ Question approach

■ Survey approach

■ Premium approach

We also discuss combining two or more of these approaches.

Agenda Approach One of the most effective ways to move from the social contact to

the business contact is to thank the customer for taking time to meet with you and then

review your goals for the meeting. You might say, “Thank you for meeting with me this

morning. I would like to accomplish three things during the time you have given me.”

This statement shows that you value the person’s time and have preplanned a specific

agenda. Always be open to changing the agenda based on suggestions from the customer.

26 This approach is welcomed by buyers in multi-call situations.

Product Demonstration Approach This straightforward method of getting the prospect’s

attention can be achieved by showing the actual product, a sample, a mock-up, a

video, or a well-prepared brochure either in print form or on a computer screen. It is a

popular approach used by sales representatives who sell convention services, technical

products, pharmaceuticals, photographic equipment, automobiles, construction equipment,

office furniture, and many other products. In many multi-call situations, salespeople

leave samples for the customer to examine and try at a later date. Trish Ormsby,

a sales representative who sells security systems, uses her portable computer to create a

visual image of systems that meet the customer’s security needs. 27

Referral Approach Research indicates that another person will be far more impressed

with your good points if these points are presented by a third party rather than by you.

The referral approach is quite effective because a third party—a satisfied customer—

believes the prospect will benefit from your product. This type of opening statement has

universal appeal among salespeople from nearly every field. When you use the referral

approach, your opening statement should include a direct reference to the third party.

Here is an example: “Mrs. Follett, my name is Kurt Wheeler, and I represent the Cross

Printing Company. We specialize in printing all types of business forms. Mr. Ameno—

buyer for Raybale Products, Incorporated—is a regular customer of ours, and he suggested

I mention his name to you.”

Customer Benefit Approach One of the most effective ways to gain a prospect’s

attention is to immediately point out benefits of purchasing your solution or value proposition.

As noted in Chapter 7 , the benefit could focus on either the product, company, or

salesperson. Begin with the most important issue (or problem) facing the client. When

using this approach, the most important buyer benefit is included in the initial statement.

For example, the salesperson selling a portable Sony projector might open with

this statement:

The Sony VPL-CS4 lightweight projector strikes a balance among cost, size, brightness,

and convenience. It’s a good choice for a quick business trip or for a work-at-home

Selling in Action

Effective Design and Use of the Business Card

The business card continues to be a powerful tool for

salespeople. It provides a personal touch in our high-tech

world. The business card is a convenient way to communicate

important information to customers and others

involved in the sales process. When you develop your business

card, keep these tips in mind.

■ Use eye-catching items such as your company logo,

raised letters, and textured paper. The card should

be tasteful and pleasing to the eye. Do use a white

background.

■ The card should feature all current contact information

such as your email address, telephone numbers,

and mailing address. List a home phone number only

if there’s a second line for business calls.

■ Consider using both sides of the card. You might

print your customer service philosophy on the back

of the card or list the products you sell.

Give your cards generously to anyone who might need

to contact you later. Always offer your business card when

networking. The card is useful when the contact tells others

about your products or services. How you respond to

someone else’s business card is important also. According

to communications trainer Mark Jeffries, mentioned earlier,

when someone hands you their business card, find

something about it you can comment on before putting it

away. You can comment on things such as the design, the

company, or the individual’s title. He contends that people

will have a favorable memory of you, if done successfully.

A company benefit example taken from the financial services field:

When you meet with a Scotia McLeod investment specialist, you can obtain advice on a

family of 48 professionally managed no-load mutual funds.

The customer benefit approach is also used with what is sometimes referred to as the

elevator speech. The elevator speech focuses on the benefit of working with the salesperson

and is used to open the door and establish credibility to meet a need. It is about offering

to take excellent care of the prospect. The elevator speech should be short, prepared well

in advance, and extensively rehearsed before it is used. It is used most appropriately in the

initial call on a prospect where the prequalifying research indicates that the buyer is more

interested in the benefits of working with a highly qualified salesperson than finding a

new product solution or supplier. Here is an employment services example of a salesperson

benefit statement using the elevator speech approach:

Hello, I’m Kevin Zhang. I partner with companies like yours that need to find talented

people to help their business grow and become more profitable.

As noted, the key to achieving success with the customer benefit approach is preparation.

Prospects are annoyed when a salesperson cannot quickly communicate the benefits

of meeting with them. Bruce Klassen, sales manager for Do All Industrial Supply, says,

“Our salespeople begin the sales process by researching the prospect and the company.

We need to be sure that our product line is going to benefit that prospect before we make

even an initial sales approach.” 28

Question Approach The question approach has two positive features. First, a question

almost always triggers prospect involvement. Very few people will avoid answering a

direct question. Second, a question gets the prospect thinking about a problem that the

salesperson is prepare to solve.

244 P a r t V D e v e l o p i n g a P re s e n t a t i o n S t r a t e g y

Molly Hoover, a sales training consultant, conducts training classes for sales managers

and car dealers who want to better understand the subtleties of selling to the female car

buyer. She suggests an approach that includes a few basic questions such as:

Is the vehicle for business or pleasure?

Will you be buying within the next week or so? 29

These opening need-related questions will be discussed in detail in the next chapter

and are generally not difficult to answer, yet they get the customer mentally involved.

Some of the best opening questions are carefully phrased to capture attention. The

authors of The Sales Question Book offer some good examples:

Are you aware that we just added three new services to our payroll and accounting package?

Could I tell you about them?

We are now offering all our customers a special service that used to be reserved for

our largest accounts. Would you be interested in hearing about it? 30

Once you ask the question, listen carefully to the response. If the answer is yes, proceed

with an enthusiastic presentation of your product. If the answer is no, then you may

have to gracefully try another approach or thank the prospect for their time and depart.

The use of questions will be discussed in detail in the next chapter and will provide information

on the specific types of questions to use to approach your customer.

Survey Approach Astrid Goodman is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Fellow

of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI), this latter designation being the highest

honour in Canadian financial services. She is also a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).

Astrid Goodman wears three hats and provides advice in three areas: financial management,

investment management, and risk management. When she meets with potential

clients, she follows closely the process prescribed by the Financial Planning Standards

Council of Canada. Early in the process, she must gather client data to understand the

client’s goals and expectations. She must also ask a series of questions, perform a number

of calculations, and compile reports to determine the client’s financial status: where he

or she stands currently, including any problems or opportunities that might exist. 31 Data

collection through the survey approach is an important part of the problem-solving philosophy

of selling. It is often also used in selling office machines, business security systems,

and other products where need cannot be established without careful study.

The survey approach offers many advantages. It is generally a nonthreatening way

to open a sales call. You are simply asking permission to acquire information that can be

used to determine the buyer’s need for your product or service. Because the survey is tailormade

for a specific business, the buyer is given individual treatment. Finally, the survey

approach helps avoid a premature discussion of price. Price cannot be discussed until the

survey is completed and the client’s needs are completely understood. We will discuss the

survey and needs discovery in detail in Chapter 11 .

Premium Approach The premium approach involves giving the customer a free sample

or an inexpensive item. A financial services representative might give the customer a booklet

that can be used to record expenses. Product samples are frequently used by persons who

sell cosmetics. Creative use of premiums is an effective way to get the customer’s attention.

The agenda, product demonstration, referral, customer benefit, question, survey,

and premium approaches offer the salesperson a variety of ways to set the stage for the presentation strategy. With experience, salespeople learn to select the most effective approach for each selling situation. Table 10.1 provides examples of how these approaches can be applied in real-world situations.

Combination Approaches A hallmark of consultative selling is flexibility. Therefore,

a combination of approaches sometimes provides the best avenue to need identification.

Table 10.1 Business Contact Worksheet

This worksheet illustrates how to prepare effective real-world approaches that capture the customer’s attention.

Method of Approach What will you say?

1. Agenda 1. (Office supply) “Thank you for meeting with me, Ms. Zhou. During the next 45 minutes,

I plan to accomplish three things.”

2. Product demonstration 2a. (Retail clothing) “We have just received a shipment of new fall sweaters from Braemar

International.”

2b. (Business forms manufacturer) “Our plant has just purchased a $300 000 Harris

Graphics composer, Mr. Reichart. I would like to show you a copy of your sales invoice

with your logo printed on it.”

3. Referral 3. (Food wholesaler) “Paula Doeman, procurement manager for St. Joseph’s Hospital, suggested

that I provide you with information about our computerized ‘Order It’ system.”

4. Customer benefit 4. (Real estate) “Mr. and Mrs. Stuart, my company lists and sells more homes than any

other company in the area where your home is located. Our past performance would

lead me to believe we can sell your home within two weeks.”

5. Question 5. (Hotel convention services) “Mrs. McClaughin, will your 2011 Annual Franchisee

Meeting be held in April?”

6. Survey 6a. (Custom-designed computer software) “Mr. Pham, I would like the opportunity to learn

about your accounts receivable and accounts payable procedures. We may be able to

develop a customized program that will significantly improve your cash flow.”

6b. (Retail menswear) “May I ask you a few questions about your wardrobe? The information

will help me better understand your clothing needs.”

7. Premium 7. (Financial services) “I would like to give you a publication entitled Guaranteed Growth

Annuity .”

Sales personnel who have adopted the consultative style will, of course, use the question

and survey approaches most frequently. Some selling situations, however, require that

one of the other approaches be used, either alone or in combination with the question

and survey approaches (see Fig. 10.4 ). An example of how a salesperson might combine

referral and question approaches follows:

Salesperson: Carl Hamilton at Simmons Modern Furniture suggested that I visit with

you about our new line of compact furniture designed for today’s smaller

homes. He believes this line might complement the furniture you currently

feature.

Customer: Yes, Carl called me yesterday and mentioned your name and company.

Salesperson: Before showing you our product lines, I would like to ask you some questions

about your current product mix. First, what do you currently carry in

the area of bedroom furniture?

Suggesting the use of a combination approach, noted sales authority Linda Richardson

of Richardson Learning Systems advises to “go in armed to the gills with a full

portfolio of knowledge, insights, data, and ideas. Use that portfolio to engage customers

by sharing insights and asking business challenge questions that show that you know what

you are talking about and that lead into your value. Intelligent questions provide as much

insight as answers. They give you insights into the customer’s thinking and jumpstart the

collaborative process. They also help you validate that your insight is relevant.” 32

Coping with Sales Call Reluctance

The transition from the preapproach to the approach is sometimes blocked by sales call

reluctance. Fear of making the initial contact with the prospect is one of the biggest

obstacles to sales success. For new salespeople, the problem can be career-threatening.

Sales call reluctance includes thoughts, feelings, and behavioural patterns that conspire

to limit what a salesperson is able to accomplish. It is an internal, often emotional, barrier

to sales success. Sales call reluctance can be caused by several different thought patterns: 33

■ Fear of taking risks

■ Fear of group presentations

■ Lack of self-confidence

■ Fear of rejection

Regardless of the reasons for sales call reluctance, you can learn to deal with it. Here

are some suggestions:

■ Be optimistic about the outcome of the initial contact. It is better to anticipate success

than to anticipate failure. Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University

of Pennsylvania and author of the bestselling book Learned Optimism, says that

success in selling requires a healthy dose of optimism. 34 It is important to frequently

recommit yourself to the double-win, value-adding approach to working with customers

discussed earlier. The anticipation of failure is a major barrier to making the

initial contact.

■ Practise your approach before making the initial contact. A well-rehearsed effort to make

the initial contact increases your self-confidence and reduces the possibility that you

may handle the situation badly.

■ Recognize that it is normal to feel anxious about the initial contact. Even the most experienced

salespeople experience some degree of sales call reluctance, and this reluctance

can surface anywhere in the sales process.

■ Develop a deeper commitment to your goals. Abraham Zaleznik, professor emeritus at

Harvard Business School, says, “If your commitment is only in your mind, then you’ll

lose it when you encounter a big obstacle. If your commitment is in your heart and

your mind, you’ll create the power to break through the toughest obstacles.”