How can you sell more? You need to sell better. To do this, you must engage the heart (emotional side), the head (rational side) and the portfolio (materialistic side) of a customer, while building a strong relationship with him. The proposal that you make must appeal to all 3 facets in order to close the sale and develop customer loyalty.

Like the foundation of a house, the relationship you weave with the client supports the rest of the process. It is crucial, and it develops based on your ability to listen. Interestingly, the correlation between listening and the likelihood of making a sale is clear. A study conducted by the renowned American university, UCLA, proved that when a customer speaks more than the salesperson then the sale is made easier. Conversely, if the sales representative speaks more, the sale is less likely.

Putting the customer at the heart of the sales process via your listening skills is a necessity. To deepen the relationship, you must develop an extreme receptivity so as to ‘read’ the person: be able to quickly identify his moods, values, motivations and way of decision making.

Once the foundations of the relationship are laid, there are three facets of the customer to appeal to — namely his heart, his head and his wallet — in order to optimize the result of the sales process.

REACH A CUSTOMER’S HEART: THE ART OF GAB

Making a sale is like a process of seduction. As with any budding relationship, it takes a preamble. Show first that you are interested and then be interesting.

You must first put your client at ease; encourage him to talk about himself, his interests, passions, and motivations. Find a common denominator. Throughout the sales process, expand your conversation. Adjust your style and approach as necessary to make the other person more receptive to what you are saying. A person who opens up to you and laughs is one who, the majority of the time, will accept your proposal.

Keep this mission in mind: Your customer should have fun in doing business with you. I truly believe this is the foundation of any relationship.

REACH A CUSTOMER’S HEAD: THE KEY DATA

After your entertaining exchange full of lightness, it’s time to shift gears to the proposal. Ask permission from your customer to ask questions so that you can determine how to better service him. There is a very wise Japanese proverb that says: “To ask will cost you perhaps only a moment of embarrassment; to not ask could mean being embarrassed for a lifetime.”

To help you ask the right questions, you can adopt the S.D.C.S. model:

• Questions of situation
• Questions of dissatisfaction
• Questions of consequences of inaction
• Questions of proposed solutions (that emphasize the customer)

By modeling your questions after the above, you will uncover the person’s true needs and in doing so you will discover the need behind the need! You can then build your sales pitch from what he has revealed.

This is also the perfect time to weave into your conversation the reputation of your organization, your policies, and testimonials from satisfied customers. In short, highlight the “branding” of the organization to appeal to the rational side (head) of your client.

REACH A CUSTOMER’S WALLET: BRINGING SOLUTIONS AND VALUE

Do you know why most people like to buy? The novelty of what you are offering, the chance to have peace of mind, or the desire to win or save money (access a good price) are the most common reasons. Moreover, people buy in order to improve their situation.

Your proposal should not only address these needs but also demonstrate to the customer that the solution you are offering has real added value and offers a return on investment. In short, you must make him feel that he made a good deal.

At a time when the average customer is more informed, demanding, critical and disloyal than ever, it is crucial that you distinguish yourself from your competition, or even reinvent yourself when necessary.

In our sales development programs, we teach participants how skilled sales professionals get the customer to buy from them, how they can distinguish themselves from the competition through a unique selling proposition (15 words) and how to create a real value for the customer.

To be able to appeal to the heart, head and wallet involves techniques and a process that can be learned by anyone (you don’t have to be a natural-born salesperson). Our way offers guaranteed success for any business needing effective sales teams.

The Impact-Pro Team