Salespeople Can Provide Assistance To Their Customers By:
• Asking questions• Assisting customer in selecting product• Demonstration product features• Explaining customer benefits• Answering customer objections• Asking the customer to buy• Suggesting additional merchandise• Reassuring the customer
What to Learn About Your Products or Services
• Appearance• Material composition• Manufacturing process• Uses of product• Performance of product• Service of product• Care of product• Product brands• Price of product• Product competition• Related items
Sources of Product Information
• merchandise itself• salespeople• customers• personal experience• merchandise publications• other sources
PURPOSE OF THE APPROACH:
• Welcome the customer• Gain the customer’s confidence
and trust• Direct the customer’s attention to
the product
QUALIFYING YOUR CUSTOMER
•Observe your customer•Give a selling statement•Ask questions•Listen to your customer
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING
• Prepare to listen• Stop talking and listen• Pay attention• Look and act interested• Don’t interrupt• Give customer time to think• Use listening responses• Practice listening
STEPS IN PLANNING A FEATURE-BENEFIT SALES PRESENTATION
STEP 1 Identify your product features.STEP 2 Learn your product’s performance
and what it will do for the customer.STEP 3 Translate product features into buyer
benefits.STEP 4 Develop qualifying questions to
determine your customer’s buying motives.
A Product Feature…• is anything you can:
-See or hear -Feel or touch -Smell or taste
• answers the question: What is It?
A Buyer Benefit…
• Is a gain, satisfaction, or personal benefit received by the customer.• Answers the question: What does
it mean to me? Or how will I benefit?
HOW TO TRANSLATE PRODUCT FEATURES INTO BUYER BENEFITS
1. List the product features.2. Determine what each feature
will do for the customer.3. Explain how your customer will
benefit from the product performance.
TYPES OF QUALIFYING QUESTIONS
• WHO will use the product?• WHAT does your customer expect from
the product?• WHERE will the product be used?• HOW will the product be used?• WHEN is the product needed?• WHAT are your customer’s likes and
dislikes?
HOW TO ANSWER CUSTOMER OBJECTIONS
• Listen to the objection• Pause before answering• Show empathy for your customer• Restate the objection• Answer the objection
Techniques for Answering Objections
• Yes, but• Direct denial• Superior point• Boomerang• Question• Demonstration• Third-party• Close on an objection
CLOSING TECHNIQUES
• Ask-Your-Customers-To-Buy Close• Choice Close• Assumption Close• Advantages-and-Disadvantages Close• Premium Close• Last-Chance-To-Buy Close• Standing-Room-Only Close• Testimonial Close• Objection Close• Related-Merchandise Close• Others
Suggestion Selling Is…
• A personal service to the customer.• A reminder to customers of needed
merchandise.• A help to customers in satisfying their needs
and wants.• A benefit to the business, salesperson, and
customer.
Business Benefits From Suggestion Selling Through…
• Increased profits•Better satisfied customers• Improved store image•Better satisfied salespeople
WHAT TO SUGGEST TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
• Related Merchandise• New Merchandise• Larger Quantities of Merchandise• Better Quality Merchandise• Merchandise Specials• Merchandise for Special Occasions