how to make selling easy by daniel m. wood

How to Make Selling Easy – By Daniel M. Wood


Copyright

Thank you for downloading this E-book, I hope you find it useful and that it inspires you to

take the next step on your path to success.

This E-book is written by Daniel M. Wood of http://lookingtobusiness.com, the popular blog

about Sales, Motivation and Success.

You may share the book with anyone you think can benefit from it, in fact I implore you to do so as

it might lead to them sharing something of equal use to you.

The only condition is that you do not change the E-book and that credit be given to the author

if you if you quote or paraphrase from the book.

I hope you find the book useful to yourself and those around you.

Good luck!

http://lookingtobusiness.com/


Index

Copyright

Foreword

The Mindset of a Star Salesman

The 5 Traits of the Star Salesman

Four Techniques to Improve Your Efficiency

How to Make Selling Easy, Finding Leads

Cold Calling

Getting Referrals

The Sales Process

How to Make a Good First Impression

The “Needs Analysis” That Wins You the Sale

Taking the Needs Analysis and Making it a Solution

Why Do Customers Have Objections?

How to Know Exactly When and How to Go for the Close

How to Go for the Close

How to Follow Up – and Keep your Customers

Repeat Customers

The Power of YOU

Ten Actions That Will Make You a Better Salesman

About the Author

2

4

6

7

9

11

12

14

16

17

19

21

22

24

26

27

29

31

34

36


Foreword

This book is written with the intent to show you how easy selling can be.

We often make the sales process a lot more complicated than it has to be. In reality sales doesn’t

have to be hard at all, you just have to understand what is actually going on between you and the

customer. Once you grasp this you will be able to improve your technique – and increase your sales

– very fast.

When I was starting out as a salesman I unfortunately didn’t receive much training, I knew nothing

about the sales process and nothing about why customers bought what I was trying to sell.

I would go into a sales meeting expecting my customers to rationally evaluate my service offer and

reach a conclusion about whether or not they needed it.

I hadn’t realized that all decisions customers make are first and foremost an emotional decision –

followed by an attempt to justify the decision with logical arguments.

But it is the emotional decision that comes first...

This I didn’t know - and not knowing this, needless to say, I missed a lot of potential sales.

One day I spoke to a friend of mine who was working as a salesman in another company, a

company which had invested 3 months of training him in sales technique.

He told me about the sales process and how a sale should be conducted in a certain order.

I was astounded; there was actually a method for what I was doing!

He continued by helping me make my sales process fluid and smooth.

Armed with this new knowledge I went out into the world again, and my sales started to go and up

and up.

But still I felt as though my technique was lacking.

I hadn’t really understood all the components, even though I now used them in the right order.

One day while discussing with another salesman he said something that once again changed my

perception of the sales process.

He told me:

“Every sales meeting is like a mental battle between you and the customer. They are fending you off

by presenting excuses, objections and impossible conditions that makes the timing wrong and

creates obstacles.

Your job is to answer by showing them the need, use and value.

The two of you cancel each other out. The thing that tips the balance is YOU!

If they like you and want to buy from you, they will. If not, they won’t.”

From that day forward my sales technique changed completely.

It was when I realized that I had to be such an interesting person and have a presence that make the


customers like me and want to do business with me that I became a very good salesman.

I have to be interesting and likable. These capacities help me make the customer take the emotional

decision to buy.

Until then I had just tried to provide enough “need, use and value” and didn’t understand that while

they were evaluating my product they were also evaluating me.

In this book we will be looking at the mindset you need to succeed, the process you need to follow

and the effect of your own personality in the process.

If you implement these techniques, incorporate and adapt them into your current sales

process, you will find that this logical methodology will help you to build and sustain a wide

and sustainable customer base, earning you a considerable income.


The Mindset of a Star Salesman

The Right Mindset Will Take You 90 Percent of the Way

All good salesmen have some things in common, which all relate to their mindset. By adopting the

techniques and ethics of the top salesmen you will, before long, be one as well.

When you read this book, try to take a hard look at yourself and see what your weaknesses are. The

sales process is a chain, and as is the case with the proverbial chain, it is never stronger that the

weakest link. The link that breaks first is the point at which all your sales will die. Identify this –

and then other weaknesses – and work on them.

To become the best you have to be willing to look at yourself objectively and be able to see yourself

as someone else would. From that perspective you have to make the necessary changes that will

move you towards success.


The 5 Traits of the Star Salesman

1 Hunger

Any salesman of quality needs hunger, the driving force that will push him or her to excel. It doesn't

make any difference what this force is fuelled by: money, prestige or just the will to win. As long as

the hunger is powerful, it will make you exceed yourself.

In my mind this is the most important trait of all – where it starts and ends. If the hunger is not

there, you will not make it as a salesperson. Without hunger the other skills remain un-used.

If you today don’t feel hungry about your work, try to think about why, it is necessary that you

make changes and try to find reasons to be motivated.

Setting long term and short term goals for yourself works for many as a strong motivation. Read

more about goal setting in this article (http://lookingtobusiness.com/stamina-fitness/how-to-set-

goals-that-will-make-you-rich)

2 A thirst for knowledge

A star salesman wants to know everything about the product, the industry, the competition and the

customers. He or she always wants to be prepared to answer any question or meet any objection

from the customers.

The salesman who tries to sidestep any question immediately gets suspected of trying to sell a shady

product and will therefore not be perceived as a person one wants to do business with.

3 Pride

Showing pride in yourself and your company is very important. Customers quickly notice if you are

not at ease and if you are not proud of your product, its features and benefits.

If you do not believe in your product, why should they?

4 Discipline

Sales is hard and tedious work. Day in and day out you do the same thing, over and over.

Being able to do it at a continuously high level takes a lot of discipline. To constantly work on your

techniques and skills demands an iron will and a strong personality. But this capacity is the core of a

quality salesman.

5 Confidence

Going into a room to make a presentation for the CEO, some members of the board and a group of

high-level executives requires guts. You must be able to stand up straight and say "This is me, this is

the company I work for, and this is why we are the BEST partner for you!"

http://lookingtobusiness.com/stamina-fitness/how-to-set-goals-that-will-make-you-rich

http://lookingtobusiness.com/stamina-fitness/how-to-set-goals-that-will-make-you-rich


What do You Need to be Prepared for When Starting out in Sales?

The reason most people fail in sales is that they aren’t prepared for the rejections they will be

confronted with all day, nor are they willing to muster the enormous effort it takes to excel.

Becoming a good salesman demands hard work. To become a star you have to work longer, harder

and smarter than everyone else.

But the rewards make it all worth it!

Determination and thick skin

As you start out you might be overwhelmed and shocked by the attitude of some of your potential

customers. Don’t take it personally! It has nothing to do with you. The reason people act the way

they do is because they are stressed, tired and have a lot to do. The fact that you want to help them

doesn’t even occur to them. In their eyes you are yet another distraction, someone trying to steal

their time and their company’s money.

The magic of timing and activity

You might think that all that it takes is skill to make a break-through. Indeed, skill will help, but

actually timing is an even stronger factor. Often the only way to get the timing right is to call on so

many customers, and so often, that finally and at last – you get a break.

Anyone can be a salesman

Some people think that it takes a certain type of person to become skilled at sales, that you have to

be born with it. I do not agree. Time and time again I have seen this theory being proven wrong by

people, who through hard work and dedication have become some of the best sales people I have

ever worked with.


Four Techniques to Improve Your Efficiency

If you do not have it, the natural talent, it will take a lot of hard work to excel. Through studies of

different time management methods I have found four techniques that I would like to share with

you. They will help you improve your efficiency.

1. Organizing your day

Start every day by listing everything you need to do during the day. Arrange the list by order

of importance, starting with the most important. The list will give you an overview of the

tasks of the day, and a sense of control. Since the list guarantees that you will not forget to

do something important it allows you to focus single-mindedly on the first task until it is

finished. When it is done, move on to the second task and so on until you have done

everything you needed to do today.

Try to devote as much time as possible to talking to and meeting customers.

2. Planning your week

This is the same principle as when you plan your day – just in a larger format. By planning

your weeks you will get a good overview, and you will be able to find a balance between

tasks you enjoy, and tasks you are less fond of. Through better planning you will get all the

important tasks done, avoid repeating tasks unnecessarily, and make your days more

enjoyable.

One method I find useful is to focus certain duties to specific days every week, instead of

going back and forth between assignments.

For example you could do all your prospecting on Mondays, have meetings on Tuesdays,

Wednesdays and Thursdays and follow up on old customers on Fridays.

3. The 15-minutes method - Don’t let procrastination take over I picked up this technique from Steve Pavlina, www.stevepavlina.com. It is a very powerful

method if you have problems getting started on different activities. Many salesmen dread

cold calling and prospecting, and lose a lot of time by loitering about instead of getting

cracking at it.

I have met salesmen who would spend an hour preparing themselves for one call, trying to

get psyched up, going to get coffee, looking at the script, getting more coffee and then,

finally, making one phone call. Some even have to repeat the whole procedure again before

coping with call number two.

The 15-minutes method is a good solution to this problem. All you do is to promise yourself

to work on a task for 15 minutes, no longer. Once you have devoted those 15 minutes you

can take a break or do something you enjoy.

The promise, though, entails that you are completely focused on your task during those 15

minutes. You do nothing else and let nothing distract you.

Start by clearing your desk and you mind, take a deep breath and set a timer for 15 minutes.

Once you start the clock, get to work.

4. Personal Rewards

This method has been the most effective tool for me: Whenever I do something good, I give

myself a reward. It makes the psyche start yearning to do well, because it wants the reward.

http://www.stevepavlina.com/


You can give yourself a reward every time you call a customer, every time you book an

appointment, every time you make a sale and so on.

Before long you can’t wait to call a customer, to meet them, to close the deal with them!

Work Harder, Smarter, Faster and Better This is the one most important lesson of this book: To excel as a salesperson you need to work

harder, smarter, faster and better than anyone else. If you are going to be the best, you need to call

upon and meet more customers than your peers. Practice constantly and work on finding ways to

increase your time in front of customers.

Meeting more customers means that you make more money as a salesman. Especially if you are

new, meeting as many customers as possible will help you learn as quickly as possible.

You can do it!


How to Make Selling Easy

Finding Leads

Imagine that every day at work was filled with discussions with customers who felt they needed

your services? Customers, who had either bought from you before, knew someone who had or

who really could benefit from your product or service?

Your job would be easy, enjoyable and your income would go through the roof!

Your long term aim as a salesman is to fill your pipeline with new prospects in need of your

services, build a base of repeat customers, and through them get referrals to new potential clients.

Finding new customers can be done mainly in three ways:

They respond to your marketing,

You get them through referrals,

Or find them through cold calling.

Since the marketing is done by a different department I will not be discussing this issue in this

book, but I do want to highlight its importance and remind you that your company’s marketing

can greatly affect your potential success as a salesman. Make sure they are doing a good job!


Cold Calling

Cold calling is when you call a customer who hasn’t asked you to contact them. You do not know

if they are looking for help with the problem you solve, and they are at the moment not

interested in, and perhaps not even aware of, your company.

Although it is usually easier to close a deal with “hot” customers, i.e. those who have contacted

you themselves, I have always found great pleasure in finding customers through cold calling.

Being able to persuade someone that your product or service is exactly what they have been

looking for and what they need – without knowing it – is a challenge and an extreme thrill when

you complete it.

I remember a call I made, and the following discussion I had with the vice president and owner

of a company selling office supplies, about the effectiveness of his office and sales staff. He

spent little or no money on improving his employees´ performances. If he needed new

competence he would try to hire a new person with a profile that fitted the new need.

I phoned him about training his sales staff and started explaining the benefits of a good training

program. In the beginning he was very negative, and he actually hung up twice. I waited a day

and called again. I presented him with examples of how much money it would save him to

improve the already employed salesmen rather than to have to spend time looking for new staff,

interviewing and to give them a basic introduction. My argument was that his present staff would

be stimulated and energized by his trust in them. All this would allow him to focus more on

running and improving his business.

This argument struck a chord within him. If he didn’t have to recruit all the time he could work

on long term strategies and the development of his business!

We booked a meeting and to this day he is still one of my best customers. He sends his staff on

regular training courses when he feels that they need added knowledge, competence and

enthusiasm. This has given him the added benefit that he has a reputation as a good employer

and it is much easier for him to recruit new staff as they know he will help them improve.

Cold calling requires an extra touch

Cold calls require a few steps before you will be able to move the new costumer into the regular

sales process. Customers who already are interested can easily be won through the regular steps

of the sales process. We will discuss these steps later in this book.


Four Easy Steps for Cold Calling

Step 1:

Qualify the customer

As you know, not everyone needs your services and not everyone can benefit from you product.

It is a complete waste of time to call a company that doesn’t need your help.

If you have not done so already, you need to create an image of your ideal customer: What is his

or her business? What size of company are we talking about? What needs can you meet?

Whatever is important to what you are selling.

This is a necessary tool and you should keep improving it. If you make sure that the customers

you call fulfill your criteria you will optimize the way you spend your time.

Step 2:

Identify the person to talk to Find out what position in the company is responsible for the area you work with. It can be the

Head of Purchasing, the IT-Manager, CEO, CFO, a Sales Manager or the HR-Manager.

Often you can identify the right person on the company website. If not, you can use other

resources like LinkedIn – or just call the switch board and ask.

Spend 5-10 minutes identifying the person you need to talk to. That is time well invested.

Step 3:

Have a clear set goal

Whenever you are making a cold call you need to know exactly what your goal is.

Is your goal to make a sale, book a meeting or transmit information?

Visualize the goal in your mind, so that you can make it clear to the customer.

You must never be unsure about your goal. If you are not sure about your aim, you will not be

able to make the point convincingly enough to catch the interest of the customer.

Step 4:

Get to the point quickly

Now that you know the goal, you must get to it in the brief time you have at your disposal before

the customer loses interest.

If your goal is to book a meeting, don’t spend ten minutes presenting your product – you want to

do that at the meeting! Simply get the customer to open the calendar and set a time for you to

come by. However, it might be a good idea to send some information. Before you hang up, offer

to send a brief introduction to your company and product. Do it nicely and efficiently – don’t

waste your time!

If you do your sale over the phone, be polite, catch the customers’ interest, and get to the point.


Getting Referrals

Customers who have been recommended to talk to you are always easier to work with, as they

probably already have a certain amount of trust in your product and are prepared to at least hear

your offer.

This means your complete focus can be on moving them smoothly through the sales process.

So, how do you get referrals?

Referrals come from happy repeat customers, if you keep disappointing your customers by

promises you are unable to meet, you might as well skip this part of this book and move on to

how to close as many deals as possible.

If you are trying to build a strong brand and positive reputation you have to make sure your

customers like you and your products.

Three easy ways to get referrals

Option 1:

Send your customers an e-mail

After having closed a deal, follow up your service by sending an e-mail saying that you hope the

customer is pleased. Take the opportunity to ask for a testimonial, and encourage the customer to

let colleagues, contacts and friends know about your services and encourage them to contact you

if they also need assistance.

Option 2:

Book a meeting with the sole goal of trying to get referrals

You can book a meeting with a satisfied customer and show them some benefits that they get by

referring others to you. You can offer incentives or you can make them see that if your company

makes more money you can spend more on improving your products.

Option 3:

Be so extraordinary that they can’t resist you

If you manage to be an extraordinarily attentive salesperson, who delivers more than what you

have promised, your customers will want to tell others about your services.

Work on your customer service and see if there is anything you can do to improve the quality of

your products for your customers.

The value you receive from referrals makes this investment of time, efforts and expense well

worth it.

Conclusion

It is easy to get referrals if you spend some time developing relationships. The benefits you get


are invaluable. Your success in this area boils down to how pleased your customers are.

Focus on your products and customer relations first, and then you can start working on

techniques to get your satisfied clients to refer you to others.


The Sales Process

Once you have filled your pipe with high quality prospects you need to move your customers

through the sales process. You do this by addressing their questions and needs – by accumulating

value in the relationship.

If you break the process down to its most basic parts you will see that it consists of a series of

steps, taken one at a time in an order that brings you forward towards the goal. If you follow this

simple methodology, selling doesn’t have to be harder than each little step, the first impression,

the needs analysis, the product presentation, answering objection, trial closes, asking for the

order and creating repeat customers, as I describe below.


How to Make a Good First Impression

Making a good first impression is very important in sales, whether you sell over the phone or in

person. We tend to judge the people we meet within the first 10 seconds, and decide who they are

and if they are worth listening to.

In our line of work most first impressions take place over the phone. We call to book a meeting

or we call to make a sale. It is not so much what you say during those first seconds that decide if

the customer will listen – it is how you say it. Do you sound interesting? Do you sound serious?

Does it sound like you are going to take up a lot of their time?

How to Sound Interesting

1. Speak up!

When calling someone for the first time, raise your voice to catch the attention of the person that

answers. Let him or her know: Here I am, this is me and now you better listen. (But do not

overdo it!)

2. Get to the point

Present the reason for your call during the first 10 seconds.

If the customer has to spend more than 10 seconds to figure out what you want he or she will

lose patience, get bored and cut you off.

3. Don’t sound like a robot

Do not sound like you read from a script, mindlessly repeating the same phrases to everybody.

Every call is unique. This is how you show that you are attentive and give personal service.

Address the customer by his or her name – but not too often. Do it in a polite and intelligent way.

If you use the customer’s name too often it becomes irritating and you actually underline that

you are trying to create a feeling of intimacy where there really is none.

4. Tempo Changes

There is nothing more annoying than listening to someone drone on in the same tone of voice, at

the same speed. Change your tempo; underline important sentences by slowing down and saying

them clearly. Raise the tempo when you want the customer to feel excited and when you want to

show how passionate you feel about the product and its values.

First impressions in person

The things you need to think about if you are making a first impression in person are a bit

different. Or rather, there are two additional things you need to think about.

Appearance The only difference between selling over the phone and in person is that the customer sees you,

thus the two additional aspects in person to person sales has do with your appearance.

Clothes


Dress properly. Dress as your customers would expect you to dress. If they expect to see

a suit, wear a suit. If they prefer jeans and a t-shirt, that is what you should be wearing.

Smile

Always smile when meeting someone for the first time. A smile makes people relax and

feel happy. A simple smile can make up for any shortcomings concerning the other tips.

How to use the first 10 seconds effectively

Do not be discouraged by the fact that you basically have 10 seconds to catch your customers’

attention. Instead, work on making the opening of your presentation interesting, compelling and

worth listening to. Surprise your audience. Speak up, get to the point, present a surprising fact –

and underline this by slowing down. All in the first 10 seconds.

Action Exercises

Try writing down different opening phrases and see if you can find a good one that makes

you get to the point faster. Test them by saying them out loud – which one do you feel

most comfortable with. Learn the opening phrase by heart – never sound like your read

from a manuscript.

Try different ways of saying your opening phrases. Which words should you emphasize?

At what point should you raise your voice? Does it sound good to slow down at some

point? Also, make sure you do not stutter.

As mentioned before, always speak a little louder during the first 10 seconds, in order to

catch the customer’s attention. Then lower your voice to your regular level. You will see

that there will be a noticeable change the level of the customer’s attention.


The “Needs Analysis” That Wins You the Sale

The “Needs Analysis” is arguably the most important part of the sales process. It is during this

step the report is built with the customer, where you learn their needs, their troubles and their

expectations concerning your product.

With the help of an accurate analysis you can learn everything you need to make the sale; such as

which buttons to push, what needs to cater to and what type of person you are dealing with.

How to start? As you just read, making a good first impression is important but once that is done you have to

sit down with the customer and just as a doctor, start diagnosing the customer.

You know what you need to know

Be prepared for the meeting beforehand. A medical doctor is prepared and has a set of questions

that will help them diagnose the patient; doctors know exactly what they are going to say and in

which order.

You too know exactly what needs to be answered for you to know what the customer needs and

which solution should be presented.

Write down questions that will give you those answers and memorize them.

Listen to the answers! Make sure you completely understand the customers’ situation and their needs before moving on

to the next step.

I remember talking to a customer about two years ago.

He had spoken to four other potential vendors that same day, so he was kind of tired.

I started with the pleasantries, asking how he was and so on, but he was noticeably in a hurry and

asked me to move it on.

So I started asking him about his professional situation and I listened to the answers.

I made sure that I had understood his needs and wants correctly by asking for examples,

rephrasing his words back to him and getting his feedback on it.

When we both felt that I had grasped the situation he asked:

“Can you help me solve this problem?”

“Yes, I think I have the perfect solution for you.”

I was just about to start presenting it when he said:

“Great, how much will it cost?”

(I was stunned, I hadn’t even presented my product and he was asking for the price).

I told him the price and he just said:

“fine where do I sign?”

This is the power of a well presented Needs Analysis. If the customer really feels you understand

them and they trust you, the price is not important. They know you are the right person to solve


their problem.

Building trust By reassuring the customer that you are not only there to push any solution at them, but that you

are in fact trying to find the best possible solution for their particular situation, they will be much

more keen to listen and respond to your offer.

The customer is of course also interested in finding the best possible solution.

Their goal with the meeting is to find the best possible way to solve their problems. Let them

help you so that you together can come up with a solution that both of you feel will solve the

problems faced.

The sell is already made As you can see, inviting the customer into the needs analysis and letting them help you solve the

puzzle makes the sale automatic.

Once you have discussed the problem, dissected it and looked at it from different angles, you can

together start looking for the solution. That done, the natural next step is to sign the contract and

get started.


Taking the Needs Analysis and Making it a Solution

Now that you have identified the needs of your potential customer it is time to present your

solution, the solution that takes all worries and problems into consideration and shows how your

product or service can make them all go away.

As you can see, the information you have gathered in the Needs Analysis is vital to this step of

the sales process. The customer has told you what you need to know about the situation, so all

you have to do is solve the problem.

Take a pause Before moving into the product presentation, take a little pause.

Let the customer see that you are thinking everything over and that you are trying to piece it

together to the perfect solution for him or her.

Present with enthusiasm When you feel that you have found a solution present it with conviction. What often turns the

tide in sales is that you present with enthusiasm. We will be discussing this more in-depth later in

the chapter about the value of YOU.

Make sure the customer feels the tempo increase and get as excited as you are (or seem to be).

Use their arguments When presenting the solution, remember to remind customers of the problems they have and

how this solution will solve it.

The best way to present is to first do a short description, and then go into detail about how the

different features solve the different problems. Cover each of the problems the customer has told

you about during the Needs Analysis.


Why Do Customers Have Objections?

Even the perfect presentation will receive questions and objections from customers.

It is natural that people want to be completely sure about what they are ordering and therefore

take every precaution to make sure that they aren’t making a mistake. It is also natural that they

don’t want to appear stupid, so instead of always asking questions sometimes they will mask

them as objections. By arguing that your ideas wouldn’t work, they force you to explain why it

does work.

It is your job to see the questions and answer them in a satisfactory manner.

After the Needs Analysis and Product Presentation If you have made a good Needs Analysis and Product Presentation you now have a good solution

that will solve your customer’s problems. You have worked it out partly in cooperation with your

counterpart. The questions and objections he or she will now present are usually a way of making

sure he or she is making the right decision – but it is also an attempt to buy time.

Move the process forward

This is a risky stage. The customer is about to make an investment and spend money. He or she

now wants to ponder if it is really the right thing to do. At this point you have to answer all the

questions and argue against the objections. But do not agree to postpone the decision for a later

date – that is the best way to lose a customer.

Too many are the times have I seen a salesperson and a customer agree on a possible solution

and start looking at the preliminaries. But, as the sale is all but made, the customer says: “I want

to think about it”. The salesman agrees and walks out the door expecting to hear from the

customer in a day or two. And then…. nothing. The customer doesn’t call and doesn’t answer the

salesman’s phone calls.

Like most people, our customers get anxious about making decisions that will change the status

quo. You need to be the one taking them by the hand and getting them to make the move.

Otherwise they will just procrastinate as long as possible.

Remember your goal

Every time you face an objection from a customer; make sure your answer moves you closer to

the goal – to the close.

After each answer you should follow up with a statement of your own; either a Trial Close, or

with a Closing Argument (more on these issues in the next part of this book). Never leave your

answers open to new objections and arguments. Keep the tempo up in order to prevent new

questions and new delays.

Information Overload

Another reason to keep the tempo up and avoid too many questions is that the customer might

start feeling overwhelmed. If the customer has too much information, and start to feel confused,


he or she is likely to pull out. This is one of the most common reasons why salesmen lose orders.

Each time you sense this happening, summarize your offer in 2-5 key points – and keep it

simple.


How to Know Exactly When and How to Go for the Close

Once you have presented the solution to the customer, the hard part is to know how and when to

ask for the contract. A few years back I was introduced to a method called “Trial Closes”. This is

a way to test if you and the customer are on the same page and if it is time to sign.

Trial Closes

When presenting your solution and answering questions, you always have to make sure that the

customer is on the same page. For example you could say:

“So, I think we have a good grasp of the situation: These are your problems. This is what you

want to improve. This is what you are hoping for. And this is what you want to see me bring to

the table. Am I right, or did I miss something?”

The answer to this question will be most revealing. On a number of occasions I have been

surprised by the answer – and I have been forced to quickly change my whole presentation.

In one sale instance it turned out that all I had said up to that point was virtually incorrect. It

turned out that my customer was hoping for a completely different kind of solution. Once we had

cleared the misunderstandings I retraced my steps and summarized again. This time the answer

was: “Yes, that sounds about right.”

It is therefore a good idea to stop, summarize and check your customer’s reaction at regular

intervals. You do not want to risk lingering too long at each step of the process, nor do you want

to haste by too quickly – in the wrong direction.

After getting a positive answer to the Trial Close, you know that it is time to move on to the final

stage of the Sales Process.

Moving on to the last step

Just before you ask for the order it is recommended to make a final Trial Close. All you need to

do is ask:

“So, now that we have discussed these problems and I have presented these solutions, and you

have verified that they are sound (you already Trial Closed after your product presentation,

making sure the customer thought the advice you gave was correct). Is there anything else you

would like to add?”

If the answer is “Yes” you know there are more questions to be answered, but if the answer “No,

I think that is all”, all you have to do is ask for the order – and more often than not, you will get

it.

Action Exercise

Recall one of your meetings with a customer and write down what your Trial Closes

would have sounded like.


Add Trial Closes to your sales process. Prepare a Trial Close for your next meeting. Test

the client at every step of the Sales Process and make sure you are on the same page.


How to Go for the Close

Too many salesmen get nervous when the time draws near to sign the contract – the moment of

truth.

If this is a tough moment for you – how do you think the customers are feeling? They are the

ones about to sign over a bunch of money or resources to you. Customers will try to put it off as

long as possible even if they know it is the right decision. You have to be the one taking action

and make them sign now – instead of sometime in a distant future.

The reason you and I are at the meeting is to make a sale, nothing else matters. If the contract

does not get signed it is wasted time.

To Summarize

If you have done a good job during the Sales Process, you have:

1. found a qualified customer

2. booked a meeting

3. made a thorough Needs Analysis

4. presented your product as a solution to the problems at hand – using the customer’s own

arguments to give weight to your offer

5. responded to all questions and objections

6. used Trial Closes to make sure you and the customer agree

7. stepped back if it turned out that there were any further questions, in order to answer

them

8. used the Trial Close again.

Then you will find that all you have to do is ask for a signature.

Action Exercises

Take the time to study all the steps of the Sales Process.

Write a sales script that incorporates all the parts of the process in the right order.

Practice the new techniques

Try them out at least 10 times before you make a decision if it works or not.


How to Follow Up – and Keep your Customers

As you have seen, making a sale is really not that hard. And the next step – making customers

pleased – mostly comes down to not promising too much. If you exaggerate the value or

efficiency of your product, your customer will be disappointed and lose confidence. It is more

efficient to give a good presentation, but to leave some space for the customer to discover that

you have delivered more than you promised. If you have done this well, the up-sell – the next

sell to the same customer – shouldn’t be hard to obtain.

You have their trust

Since you have proved that you deliver – and even to a higher extent than what you have

promised – your customers know that they can trust you. In the future they will listen to you and

respect what you say. This means that it is very likely that you will be able to make a new deal.

You should either keep track of when it is time for your customer to renew his or her order, often

an improved solution or maybe you can provide them with a solution to another problem.

Another way to secure continued business with a particular customer is to sign a contract

covering a longer period of time. This should be motivated by either better support service or a

lower price.

“The same procedure as last year”

The biggest and most common mistake among salesmen is to forget about the Sales Process

when contacting a customer again. I assume they think that they already went through it all with

the customer and that it has now played out its role. Whichever the reason is – it is ruining their

chances for a new deal.

Go back to the Needs Analysis

Start by making a good old Needs Analysis – as I have described it earlier in this e-book. This is

your best means to update yourself and learn what the customer’s problems are at the present

time and to find out what is needed. If the problems have changed or the customer’s focus is

different – this is absolutely crucial for you to know.

A quality presentation Present the new solution and your arguments for it thoroughly and professionally. As always,

make sure that the customer fully understands what you are offering.

It never ceases to surprise me that so many salesmen will take the risk of skipping the

presentation when speaking to a recurring customer. They expect the customer to be so familiar

with the process that they don’t need to receive any information. You can never count on the

customer to remember your earlier presentation. It is your job to know everything about your

product – not the customer.

If nothing else, it can never hurt to repeat the reasons for a solution. And even if it is a recurring

customer, chances are that something about your product has been updated or that you are trying

to sell a new solution. In that case it is smart to present it first.


There will be questions

As usual, your customer will always have questions, even if they know you and trust you.

Answer them thoroughly and move on.

Ask for the close!

Yes, the customer has bought before, but he or she won’t do it now if you don’t ask for the order!

Keep them happy

Remember to keep your customers happy. Your aim is not only for them to buy twice, you want

them to buy hundreds of times.

Action Exercises

Create a plan for how you can make your customers happy. What can you promise? Make

sure you do not promise too much – you do not want to disappoint your customer. What

can you do in order for them to be positively surprised by your product? What can you do

to find out if your plan has worked? How can you keep in touch in a natural way?

Every time you close, make sure you follow your plan to make your customers happy.

Follow every step and make them as pleased as possible.

Keep refining and improving the system after each new experience.

Remember that you have to ask for the order before you can close a deal.


Repeat Customers

Once you have made the initial sale you have the chance to bring real value to the relationship

with your customers, value that will increase your income exponentially.

Selling to a recurring customer is worth a lot. It is easier and faster to do business with someone

who knows and trusts you. You do not have to go through the whole sales pitch, present yourself,

your product and your company. A repeat customer has tested your product, and obviously needs

it. This will make it easier to secure larger deals.

Below you will find some of the methodology and a Mindset that will help you create and

sustain a good customer base.

Three Things You Can do to Make Your Customers Pleased

1. Send a thank you note after a purchase. People love to get letters and if you send a note with a “thank you for the time and the

nice conversation”, they will be surprised and feel a lot more positively inclined towards

you and your company. Note that your message should not contain any sales message at

all! And don’t thank them for the deal. Your attitude should be that selling is a way of

helping your customers!

2. Optimize the use for the customer

Verify that your customers know how to make the best possible use of your product or

service. Make sure they know exactly how to use it so that it delivers as much value as

possible.

3. Offer statistics

Once the customers have tested and used your product, try to offer as much information

and numbers as possible to prove that the product has made a significant difference in

their working lives. This can be hard to obtain, but anything will do – just try to get some

“proof” that your product has made a positive difference.

A Great Opportunity to Ask for Referrals

This is the best time to ask for referrals, when your customers are pleased and feel that you have

gone above and beyond the call of duty. They will be more inclined to do the same for you.

Read about getting referrals in the chapter about finding leads.

Action Exercise

Analyze your promises and see if you can lower the expectations of your customers –

without losing business opportunities, of course. This will make it easier for you to show

them that your product had a good effect. You should always take care not to disappoint

your customers.

Think of ways you can care for your customers even after the sale is made. Keep in


touch, give tips, and show your appreciation in different ways.

Give them opportunities to buy again. Call your customers regularly to keep up to date

about how their company is developing.


The Power of YOU

The last piece of the puzzle is as usual the most important. The piece that puts it all together,

completes the picture and brings it into focus. The central factor, which makes your offer truly

unique – is YOU.

The best asset that you can improve and refine – is YOU.

The thing that will make your customers chose you instead of your competitors – is YOU.

My third sales job had to do with recruitment. I worked for a job board selling ads. We had ten

competitors selling the same type of product. The only difference was that we charged twice as

much as our competition. Other than that, the product was essentially the same.

Our company sold twice as many ads

Our recruiting, sales training and coaches were better than our competitor’s. That is why we sold

twice as many ads at twice the price. Our company stood out because of its sales people; the way

we presented ourselves, our products, the offers and opportunities.

YOU – This is what your customers really buy. They buy you. People don't make the decision to buy on a rational basis, it is the emotional

decision that makes the sale.

My best advice to you if you want to increase your sales figures is to take a hard look at yourself

and ask “Am I a person I would like to do business with?” If not, your customers are

probably thinking the same thing.

Let us now explore how you can find ways to become a person that people want to do business

with.

Two Areas to Improve

Enthusiasm

When customers are choosing between vendors they will always find ways to engage the

salesmen they like, even if the product seems somewhat inferior.

That is why the personal connection in sales is so important.

You have to excel at building a good rapport with your customers and converting that rapport

into sales.

The best time to sell to a customer is when they are in a good mood. When they are excited

and happy they are much more likely to buy your product.

This allows us to use the “golden rule” of sales:

Extreme energy rubs off!


If you come into a sales meeting glowing with energy, happiness and enthusiasm, you will notice

that before long everyone else at the meeting will be feeling the same thing. By being happy and

excited you will induce the same feelings in your customers. And this is the exact mindset you

want them in when you are going to ask for the order.

Appearances Everyone judges others by appearance, even if we don’t like to talk about it. If you don't look

and feel like someone they want to be involved with, they will find ways to avoid it. All the

enthusiasm in the world can't change a really negative first impression.

But if you are proactive, and use the effect of the first appearance to your advantage, you can

make sure that the first impression always is a good one.

A few months back one of my senior salesmen shocked me.

This particular salesman is one of our company’s best assets. He is great at connecting with his

customers and has a knack for doing the unexpected – in the most positive meaning of the word.

What he did was more surprising than usual At our office we have a dress code, and although this salesman usually does things that are “out

of the box” he always strictly follows the dress code. For men this entails nice shoes, jeans (or

nicer), a shirt and a suit jacket.

When this 34 years old man came to the office after his first meeting with a customer this

particular day, he was wearing a baseball cap (tilted to one side), a t-shirt, torn jeans and

sneakers.

I asked him what he was thinking.

His explanation made sense:

For months he had tried to make a deal with a young IT-company. He had spoken to them over

the phone several times and each time they had really connected. Finally they had booked a

meeting, but when he came in his business clothes, he felt very out of place and uncomfortable

among the 20 – 22 years old employees. The atmosphere and discussion wasn’t at all as relaxed

as it had been over the phone and he felt that the meeting had not gone very well.

After the meeting he had tried to analyze what went wrong He came up with an answer and decided to try it out. He managed to book a new meeting and

this time he dressed the same way they did. The atmosphere during the second meeting was

completely different and the discussion was just as relaxed as it had been over the phone. At the

end he walked away with one of his biggest deals ever.

When he told me this I realized what a huge impact clothes have during a sales situation.

Looking back, I realized that clothes always have been very important to my sales experience. I

do not wear a suit and tie every day; instead I have always tried to dress for the occasion. If I am

going to meet a Vice President of a large company, I would definitely dress in a suit and tie, but

if I know that I am visiting a company with a relaxed dress code I try to match their look.


This makes it is easier to bond with the customer. Both parties feel more relaxed and trusting. We

signal to each other that we are on the same level and speak the same language.

My motto is: “Never let your customers be nicer dressed than you – it makes them feel superior.

But watch out – if you look too fancy you will alienate the customers instead. You are likely to

get off on the wrong foot.”

My safest suggestion for when you meet a customer for the first time is to go with, jeans, a nice

shirt and suit jacket. That way you always look proper but not overdressed.


Ten Actions That Will Make You a Better Salesman

To round off this book I want to give you ten quick tips that will help you quickly improve your

performance and results. Keep them with you as a cheat sheet.

1. Spend more time talking to clients. A salespersons income is determined by commissions – we make money each time we get a

customer to buy our product or service. If you spend more time talking to clients, selling them

new products and renewing services, you will easily increase your income.

If you spend twice as much time, you will make twice the number of sales. Easy as that!

2. Improve your sales technique.

If you improve your sales technique you will increase the number of customers you close.

3. Improve you appearance. People buy from persons they respect. Never underestimate the impact of the first impression

you give. During a personal meeting, the first impression is shaped by your exterior, how you

look. Make an effort to give as positive a first impression as possible.

4. Find better clients. Spend time identifying your “perfect” customer and then search for companies and customers

who match your criteria as closely as possible.

Even if your sales technique is extraordinary and you spend hours and hours in front of clients

every day (see point 1 and 2) you still won’t make any sales if you are addressing the wrong kind

of company. Make sure that the customers you meet are really the type of customers you want

and that they have a need for your product or service.

5. Give your customers better service. It is well known that the cost, time and effort it takes to acquire a new customer far exceed that

of retaining a loyal customer.

Going that extra mile for your customers and making them feel that you are there for them and

that you will do all within your powers to make them as pleased as possible, is worth the effort.

The odds of them using your products again will significantly increase.

6. Know your own product – but also your competitor’s. Make sure you have a complete grasp of the product or service you are offering. On top of that

spend an evening or two, or a weekend, to also read up on the products your competitors offer.

Highlight the areas where you are superior. Take careful note of which areas they are better – it

might concern the price, a feature or customer service.

This knowledge will give you an advantage when you meet customers. You will be able to give

clear and in depth answers about your own product – and you will also be able to make

comparisons and references to what other sellers offer. By knowing more than most about the

market you work with, it will be easy for you to argue for the value of your offer.


7. Be better prepared than your competitors.

Spend time thinking about (and write down) every argument your customers might have and

come up with good solid answers as to why they should choose your product instead of a

competitor’s.

This way you will be fully prepared every time you talk to a customer.

8. Believe in yourself and your product. Have pride in yourself and your product. When you meet a customer stand up for your product

and its quality. Be honest, but don’t let anyone step on your toes. Show them that you deserve

their respect. If you do not believe in your product – why should they?

9. Be the most enthusiastic salesman in the world!

By spreading positive energy to everyone in the room it will be very hard for them not to feel

happy and energized when reviewing your product, which is exactly the state of mind you want

them to be in when making the decision.

10. In everything you do, go that extra mile.

Spend 30 minutes extra every day at the office. Do one more sales meeting than planned, go

through your sales technique one more time. Read yet another book about your product or about

your competitor’s product … and so on. If you have the strength to do the things others shy away

from, your success will be guaranteed.


About the Author

Daniel M. Wood works as a consultant in Sales Management, Motivation and Success. He runs

the blog http://lookingtobusiness.com. There you can find advice that will help you put your

career on the fast track and that helps you make a more focused effort to achieve your goals.

If you want to read more of Daniel’s work, take a look at his most popular articles

(http://lookingtobusiness.com/articles) and subscribe to the blog, either by E-mail

(http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LookingToBusiness&loc=en_US) or by RSS-

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To your success!

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how to make selling easy by daniel m. wood

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