Improving Sales Skills of Account Officers

MABS Technical Resource Specialist

Training-Workshop

Session 1: Improving the Sales Skills of Account Officers

Objective: At the end of the session, the participants should be able to explain the various stages of the microenterprise loan product sales cycle; demonstrate skills required to be an effective salesperson such as prospecting, benefits selling, handling objections, proper closing of sale and interfacing with clients; and express ownership of the selling process.

Duration: 7 hours (broken down to sub-topics)

Methodology: Lecture-Discussion, Exercises & Role Playing

Training Material: Powerpoint presentations, Exercise materials Manila paper, pentel pen, masking tape

Training Handout:Equipment:

3-slide in a page Power point presentationsDigital projector, white board

Session Guide:

A. INTRODUCTION At the outset, it must be clearly stated that the

presentation on selling skills is a long one since this involves sub-topics. The training coordinator or speaker may decide on delivering the sub-topics based on a time schedule that considers break time for meals, snacks and stretching-up activities.

1. Introduce the session by asking the participants why should they be interested in learning selling skills. Specifically, ask them to ponder about the two questions shown in the 2nd slide. Provide them with pieces of cartolina where they could write down their answers. After 5 minutes, ask them to post their answers to the board.

2. Proceed to the next slide that contains the reasons why account officers should be interested about selling skills. Relate the points contained in the slide to the answers earlier given by the participants.

As a way of introducing the main presentation, give the

participants the outline.

B. MAIN PRESENTATION

3. After the 4th slide, proceed to discuss the sales cycle concept as shown in slides 5 to 8. Use the appropriate speaker’s note to elaborate on the items in the presentations.

4. The 9th slide shows a sales cycle for a microfinance loan product. Ask the participants whether the illustration captures what they practice or do in their respective banks. If there is a consensus that the sales cycle being shown approximates what they do in their banks, then move to the exercise activity. The exercise activity is shown in slide no. 10.

For this activity, divide the participants into groups. When they are already grouped, distribute the exercise handout. Instruct the participants to answer first individually the exercise and after doing so, discuss their individual answers to the group. Each group will be given a manila paper where they could write down their answers. After the allotted time, each group will have to report their answers to the big group. When all the groups are done presenting their outputs or reports, the resource person can now show a prepared answer sheet for the exercise. Emphasize the importance of knowing the predominant activities and compression objectives in each of the sales cycle stage of a microfinance loan product. Allotted time for this exercise is 30 minutes.

5. Slides 11 to 29 discuss the first stage of a sales cycle which is prospecting.

After discussing slides 11 to 14, proceed to slide 15 and pose to the participants the question “ Do you really know your prospect?” This slide will introduce the discussion on the importance of market segmentation and target selling as well as the steps involved in doing a simplified market segmentation which can all be found in slides 16 to 27.

To reinforce the topic on market segmentation, the participants will be asked to undergo an exercise on how to do a simplified marketing segmentation. Show slide 21.

Explain the exercise activity using the speaker’s note. Thereafter, the participants will proceed with the exercise as instructed. Once the participants have completed the exercise, gather all the participants as a big group and facilitate the reporting of each of the group’s output.

Slide 25 shows a sample illustration of a weekly prospecting list. Distribute the form to all the participants at this point.

Slide 26 to 28 discuss how the bank or its microfinance

loan product can be positioned through a concept called unique selling proposition or USP.

To conclude the sub-topic on prospecting, show slide 29 and discuss the points using the speaker’s note.

7. The sub-topic on benefits selling which falls under the sales presentation or client orientation stage is presented in slides 30 to 36. Discuss the slides using the speakers note.

To cap this particular sub-topic, slide 37 shows another exercise activity for the participants which is called the benefits writing exercise. Using the exercise handout, explain to the participants what they are expected to do in this activity.

8. Slides 38 to 43 discuss the sub-topic on how to handle objections from prospects or clients. Present this sub-topic using the speaker’s note.

Again to cap the discussion on this sub-topic, slide 44 brings the participants into another exercise activity called overcoming objections. Explain this activity using the exercise handout.

After 30 minutes, processed the result of the exercise activity. Read the objections one at a time and ask participants what would be their appropriate responses. Encourage participation from all the participants.

9. The last two stages in the sales cycle – closing the sale and asking referral – are discussed by presenting slides 45 to 48. This can be done using the speaker’s note.

When these sub-topics have been presented, go back to the illustration on the microenterprise loan product sales cycle. Point out to the participants that what were discussed were some if not all of the most important stages in the sales cycle. Tell the participants that the success in each stage is dependent on how well they have executed the previous one. Tell them further that success in one stage is how well they have mastered the necessary selling skills and it is this mastery that will bring them to the next stage until they are able to close and get the account for their bank.

10. Slide 49 – 56 discuss various personality traits that sales people or account officers will encounter when they do their selling activities.

Slide 57 is a short exercise that caps the discussion of this topic.

C. CLOSING

1. After the presentation, ask the participants what aspects of the sales skills would be helpful to their work.

2. Summarize the presentation by telling the participants that selling should not be a difficult job of the account officer if only they follow and observe a systematic process.