Sales Behavior and Sales Success
SPIN SELLING by: Neil Rackham http://studentofsales.wordpress.com/2007/07/04/my-take-on-spin-selling-part-1/
Sales Behavior and Sales Success
Successful Salespeople are…
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Not better closers Not better at handling objections Not better at using open ended questions
Many beleive the 3 key components to a sales pitch are: 1. Uncover needs with open and closed questions. 2. Overcome objections. 3. Close for the business. Huthwaite (Rackham’s research company) found through 10 yrs of research that the methods listed above are:
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Good for low-value sales
According to Rackham, Top salespeople are using a POWERFUL PROBING INVESTIGATION STRATEGY to achieve their success.
Success in the Larger Sale
Traditional (not necessarily effective) steps of a sales call are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Opening the call~Relate to the buyer (not necessarily effective in the large sale. Investigating needs Giving benefits Objection handling Closing techniques
Again, these may be o.k. for a small sale. A small sale for these purposes are one that is relatively low-value and can be closed in one call.
The Major Sale
You know a major sale from a minor one. Now, consider the psychology…
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The customer perception changes. Customer behavior changes. Selling cycle is longer: o Most of the “talk” about your presentation is done internal. o Or…not by you. o Consider these questions: 1. How much of what I’ve said will the customer remember tomorrow after I’ve gone 2. Could the customer repeat my smoothly polished presentation to her boss? Size of customer commitment is bigger: o The building of value is probably the single most important selling skill in larger sales. The on-going relationship o It is harder to seperate product from seller in larger sales. The customer has to decide whether or not they want to enter a relationship with the salesperson. The risk of mistakes o Larger decisions are much more public and a bad decision is much more visible.
Sales Behavior and Sales Success
Successful Salespeople are…
• • •
Not better closers Not better at handling objections Not better at using open ended questions
Many beleive the 3 key components to a sales pitch are: 1. Uncover needs with open and closed questions. 2. Overcome objections. 3. Close for the business. Huthwaite (Rackham’s research company) found through 10 yrs of research that the methods listed above are:
•
Good for low-value sales
According to Rackham, Top salespeople are using a POWERFUL PROBING INVESTIGATION STRATEGY to achieve their success.
Success in the Larger Sale
Traditional (not necessarily effective) steps of a sales call are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Opening the call~Relate to the buyer (not necessarily effective in the large sale. Investigating needs Giving benefits Objection handling Closing techniques
Again, these may be o.k. for a small sale. A small sale for these purposes are one that is relatively low-value and can be closed in one call.
The Major Sale
You know a major sale from a minor one. Now, consider the psychology…
• • •
•
•
•
The customer perception changes. Customer behavior changes. Selling cycle is longer: o Most of the “talk” about your presentation is done internal. o Or…not by you. o Consider these questions: 1. How much of what I’ve said will the customer remember tomorrow after I’ve gone 2. Could the customer repeat my smoothly polished presentation to her boss? Size of customer commitment is bigger: o The building of value is probably the single most important selling skill in larger sales. The on-going relationship o It is harder to seperate product from seller in larger sales. The customer has to decide whether or not they want to enter a relationship with the salesperson. The risk of mistakes o Larger decisions are much more public and a bad decision is much more visible.