Introduction:
In this task I am going to compare and contrast the personal selling skills and processes used in the two different situations. One situation is over the phone and the other one is face to face communication.
Comparison: In both situations the seller over the phone and the person speaking face to face have to greet the customers because they want to tell the customers that they are welcome to talk to them. This also creates a good impression to the customers because then they feel more welcome. You need to have good listening skills because when you ask a customer how can they help you and when he/she tells you the problem then you need to listen carefully to be able to help them out. Otherwise if you do not do that then you might show the customer wrong product and they will might …show more content…
go to your competitors or if you are speaking over the phone then you might give the wrong details to the customer, which can waste your time and also the customer’s time.
For example if a customer wants to buy a laptop and he/she tell you what kind of laptop they want. Then you should be able to tell him/her what kind of laptops they have on offer and what features it has, which the customer is looking for.
You also need to be able to have good speaking skills so the customers can understand you and so the customer knows they are talking to someone professional. You need to use the words which will attract customers’ interest to the product or the service which you are selling. Throughout the conversation you need to have positive attitude towards the customer even if they do not like any products or services which you have told customer about.
You have to reply back to the customer when they are talking to you to show them that you are listening to them and also ask questions if you have any because then it show the customer you are interested in what they are saying.
In both situations you can use these eight steps:
1. Planning and preparing to sell:
This is important because you need to know your target customers and how you are going to approach them. You also need to prepare to sell because you need to know how to sell the product to the customer by gaining knowledge about the product. All organisations have effective strategy for sales. In order for them to know who their customers are and how they intend to sell them the products. They train their staffs on how they need to use the information to achieve the sales target. The selling method and sales situations will vary; the key factor for success is good preparation.
It is important for sales people to prepare themselves before selling any product because if they want the customers to buy something from them then they will have to give them a good customer service.
By this it will increase the reputation of the business and it will also increase the profit. They will also get more customers every time. This can only happen if the sales people are given training about the product knowledge.
For example if a customer come up to you, asking about a product which is currently out of stock. Then you should be able to show the customer another similar product or if the customer really wants that product then you could tell them that they could reserve it for you at another branch which is near to the customer so they can just go and purchase that item. You need to have planned how you are going to handle customers when the product which they need is out of stock, or when the customer does not like the product you show them. You also need to kwon how you are going to make sales.
2. Meeting and greeting the
customer:
You should know how to approach potential customers because first impressions are very important in a business as it gives a image of the business away. You should have a smile on your face to show the customer that you are approachable to ask for help. You should also be using a good body language which should be pleasant and also should be professional. Making the customer welcome will give them comfort in purchasing what you have to offer to them.
For example, you always need to have an idea of what you want to say to your customer such as first of all your are going to say hello and then say something such as “How are you”. You should always make an eye contact with the customer to make the customer feel that they are their number one priority. This makes the customer always want to talk to you. 3. Developing a relationship/attracting interest:
The most important thing you can do is to say something to the customer which will create an interest into that customer’s mind because you want them to talk back with interest. The best approach is to involve the Products they might be interested in or tell them something which they might not already know about the product to attract the customer more to the product, new developments, etc. This makes the customer’s come back to the store and also they might tell other people about your products and your prices.
For example, if a customer is looking for a HD TV you should be able to show them which ones you got on offer and you should be able to attract their interest each time you show them another TV by telling them something which do not know about that product.
4. Identifying the customer’s needs:
This is important for every business because if you identify customer needs then you will make more sales and increase profit. This ability enables the sales person to stay ahead of the game so that they can use their ability to identify customer needs when they are talking to customer. Customer service will need to effectively handle customer requests, receive orders and identify and resolve the problems, and for businesses, as it is really important to look after these points, to provide high quality customer service which meets the customers’ needs. If an organisation wants to be successful then that organisation needs to be able to fulfill its customer needs and also meet their expectations.
For example when you are talking to the customer you should be able to tell what that customers needs are and should be able to provide them that.
5. Presenting, demonstrating and providing information:
As the sales person would know the most recent products and services being offered, know what the latest trends are and what the competition are offering. They should be able to give demonstration of an latest product to the customer which they think the customer will be interested in and for the sales person to do that they need to have good presentation skills. They should also be able to provide the customer with the information for that product.
When a customer asks you questions never answer those questions with a simple "Yes" or "No." you need to be prepared to ask questions of your own. For example, the question about delivery could be answered with, "When do you need it?" You could answer the question about the latest model with something like, "Would you like the latest model or would you be interested in something else if we could save you some money?" If you choose your return questions carefully, then it can help lead to closing a sale and could make a sale like this.
For example if a customer was looking for something which was out of stock then employee might recommend them another product which they think will be best for the customer and they are also going to like it. They should also be able to present that product by demonstrating and providing the customer with details of that product.
6. Responding to objections:
You will always be given a different situation in which a customer has objections to a product which you are offering them for sale such as the customer might not be satisfied with the price or the quality of the product because customers’ need product, in the quantity required, at the time they choose and at a competitive price. For example if a customer is looking for an Amplifier and you show them an Amplifier which you think they might like but they do not like it. Then you should be able to show another product which the customer wants but to be able to show the right product to the customer the second time. You need to ask them more questions about the product to give them a good customer service.
7. Closing sales:
Once you observe buying signals, stop selling and close the sale. Customers like to have choices. You can use this to your advantage by saying, "Which of these choices would you like?" With this close, you are likely to make a sale of one kind or another. Even if you are selling a single product, you can still offer choices of color, delivery or terms, for instance. When you have finished your sales pitch, ask if the customer has any additional questions.
For example if you are trying to close sales then ask the customer if he/she would like to make a purchase. This is the most simple and straightforward way of closing. Also close it by alternate choice such as, "Would you like it in blue or grey?" put the customer in a situation where they are not given the option to refuse the sale but never force to sell something which customer does not like. If they answer with either of the options you've given them, then you've made the sale. close the sale by attaching accessory products or services to purchase the product they are interested in. "Let me get you accessory to purchase the product." If they accept the accessory, then you've made a sale. 8. Following up the sale:
Once the sale itself is completed you should be able to follow that sale up later on. They might call up few customers to find out if they are satisfied with the product or not. If a businesses orgainsation gives a good customer service to its customers then they might tell their friends and family about the customer service. They might go to it because they heard that they had good customer service. If the employees give negative effects of poor communication skills to its internal customers then they might not be happy and might not go back to that organisation again.
For example the previous customers might also leave a positive feedback on their website and it they was not satisfied with the product then they will leave a negative feedback and the other customers might have wrote down same thing for the same product which can affect the reputation of the business.
Differences:
The difference between both situations is that through phone you cannot see the person and you also cannot see other person’s body language to help you to tell what they are trying to say. Whereas when you use face to face communication you can tell what the customer is saying and you can also you the body language to help you out. Therefore over the phone you need to listen to the customer carefully to give them a satisfied service.
Over the phone you have to give specific description of the goods and services because the customers cannot see the items or the services and if the customer does not like the items or services which you showed. Then you have to tell the customer about other items or services which they have and they also have to give specific description for it. This can take up to hours to make one sale but whereas if you use face to face communication it is fast and easy way to make sales. You can also show the customers the items or the services, which makes it easier for the sales personal to make sales. You need more knowledge through the phone than face to face communication.
When you are talking to customers face to face you have to be professional and make eye contact which shows the customers that you are listening and are interested in what they are saying. It also helps to develop a good relationship with the customers by which it will be also gain the customers trust on organisation. Whereas over the phone you do not have use this because you cannot see the customer or the customer cannot see you.
Over the phone you need to take personal details because it is getting delivered to them whereas through face communication you do not need to take any personal details unless if they are buying something like mobile phone on contract, or they might purchase an item which the customers wants it to be delivered to their house etc.
Summary:
There are lots of similarities and differences which are good and bad between both communications. The eight steps which help you to prepare to make sales to the customers are planning and preparing to sell, meeting and greeting the customer, Developing a relationship/ attracting interest, Identifying the customer’s needs, Presenting, demonstrating and providing information, Responding to objections, closing sales and following up the sale. These eight steps help to make satisfied sales.