After taking away many transferable skills from the “Making Appointments by Telephone” workshop, I returned to the “Essentials of Selling” taught once again by the engaging Julie Biddle. What I hadn’t taken into account was that there is a lot of psychology involved in selling, it isn’t as easy as just telling someone to buy something.
We were to adhere to the P.A.N.D.A structure:
Preparation
Approach
Need
Desire
Action
“You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”
So in order to ensure that you make the best first impression, you need to think about all of the little things too. For example, when meeting someone for the first time, don’t be sat down at the reception. Be stood up and ready to go and greet them. It makes sense right? Yet it’s an aspect I have never really considered. Julie, due to her vast experiences in the field, seems to have a never-ending supply of these tips and techniques which may seem minor, but could really be a game-changer.
As well as this, the actual preparation is essential. It turns out you don’t just rock up and churn out your spiel – well not if you want to do a good job anyway! It’s all about the planning. What do you know about the potential buyer? Who is the right person to talk to? What questions will you be asking them? Because let’s be honest, no-one wants to sit through a 15 minute lecture about how good your product is.
Your unique selling point doesn’t actually have to be unique
You see, the USP is a feature of your product that gives you an advantage, however contrary to its name it doesn’t actually have to be unique, as long as the customer hasn’t heard it before or your competitor cannot offer it. So you don’t really have to go searching far and wide, it could be something pretty simple.
The thing is you cannot sit in a workshop run by Julie and get away with fading into the background. The best way, even if it’s daunting is to get involved. We were all to create a list of unique selling points, which I was happy to make up. But for others, it was ones that they used and were relevant to their business. Julie then went round and talked them through which each individual, offering help to make these selling points undeniable.
If you never ask, you’ll never know
There is magic behind questioning. The first thing that goes through a potential customer’s mind is: “What’s in it for me?” What is the feature you are selling them? What is the benefit that they will derive from it? By asking the right questions, you can easily find out what the customer needs. You can then adjust the structure of your conversation to highlight that aspect. It also helps the customer feel like you are interested in building a relationship with them.
Objections
They pop up everywhere in life, especially in this field. You’re going to get one of some sort, that’s when the selling actually begins. The best way is to deal with it is head on and welcome the objection – listen, act interested, answer it and make sure the client is satisfied before moving on. It’s also useful to have answers prepared for objections, which are common in the field you are in.
And to show us the importance of listening and remind me how incredibly dumb I can be, Julie ended the session my quizzing us on brain teasers. It was the perfect, light end to an incredibly informative day.
Although everything taught in this workshop would be of value for those in the industry of selling, I personally feel like a lot of the skills taught self-confidence, listening and communication skills.
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