Overview of Personal Selling Approach Personal Selling in a Parallel Way • B2B || You and the interview process • Ask for the order, asking for the business • B2B: products, services quality is the same, 6 sigma • You: How do you differentiate yourself? o By creating value • Same quality, same cost structure and same amount of pressure on profit today o Categories: defining markets; ex. Beer industry B2B Perceptions • Relationship and CRM • Study body language • Trust – low level, don’t trust businesses • Pushy sales people • Personal agenda • Unethical • Client entertainment – over due to cost and competition • Communicative value – put relocatable at bottom of resume To Be Successful • Preparation o Target companies, research them • NCE, Next Compelling Event o Cornerstone of relationship, detail focused o Talk abut contracts, training, etc. • Ask for the order! 4 Reasons Businesses Exist • Revenue – especially important for nonprofit • Market Share • Profit • Return on Stakeholder Equity Communication • 95% of business problems due to communication error emails are the most common form of communication in business CRM • • •
Relationship, partnership Sales people are solution providers (customer profile sheets) B2B: appointment 50%, You: interview 50% o Granted appt because business has a need o Whether it’s a product or service, address the need directly, what will be a benefit in addressing the need o Look at category and share of business you have with them o Relating that to the needs = customizing to company need
Basic Objectives of Business • 1. Revenue
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2. Market Share 3. Profit 4. Return of Stakeholder Equity o (we are hired to contribute to all 4)
Key Thoughts: • Sales driven by need, solving problems, time • It is a profession • Solution provider • Develop and enhance CRM Introduction • Change from “sales pitches” to collaborative dialogue with the customer o Discuss situation and needs before salesperson makes a purchase recommendation o Buyer focused research • Focus presentation on o Defining the customer’s needs o Explaining the value the customer can get, and o Having the consumer verify value • Customer-centric strategy • Carol Marks o VP of Industrial Distribution Group o Limit PPT slides o Encourages salespeople to arrive prepared for business conversation o Customers not interested in technical aspects, but want to know how the salesperson can help them meet their own unique objectives LO1: Personal Selling Defined • A successful professional salesperson: o Better listener than talker o More oriented toward developing long-term relationships o Has skills and patience to endure lengthy, complex sales processes • Definition of Personal Selling o An important part of marketing that relies heavily on interpersonal interactions between buyers and sellers to initiate, develop, and enhance customer relationships Interpersonal communication separates it from advertising and sales promotions (mass markets) Salespeople talk with buyers before, during, and after sale higher degree of immediate customer feedback • Most important part of marketing communications for most businesses o Even though advertising is more visible o Especially true in B-2-B marketing o Salesperson or sales team interacts with one or more individuals from another organization • Personal Selling o Person to person communication with a prospect o Process of Developing relationships Discovering needs Matching products with needs
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Communicating benefits: arm & hammer baking soda uses Viewed as a process that adds value
LO2: Trust-Based Relationship Selling • Definition: (a form of personal selling) requires that salespeople earn customer trust and that their selling strategy meets customer needs and contributes to the creation, communication, and delivery of customer value o Focuses on Solving customer problems Providing opportunities Adding value to the customer’s business over an extended product • Importance of Customer Value o Customer Value – customer’s perception of what they get for what they have to give up, for example, benefits from buying product in exchange for money paid o Customers define value by addressing these questions Does salesperson do a good job in helping me make or save money? Is this salesperson dependable? Does this salesperson help me achieve my strategic priorities? Is the salesperson’s company easy to work with, i.e., hassle-free? Does the salesperson enlist other in his or her organization when needed to create value for me? Does the sales representative understand my business and my industry? o Customers want to be heard when they express what they want Product push – sales pitch or delivering a message Pressured to buy without much appreciation for their needs Today, productive dialogue and less pushy or aggressive tactics • Importance of Sales Dialogue o Sales Dialogue – business conversations between buyers and sellers that occur as salespeople attempt to initiate, develop, and enhance customer relationships. Sales dialogue should be customer-focused and have a clear purpose. o Purpose of conversations are: Determine if a prospective customer should be targeted for further sales attention Clarify the prospective customer’s situation and buying process Discover the prospective customer’s unique needs and requirements Determine the prospective customer’s strategic priorities Communicate how the sales organization can create and deliver customer value Negotiate business deal and earn commitment from the customer Make the customer aware of additional opportunities to increase value received Assess sales organization and salesperson performance so that customer value is continuously improved o Both parties participate in and benefit from the process LO3: Evolution of Personal Selling • Salesman – dates back to Greek history, but true salesmen who earned money started in the industrial revolution • Canned Sales Presentations o Sales presentations that include scripted sales calls, memorized presentations, and automated presentations o Sales people are not born but made
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Charles W. Hoyt o 2 kinds of salesmen 1. The “big me” – works for himself 2. The new kind – uses help o These summed up the changing role of personal selling Sales Professionalism o A customer-oriented approach that uses truthful, non-manipulative tactics to satisfy the longterm needs of both the customer and the selling firm Sales meets 4 out of 6 requirements for a profession o Needs development on decision making autonomy and adherence to uniform commercial code
LO4: Contributions of Personal Selling • More money spent here than on any other form of marketing communications • Salespeople and society o Salespeople act as stimuli for economic transactions and o They further the diffusion of innovation • Salespeople as Economic Stimuli o Economic stimuli – something that stimulates or incites activity in the economy o Salespeople are the key force in executing tactics facing increased globalization in business, more emphasis on consumer satisfaction, and building competitiveness through quality improvement programs • Salespeople and diffusion of innovation o The process whereby new products, services, and ideas are distributed to the members of society o Diffusion of industrial products and services is particularly crucial o Biggest competitor is the status quo • Salespeople and the employing firm o Salespeople contribute to firms as revenue producers, sources of market research and feedback, and as candidates for management positions • Salespeople as revenue producers o A role fulfilled by salespeople that brings in revenue or income to a firm or company o Also concerned with profitability • Market research and feedback o Results of customer-centricity programs ensure the customer is being heard and products adjust accordingly o Arguments that they are not qualified but refuted by firms • Salespeople as future managers o Knowing how to meet customer needs makes you a good candidate for upper level management • Salespeople and the customer o Building trust, establishing relationships, demonstrate knowledge of product, knowledge of market opportunities o Sales ethics must be considered too Presentation Strategy • Prepare objectives
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o New SKU numbers Develop a presentation plan o Dinner etiquette Provide outstanding service o Creating value concept, being available
Develop Customer Strategy (all companies are different) • Understand buying process o Psychology of interview and buying • Understand buyer behavior o B2B corporate resource evaluation o Customer profiles obtained by sales rep • Develop prospect base o 20/80 rule: lose part of the 20, lose part of the 80 o need a back up plan: show me the money, put it in writing Interrelationships of Basic Strategies • Relationship strategy • Product strategy • Customer strategy • Presentation strategy all build quality partnerships • Client carrying at least 3/10 products can carry 4 more o Build partnership and distribution o Customer profile and client history Value Creation • Value-added selling = creative improvements that enhance customer experience o How easy is it going to be to do business with you o How do you know you are going to fit in to the corporate culture? Emotion IQ? • Information economy rewards salespeople who has value at each step o Distribution, mfg, CRM, etc. functions • When customers not aware of value added by salesperson, the focus may shift the price o Going to be told the price is too high and have to explain why your quote is 12% higher than competitors Customer Value Model • 1. Understanding consumers value needs • 2. Creating the value proposition • 3. Communicating the value proposition • 4. Delivering the value proposition LO5: Alternative Personal Selling Approaches • 5 basic approaches to personal selling o stimulus response o mental states o need satisfaction o problem solving o consultative selling
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not absolutes, have to be brought to together through your personality Adaptive selling – ability of salesperson to alter their sales messages and behavior during a sales presentation or as the encounter different sales situations and different customers Stimulus Response Selling o Most simple, various stimuli can elicit predictable responses from customers. Salespeople furnish stimuli from a repertoire of words and actions designed to produce the desired response. o Example: continued affirmation – series of questions or statements furnished by the salesperson is designed to condition the perspective buyer to answering “yes” time after time until he will be inclined to say “yes” to the entire sales promotion Often used by telemarketing personnel Advantages: structured in a logical order, anticipate objections from buyers, can lead to sales expertise Disadvantages: lack of flexibility and dialogue o Simple in decision, assumes conditioned response, improves likelihood of success o Salesperson provides stimuli buyer responds purchase o Stimuli – dress, folder, opening statement o Risky and uncontrollable strategy Mental States Selling o (formula approach) assumes the buying process for most buyers is identical and that buyers can be lead through certain mental states in the buying process o AIDA – attention, interest, desire, action o Relies on a highly structured sales presentation o Advantage: requires a prepared presentation, timing is essential o Disadvantage: difficult to determine which state buyer is in, not consumer oriented method o Assumes buyer can be led through mental states, one-way communication, a risky and unreliable strategy o Attention interest conviction desire action o Step by step grading sheet in syllabus refers to AIDA Asking for the order is up to your judgment o Yes is a portion of action (shipment, billing, order) Need Satisfaction Selling o Based on notion that the customer is buying to satisfy a particular need or set of needs o Focuses on customer rather than seller o Uncover and confirm buyer needs present offering to satisfy buyer needs continue selling until purchase decision o Advantages: customers appreciate this method, avoids defensiveness o Solutions limited to seller products o Nothing left to chance or question, anticipate every question and need Problem-solving Selling o An extension of need satisfaction selling that foes beyond identifying needs to developing alternative solutions for satisfying these needs o Define problem generate alternative solutions evaluate alternative solutions continue selling until purchase decision o How product delivers value o Disadvantage: can take a lot of time, customers may be unwilling to spend the time o Most successful in technical industry sales o Determine existing and potential needs, present multiple solutions, not limited to seller products
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What kind of person are you specifically looking for? Present alternative and say which one you would do and why Come with recommendation and priority
LO6: Consultative Selling • Process of helping customers reach their strategic goals by using the products, services, and expertise of the sales organization o Focuses on achieving strategic goals of customers, not just meeting needs or problem solving • Strategic orchestrator o Role the salesperson plays in consultative selling where he or she arranges the use of the sales organization’s resources in an effort to satisfy the customer • Business consultant o Salesperson uses internal and external sources to become an expert on the customer’s business, educate customers on the products of the firm • Long-term ally o Salesperson supports the customer, even when an immediate sale is not expected o Develop empathy – ex. Today: budget cuts o Does what you’re offering make sense? LO7: The Trust-Based Sales Process • Sales Process o Series of interrelated steps beginning with locating qualified prospective customers. From there the salesperson plans the sales presentations, makes an appointment to see the customer, completes the sale, and performs post-sale activities • Selling Foundations & Selling Strategy o Initiating customer relationships o Developing customer relationships o Enhancing customer relationships o What can you do for me? And show me? Why you over them? o Customer situation, loss opportunity, compare to investment (cost) $200-250K, time involved: 3 months o Cost 5x as much to get a new one as it does to keep a client happy, 20/80 rule • Selling Foundation o Trustworthy – public doesn’t trust businesses but trusts people o Ethical – don’t free ride or compete underground There will be pressure to make numbers and domestic pressures o Understand buyer behavior o Excellent communication skills • Selling Strategy: must develop for… o Each sales call o Each customer o Their sales territories each strategy is related to the other #1 be ethical regardless of any pressures • Viewed as relationship management process o Trust, honest, dependable, compatibility o Using appropriate strategies and tactics
TRANSPERFECT NOTES “A Career in Sales” Dispelling the myths of sales • Not door to door • All multi-level marketing, pyramid scheme • Selling used cars (aggressive) • Showing up and throwing up: memorizing scripts • Represents 10% of sales out there • Difference between associate and partners: partners bring relationships into the firm Understanding the Sales Universe • Know the customers and how to reach them o Creating content that turns prospects into customers o Networking, trade shows, appointments, phone calls, meetings • Account management (1 time customer) o Pitching, tailoring presentation, price objections o Biggest enemy is status quo – changing methods o Collections and payments – commission, validation • Client management o Example – apple products, purchase again, brand loyalty o Knowing them as a person, interests, relationships o Foundation to grow on • Sales is o A meritocracy – developing relationships, personal responsibility, competitions and strategy, a way to add value to affect change in an organization o The 3 I’s Impact – everything starts with a sale Income – only job where you control your income Independence – chart your own course, niches o Growing Relationships Being better today than what you were yesterday Sharpening your saw (Steve Covey) Being an Outlier (Malcolm Gladwell) 10,000 hour rule: how long do you have to work before you get good? 10 years Bill Gates: constant cycles to get to 10,000 hours, we have the tools, but do we persevere? Steve Jobs: passion over a sustained period of time, persevere and don’t quit, irrational force that pushes you on Interviews • Clichés and pitfalls o Never say you’re a people person o Ask questions but don’t ask the wrong questions o Canned answers: don’t stop at answers, authentic answers o Wanting to be a manager in 5 years: watch other people work, naïve, focus on the job – become a mentor, additional responsibilities o Do not blame boss, makes excuses • What does matter o Personality
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Motivation and example on how and why, tell a story Being a match for job/company Don’t lose focus on long term goals Ask for a commitment, feedback Always close to never lose opportunity to move up Send thank you and recap
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Mentor, role model, peers, passion, improvement, change Mentor/ role model: parent, impression of sales is fun, competitive, different; compete against satellite firms and yourself Pick your work carefully: picked career where pay was good but slow in moving up; sales is owning your own business and making your success Peer group: surround yourself with people who want to get to the top also, grass isn’t always greener
Todd Williams •
[email protected] • Transperfect o Language barrier solutions o 70 offices around the world o $300 Million in sales in 2011
Building Trust and Sales Ethics Developing Trust and Mutual Respect with Clients Building trust and sales ethics • Trust is crucial • Competent, compatible, candid, customer oriented, dependable • Initiative and motivation for company, customers, markets • Professional salesperson must be ethical or they are not professional o Don’t like on expense report o Don’t lie about DUI • Just when we buy into a person, they usually break our trust. Introduction, Jerome Johnson • “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” – if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is. • Important that the salesperson makes sure the client understands that T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. • Illustration: improves understanding and breeds trust • Trust = extent of the buyers confidence that he or she can rely on the salesperson’s integrity o Buyers define trust with: Openness - completely free from concealment: exposed to general view or knowledge Dependability Candor Honesty: A salesperson’s fairness and straightforwardness of conduct Confidentiality: A salesperson is entrusted with information from a buyer that cannot be shared Security: Quality of being free from danger Reliability: consistency of a salesperson overtime to do what’s right Fairness: salesperson that exercises impartially and honestly Predictability • Trust = the degree to which one person can rely on another when the former is dependant on the latter LO1: What is Trust • Trust is when an industrial buyer believe that he or she can rely on what the salesperson says or promises to do in a situation where the buyer is dependent on the salesperson’s honest and reliability • Ethical dilemma – challenges a person faces on a daily basis • Trust answers the questions: o Do you know what you are talking about? – competence, expertise o Will you recommend what is best for me? – customer orientation o Are you truthful? – honesty, candor o Can you and your company back up your promises? – dependability o Will you safeguard confidential information that I share with you? – customer orientation, dependability LO2: Why is trust important? • Competitive market overwhelms buyers with choices regarding both products and suppliers o Buyers demand unique solutions to their problems, customized solutions o Long-term buyer-seller relationships taking over win-lose characteristics of selling o These relationships are characterized by trust, open communication, common goals, commitment to mutual gain, and organizational support • Shift alters roles salespeople play in the selling process o Relationship marketing paradigm
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Skills and activities inherent to relationship selling can be classified according to their purpose as o 1. Initiation of the relationship o 2. Development of the relationship o 3. Enhancement of the relationship
LO3: How to Earn Trust Trust Builders • Expertise o Ability, knowledge, and resources to meet customer expectations o Inexperience is hard to overcome as young professional o Becoming an expert is in high demand with budget cuts on personnel and training programs limiting resources o People outsource experts o Contribution to the bottom-line dominates seller’s credibility o Salespeople seek to convince clients that they are: Actively dedicated to the task of positively influencing their bottom-line objectives Capable of providing assistance, counsel, advice that will positively affect the ability to reach objectives o Deals with skill, knowledge, time, and resources to achieve what is promised o Observable results and contributions for the buyer Contributions – something given to better a situation or state for a buyer o Extent to which a salesperson possesses relevant knowledge and capability o salesperson knows what he needs to do, has the ability and resources to get the job done right o Technical stuff is not a concern, we know that – learning the products – function, quality, and place matter • Dependability o Predictability of a person’s actions o Centered on predictability – a salesperson’s behavior that ca be foretold on the basis of observation or experience by a buyer She always does what she says she is going to do. o Take notes during all sales calls for later reviews o Try to establish a pattern prior to dependable behavior o Ability to handle confidential information o Extent to which salesperson consistently and predictably follows through on commitments he makes others o Buyer can rely on the salesperson and salesperson keeps his promise • Candor o Honesty of the spoken word o Also have to win over the testimonials, third party endorsements, trade publications, communications, and consumer reports o Honest/ upfront with others, especially with regard to issues/ factors that impact others o Honest to spoken word, presentation is fair and balanced • Compatibility/ Likability o A salesperson’s commonalities with other individuals o Building rapport requires more creativity today as customers are not as inclined to spend time discussing personal issues o First impressions are important o Extent to which salesperson’s behaviors, actions and personality are consistent with and/or appreciated by his/her customers
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o They buyer likes doing business with the salesperson and the salesperson’s company Customer orientation o The act of salespeople placing as much emphasis on the customer’s interests as their own o Work to satisfy long-term needs of the customer o Cover both pros and cons of recommended product o Clear statements of benefits and not information overload o Basically advisors – they advertise rather then sell o Care about the partnership and be willing to “go to bat” when the client needs it o Committed to representing the customer’s interests o Extent to which salesperson values and protects the interests of his/her customers o Salesperson truly cares about the partnership and will go to bat for the customer
LO4: Knowledge Bases Help build Trust and Relationships • Competitor knowledge – knowledge of a competitor’s strengths and weaknesses in the market Knowledge Bases • Industry o Every industry and company has a history • Company o Operation, policies – formal structure and key personnel • Product o Product knowledge – detailed information on the manufacture of a product and knowing whether the company has up-to-date production methods o Be perceived as an expert – know what the products can and cannot do • Price and promotion o Promotion knowledge – knowledge tools salespeople must have to explain promotional programs their firms have o Price knowledge - knowledge tools salespeople must have about pricing policies in order to quote prices and offer discounts on products • Service o Service issues – concerns of the buyer that the salesperson should address Does the company service its products or does the company send them to a third party? Service products locally or send them off to another state for service? Price include service or will there be a service charge? What does service agreement include? How long does the service generally take? Any conditions that make the service not available? o Salesperson’s service mission is to provide added value to the customer o Dimensions: delivery, inventory, training, field management, credit and financial consideration, installation, guarantees and warranties, others • Market/ customer o Market knowledge - knowledge tools salespeople must have if larger companies break their customers into distinct markets; sales people must be familiar with these markets to specialize their sales presentations Salesperson can become an expert in distinct market o Customer knowledge – information about customers that is gathered overtime and from very different resources that helps the salesperson determine what needs those customer have to better serve them Trade associations, credit agencies, newspapers, WWW
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Competitor o Must have knowledge of competitors strengths and weaknesses o Deliver complete comparative product information in sales presentation o Distinguish products from competition – how are you different form the competitor? How are you better? Technology o Technology knowledge – knowledge tools salesperson must have about the latest technology o Smart phones, world wide web, email, etc. o Need to recognize preferences of buyer o Most oversold form of technology is voicemail
LO5: Sales Ethics • Ethics = the right and wrong conduct of individuals and institutions of which they are a part o Ethical standards for a profession are based on society’s standards o AMA has adopted a code of ethics o Deceptive practices, illegal activities, and noncustomer oriented behavior have to be attempted only once for a buyer to lose trust in his or her salesperson • Ethics o Refers to right and wrong conduct of individuals and institutions they are a part o Ethical decisions Clearly Wrong – cheating on a test Ethical Dilemma – knowing its wrong but not doing anything about it Clearly Right • Images of Salespeople and Sales Executives o Sales and Marketing Executive international (SMEI) has a code of ethics o Television, movies, and broadways have portrayed salespeople wrongly • Deceptive Practices o Some salespeople use quota pressure as an excuse to be deceptive o Lie about answers they do not know – either way when this is jeopardized, they lose future business o Deceptive Practices Exaggerate Withhold Deceive Hustle Scam Bluff • Illegal Activities o Using the company car for personal use, charging expenses that did not occur, and selling samples for income o Lying to the International Revenue Service (IRS) o Bribery causes problems o Salespeople can create product liabilities for their companies in 3 ways: Express warranty – a way a salesperson can create product liability by giving a product warranty or guarantee that obligates the selling organization even if the salesperson does not intend to give the warranty Misrepresentation – a way a salesperson can create product liabilities by making a false claim about a product thinking it is true
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Negligence – a way a salesperson can create product liability by making a claim about a product without exercising reasonable care to see that this claim is accurate o Basis of the Bargain – term used when a buyer relied on the seller’s statements in making a purchase decision May increase sales in the short run but can ruin the relationship and company o Illegal Activities Misuse company Defraud Con Noncustomer Oriented Behavior o Short-term goals and outmoded sales tactics o Non-Customer-Oriented Behavior Pushy Hard sell Fast talking High pressure How are companies dealing with sales ethics? o Cover ethics in their training programs Appropriateness of gift giving (includes Christmas) The use of expense accounts Dealing with a prospect’s unethical demands Sometimes under pressure form company and may use salesperson to get ahead o Reputation only needs to be tarnished once
Ethical Tests • Questions to consider o Is it right? o Is it fair? o Who will it hurt? o Would you want your decision publicized? o What would you tell your child to do? o Does it smell? • Beware rationalizations Red Flags: o Everybody does it – do they? o Isn’t hurting anybody o I couldn’t help it o Nobody cares – too apathetic in our society? o What do you want me to do, go out of business? (Mexico bribery is an accepted practice, not here.) o I have a job to get done. • (Beer business historically unethical) 3 Frameworks for Viewing Ethical Questions • 1. Consequentionalist o Results are what matter...ends over mean Who might be hurt? What is the right goals? Who might/should benefit?
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What if I get caught? 2. Duty-based o Contract orientation…what one owes What and whom do I owe? Where are/should be my loyalties? Is this fair? What do others legitimately expect from me? What promised, spoken or unspoken, have been made? 3. Absolutist o Principles based, regardless of consequences What is the right thing here? – don’t want to get involved but you are involved What is the law? Is this honest? Am I being true to my standards? o Nobody wants to hire you at $95K/year and have you slack off in training, and then have to fire you. They don’t want to do this.
Understanding Buyers Introduction • Electronic Data Systems (EDS) – outsources a broad variety of information to clients across the world o Assumes sales as a leadership function • Understand customer needs and earn trust • Each sell at EDS depends on 3 key ingredients o Salespeople must understand the customer’s business o Understand potential customer business drivers and how to apply technology to improve the prospect’s business o Must provide best-of-breed value • EDS has a sales development program • Understanding customers is a key component in developing successful relationships Key Thoughts • Business markets operate differently than consumer markets, and those differences affect the selling process • The role of the salesperson will vary based on where the buyer is in the buying decision process • Buyers needs may be a mix of situation, functional, asocial, and knowledge needs • The role of the salesperson will vary based on the type of buying decision • **Salespeople will benefit from bring able to identify the buyers communication style** o Go from one client to another o Does he want numbers, graphs, extent of detail, market share information? LO1: Types of Buyers • Range from heavy industry and manufacturing operations to consumers making a purchase for their own use • Needs, motivations, and buying behavior differ from all types • Most common Categories of Buyers o Consumer markets Consumers purchase goods or services for their use or consumption and are highly influenced by peer group behavior, aesthetics, and personal taste People, personal use Use is a way to define a market o Business Markets Market composed of firms, institutions, and governments who acquire goods and services to use as inputs into their own manufacturing process, for use in their dayto-day operations, or for resale to their own consumers Firms Institutions – UGA, Hormel, etc. Governments Non-profit organization LO2: Distinguishing Characteristics of Business Markets • Business markets are much more complex • Concentrated demand o Higher number of concentration in which a small number of large buyers account for most of the purchase • Derived demand o Demand in business markets that is closely associated with the demand for consumer goods
If they sell a lot of cars and trucks, what else has to be sold? Tires, batteries, cloth components, plastic molding, steel o Feeder industries o Monitor related markets to anticipate shifts in demand High levels of demand fluctuation – X o Today we have Just in Time inventory (JIT) o Keeps demand and inventory balanced o Acceleration principle – when demand increases in the consumer market, the business market reacts by accelerating the buildup of inventories and increasing plant capacity Purchasing professionals o Buyers are trained as purchasing agents o More rational approach to buying Multiple buying influences o Salespeople work simultaneously with several individuals during a sales call and even different sets of buyers during different sales calls Close buyer-seller relationships o Buyers and sellers are more interdependent now than ever o Buyers look for concrete actions and a salesperson’s commitment to a relationship o
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TEST FEB. 10TH. • 40 questions, True/False, MC and 2 essays
Mfg Distributor Chain (retail) Consumer • B2B B2B B2C • Mfg Consumer: B2C – website or online • Mfg Distributor: 45% margin • Distributor Retail: 22%-26% • Retail Consumer: 28% markup • Market Area responsible between Retail and Consumer • Passage of title from Mfg to Distributor and pass title again from Distributor or retailer o Big deal: cannot tell them what to sell it for o Give up your rights to pricing with the passing of title o Sell it wherever they want o Brand Managers want to give a retail price point that is consistent with how you want to position and break down pricing o Selling is the Mfg sales people over the distributors, companies LO3: The Buying Process • Conscious and logical process in the business market o 1. Recognition of the problem or need o 2. Determination of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed o 3. Descriptions of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed o 4. Source for and qualification of potential sources o 5. Acquisition and analysis of proposals o 6. Evaluation of proposals and selection of suppliers o 7. Selection of an order routine o 8. Performance feedback and evaluation • Could be highly formalized or a rough approximation of what actually occurs
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Buying Decision Process o Steps 1-2: Initiation the relationship Strategic prospecting Assessing prospect’s situation Discovering prospect’s needs Planning value-based sales dialogue and presentations Activating the buying process o Steps 3-7: Developing the relationships Engaging prospects and customers through sales dialogue and presentations Co-creating and validating customer value Earning customer commitment o Step 8: Enhancing the relationships Building value though the post-sale follow-up Assessing value and relationship performance Creating new value opportunities Increasing customer value through self-leadership and teamwork Phase 1- Recognition of the Problem or Need: The Needs Gap o Desired states – a state of being based on what the buyer desires o Actual states – a buyer’s actual state of being o Needs gap – perceived difference between a buyer’s desired and actual state of being If there is no gap, then there is no need and no active buying motive. o Salespeople position themselves to help buyers understand and recognize their needs o Form realistic perceptions of the actual and desired state
LO4: Types of Buyer Needs • Situational Needs o Contingent on, and often a result of, conditions related to the specific environment, time, and place o I need a copier now because I have a major project I need to complete. • Functional Needs o Need for a specific core task or function to be performed o I need a copier and staples. • Social Needs o Need for acceptance from and association with others o I need a state-of-the-art copier so I will be recognized as of the technology-savvy people in this company. • Psychological Needs o Desire for feelings of assurance and risk reduction, as well as positive emotions and feelings such as success, joy, excitement and stimulation o I need an extended warranty with a copier. • Knowledge Needs o The desire for personal development, information, and knowledge to increase thought and understanding as to how and why things happen o I need comprehensive training on how to use a copier. • Organizing can help in many ways o Serve as checklist to ensure no significant problems have been overlooked o Generates value-added solutions o Business buyer needs tend to be more complex than consumer needs o Need to address both individual and organizational needs of business buyers
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Phase 2 – Determination of the characteristics of the item and the quantity need o Search for additional information leading to possible solutions o Offer problem situations and solution options that buyers typically view as beneficial o Feature – Benefits Needs – Solution Different strokes for different folks o Get to that which you know the best: the product or service o Problem is that we bypass what they really need – cant find that out unless we have a pretty good structure of questions that we want to use o Different companies value benefits differently Phase 3 – Description of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed o Detailed specifications in developing proposals o Framework for evaluating, comparing, and choosing among proposed solutions o Work closely together Phase 4 – Search for and qualification of potential sources o Qualified on ability to perform and deliver consistently at the level of quality and quantity required o Lots of options of outside resources for analysis Phase 5 – Acquisition and analysis of proposals o Requests for proposals – a form developed by firms and distributed to qualified potential suppliers that help suppliers develop and submit proposals to provide products as specified by the firm o Provide benefits and analysis
LO5: Procedures for Evaluating Suppliers and Products • Research into how buyers make purchase decisions suggests that most buyers use a compensatory, multi-attribute model o Procedure for evaluating suppliers and products that incorporates weighted averages across desired characteristics o 1. Assessments of how well the product or supplier performs in meeting each of the specified characteristics o 2. The relative importance of each specified characteristic • Assessment of product or supplier performance o Step 1 of Multi-Attribute Model: Rate objectively how well each characteristic of the competing product meets the buyer’s needs Assessments converted into scores o Multi-Attribute Model – decision on which company to take o Find out what’s important to you Compensation – pay and benefits (.4) Location (.4) Training (.2) Total: 1.0 o Example – one method to comparing and rating companies Company A: Compensation: 6x.4 Location: 8x.4 Training: 1x.2 Total: 5.62 score – choose company A over B Company B: Compensation: 9x.4
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Location: 2x.4 Training: 4x.2 Total: 5.21 score Accounting for relative importance of each characteristic o Each score weighted by characteristic’s perceived importance o Highest score typically selected Employing buyer evaluation procedures to enhance selling strategies o Modify the product offering being proposed To better meet the clients needs and thus receive a higher evaluation o Alter the buyers beliefs about the proposed offering Provide information and support Do not exaggerate or overemphasize claims Develop a realistic perception o Alter the buyers belief about the competitors offering Competitive depositioning – providing information to evidence a more accurate picture of a competitor’s attributes or qualities o Alter the importance of weights Increase importance of certain characteristics which the product offering is exceptionally strong o Call attention to neglected attributes Point out attributes that were missed Appearance of final product is strong and you cannot miss an attribute Phase 6 – Evaluation of proposals and selection of suppliers o Play a crucial role in gaining the buyer’s commitment to the purchase decision and in the subsequent negotiations of the final terms Phase 7 – Selection of an order routine o Delivery quantities, locations, and times with return policies and routine for reorders o Based on prearranged time schedule o Buy an expo marker at the store, scans it and registers as a decrease in inventory, eventually schedules a reorder o Kroger card - CRM Phase 8 – Performance feedback and evaluation o Shared among all parties and enhances the buyer-seller relationship o Continue working with buyers after the sell o Numbers are final result of a lot of things that happened before – historical and empirical
LO6: Understanding Post-purchase Evaluation and the Formation of Satisfaction • Two-factor model of evaluation o Evaluate using functional and psychological attributes o 1. Functional Attributes Features and characteristics that are related to what the product actually does or is expected to do Reliability, durability, conformance to specifications, competitive pricing, and performance Must-have characteristics Features of the core product that the customer takes for granted Must-haves 37% level of influence on buyers satisfaction o 2. Psychological Attributes
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Category of product characteristics that refer to how things are carried out and done between the buyer and seller Delighter Attributes Augmented features included in the total market offering that go beyond buyer’s expectations and have a significant positive impact on customer satisfactions 63% level of influence on buyer’s satisfaction The growing importance of salespeople in buyers, post-purchase evaluations o Functional aspects provide technical insight whereas psychological are closer to interpersonal communications and behavior o Psychological has nearly 2x more influence than functional
LO7: Types of Purchasing Decisions • Purchase decisions are not isolated behaviors, therefore buyers are learners o Reflect on past experiences or external information: secondary sources of information and other individuals the buyer perceives as trustworthy o Level of experience and knowledge primary determinant of the time and resources the buyer will allocate to the purchasing decisions o 3 Decision Types: straight rebuys, modified rebuy, new task • Straight Rebuy o Straight rebuy decision – purchase decision from an ongoing purchasing relationship with a buyer o Needs have been predetermined with corresponding specifications, pricing, shipping requirements o Ordering is automatic and often computed by Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and ecommerce Transfer of data electronically between two computer systems o Allocate little if any time in this type of purchase o Problem to the out-salesperson Buyers have no need to change No active buying motive because no needs gap First, make contact with the buyer, then provide relevant information so buyer will perceive a needs gap, effectively communicate advantages of new product o Routine response behavior Coupon drops, bring attention to it • New Tasks o New Tasks Decision Occurs when buyer is purchasing a product or service for the first time o Extensive consideration and decision making o Multiple members of buying team usually involved o No in or out supplier o Selling strategies: consultative strategy - relationship Provide expertise in developing and understanding need Specify and evaluate solutions Assist buyer in making decision o Work for a beer company, one location doesn’t sell 18 packs, so you need to go make a presentation explaining that that location needs to start selling this o How do you get in the door at Kroger or something? They will support local businesses before anything else – sense of community
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What is going to make your product turn their prospect buys? What are you going to do to advertise it? How many different sizes do you have? What do you want to put it next you? What pricing do you want and consider that in placement. Go to some focus groups and take these results with you. Identify which brands you are going to compete with o Extensive problem solving Modified Rebuys o Modified rebuy decisions – occurs when a buyer has experience in purchasing a product in the past but is interested in acquiring additional information regarding alternative products or suppliers o Result of changing conditions or needs o Check competitiveness of existing suppliers o Limited problem solving
Newness of Problem or Need
Straight Rebuy
Modified Rebuy
New Task Rebuy
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Medium
High
Minimal
Moderate
Maximum
Minimal
Limited
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Limited
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Very small
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Low
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Information Requirements
Information Search
Consideration of New Alternatives Multiple Buying influence
Financial Risk
LO8: Understanding Communication Styles • Communication: Key Thoughts o For professional salespeople the ability to ask good questions and then actively listen to the answers is as, if not more, important than their ability to present information o Salespeople should be strategic with the questions they ask. They should have a reason for asking the questions and a need for the answers. o Active listening requires concentration, focus, and determination. Average attention span is 10 minutes for an American o Successful professional salespeople are able to read and correctly interpret non-verbal communication. • Verbal and non verbal • Verbal Communication: Questioning o Salespeople skilled at questioning take a strategic approach to asking questions so that they may: Control the flow and direction of the conversation Uncover important information Demonstrate concern and understanding
Facilitate the customers understanding Competitive products that they are using or entertaining idea of possibly using There is something they need – is the absence of this causing you any money, yes time and that’s your avenue to discuss value to the company Different Types of questions o Open end are the best questions Interviewing – they want you to talk o Close-end questions Yes or no – are you a good time manager o Dichotomous/Multiple choice questions Yes no or MC questions o Probing questions Designed to penetrate below generalized or superficial information 1. Requesting clarification – indicative of your interest can you share an example with me? 2. Encourage elaboration how are you dealing with that situation now? 3. Verifying information and responses so if I understand you correctly…is that right? o Evaluative Questioning Use open- and closed-end question formats to gain confirmation and to uncover attitudes opinions, and preferences of customer How do you feel about ..? Do you see the merits of ..? What do you think about ..? – great question to ask ¾ thru presentation Most dangerous word in marketing is PERCEPTION o Tactical Questions Used to shift or redirect the topic of discussion Earlier you mentioned that… Could you tell me more about how that might affect.. Obstacles -- need – productivity – priorities – dollars (price, investment) Strategic Application of Questioning o Generate buyer involvement – sit forward o Provoke thinking – got the interview because they had a need o Gather information o Clarification and emphasis o Show interest – if you don’t like what you do get out o Gain confirmation – everyone needs to be on the same page o Advance the sale – price and closing The SPIN Process – Situation Questions o Situation Have to understand the marketplace and interaction between industry, product, brand, and dynamics of growth, decline, and outlook for future Information is available today – of all this stuff, what’s important? o 2x2 matrix of assertiveness and responsiveness o Assertiveness Degree to which a person hold opinions about issues and attempts to dominate or control situations by directing the thoughts and actions of others o
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Low assertiveness individuals exhibit a slower pace Responsiveness Level of feelings and sociability an individual openly displays High responsiveness – relationship oriented o Amiables – high responsiveness, low assertiveness Prefer to belong to groups and are interested in others o Expressives – high on both Animated, communicative and value building close relationships with others o Drivers – low responsiveness, high assertiveness Detached form relationships o Analyticals – low responsiveness, low assertiveness Analytical, meticulous, and disciplined in everything they do • Barriers to communication o Nom-verbal: people cant see you all the time especially through email o Personal agenda o Distractions o Cultural differences: language and do’s an don’ts, even regions of the US o Terms: industry oriented jargon o Transfer of message: editorialize – add to, subtract from, change something because we don’t agree with it o Lack of focus and view of the fact that everyone is different o Pyramid of status: folks at the bottom wont be honest with people at the top, they will just say yes o Environment – look at the terrible things publicized o Regional – different viewpoints of different people who come from different parts of the country o Attitude o Pictures (vision) o Numbers (A,B,C,D – do not move D to A) o Some people are morning people o comes back to how we prefer to present and communicate and how we prefer to receive it • Mastering Communication Style Flexing o Be aware of your own personal style o Flex your style to fit the potential client’s o Positive impact on salesperson’s performance and relationship o Note differences and rationalize them in terms of specific characteristics of each buyer’ style o More difficult to prepare for the amiable-expressive buyer and then switch to an analyticaldriver style LO9: Buying Teams • Teams of individuals in organizations that incorporate the expertise and multiple buying influences of people from different departments throughout the organization • Members described by roles and responsibilities o Initiators Identify need and realize that the acquisition of the a product might solve the need o Influencers Guide decision process by making suggestions and expressing preferences o Users Actually use the product being purchases o Deciders o
Ultimate responsibility of determining which product or service will be purchased Purchasers Negotiate final terms of the purchase and execute the actual purchase o Gatekeepers Control the flow of information to and between vendors and other buying center members Salespeople need to determine who the buying team is immediately and work with all members to address their varied needs and objective properly o
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LO10: Current Developments in Purchasing • Increasing Use of Information Technology o EDI, internet based transactions o Directly links buyers and sellers o CRM on the web o Online catalogs • Relationship emphasis on cooperation and collaboration o B2B decisions affect each other o Long-term relationships based on mutual benefits received and interdependence amongst all parties involved o Must prove you are dependable • Supply chain management o Strategic coordination and integration of purchasing with other functions within the buying organization as well as external organizations o Coordinate with all partners in the network • Increased Outsourcing o Process of giving to a supplier certain activities that were previously performed by the buying organization o Day-to-day functions and customer needs must be continuously monitored • Target Pricing o Price buyers determine they are willing to pay for their final products through information gathered from researching the marketplace • Increased importance of knowledge and creativity o Need to solve problems quickly and creatively o Innovative solutions
The Parallel Dimensions of Selling • MAD – money, authority, desire • TRP – targeted rating points o Better than GRP • Marketing plan – MARK 4900, marketing strategy and development of marketing plan • AIDA – attention, interest, desire, conviction, action Major Influences on Industrial Buying Behavior • Mostly B2B • Just in Time Inventory • Social responsibility o UGA under Blue Shield: Have to pay for and cover any expenses related to abortion, contraception uses, whack insurance premiums by 10-15%
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o Increase the cost of doing business You’re expensive, a lot of that will be your benefit package Individuals you call on o You can figure out someone’s income o All different personalities o Be most concerned with risk attitude Zero in on ROI
Mind Design • Presenting to other individuals and have a minute or two to decide how you are going to communicate to your audience in a timed window of presentation • Know what your audience wants to hear • Marketing presentation for a budget raise to finance department – they want numbers • Figure out what that person is like who is interviewing you awareness • Assess product placement in a store takes about 5 minutes • Your position is a matter of choice Interview • What’s your values? Company’s values? • You find out if they match your interests but do not ask about benefits 1. Uncovering the decision making process
Team Presentation TEAM PRESENTATION • Team member introduction – who will do what part • Actual presentation – read it and get to the issue o Description of situation o Sales issues – probably something about training process o What has been done if anything o Team recommendations What is to be done Who should do it Where (site) Time (how long) • Power points – no text because people wont read it o Clear o Bullet form o Color compatibility – red bleeds into black background, recommend black and white, gold or yellow on blue, stay away from yellow on black • Communication – 20 minute presentation o No notes in your hands o No note cards o No reading off anything o Eye contact with all of audience – 4 corner approach o Use of hands to express yourself o Don’t stand behind the podium o Business casual dress o Refer to team members with first names and address which sections they are presenting • Handout o One page summary of entire presentation o Each member of the class o After the presentation • Evaluations o One team grade-professor o All class members o Take one question from each presentation and it will be a test question on test 2
Hormel Foods See yourself succeeding…our way Be part of something great Been with Hormel 20 years Currently works in North Carolina In a lot of different businesses • More than bacon, ham, spam, and chili Company • Started in 1891 • George Hormel bought a butcher shop • 19000 employees • 9.5 million animals harvested o humane way • Locations o Based out of Austin, Minnesota o Facilities in mid west, California, some in Georgia and few in north east o Sales jobs are all over the country Diversified brand portfolio • Compleats o 1988 – Top Shelf o Shelf stable, good because of the war o Made a sleeve for the tray box so people could see what is actually is on the shelf Great marketing strategy • Packaged ribs Sustainability Efforts • Focused Efforts o Animal care o Air emissions o Energy consumption o Package minimization o Solid waste o Water consumption • Need to do more of it and let people know they are responsibility • Burn wood to smoke it Philanthropy • Publicly traded company • $5.7 M in annual giving • “Spammy” o CEO Jeff Etenger o Canned meat business – help hunger in third world countries o Fortified, shelf-‐stable turkey spread to help address children malnutrition o 3 oz spreads out over a number of kids o 25 employees sponsored by company in Guatemala • Spike in charitable donations between 2007-‐2008 o Fortunate in earnings every year o Part of responsibility of being success is to donate it back • Give gifts at Christmas to employees
Entry-‐Level Careers Sales • Consumer product sales o Any place where you go to a grocery store and buy food retail • Food service sales o Any food where you can get food outside of your house o UGA is a potential customer o Healthcare, hospitals, restaurants • Valued Customers o Kroger, Marriott, cheesecake factory, Costco, super target, wal-‐mart, famous Dave’s, US food services, Sysco, cub foods • Build relationships with customers in the beginning o St. Louis Bread – rode the way with Panera Comprehensive Sales Training (6-‐12months) • One of the best by selling power magazine • Product knowledge (online training) • Trade and industry dynamics • Selling style and different types of buying behavior • Mentor program • On the job training • Impacting responsibilities from day one • 6 step selling process o systematic approach o practice Project Based internships – often lead to job offer after internship • Marketing o Grocery products o Meat products o International o Foodservice • Sales o Consumer product sales o Foodservice sales Hormel Career Paths • Conventional career path o Sales rep o Supervisor o Maintenance engineer o Staff accountant • But you could do something different o Go into marketing and product management Joint venture with MegaMix Foods • 50-‐50 relationship Awards and Recognitions • Manufacturing • Corporate citizen • Trustworthy • Research and development Benefits
Close to being very best in industry Defined pension plan – when you’re done working, they pay you a monthly salary for the rest of your life What does it take to work there? • Leadership skills o How are you going to communicate this • Work ethic o Work hard, doesn’t mean work long but work hard, play hard o Doesn’t always mean having a job • Communication o Can you introduce yourself and give a 30 second intro about who you are and what you want to do and PRACTICE that o If going for sales – ask for an interview, then a job • Initiative o What have you done in your career so far – senior yr in high school to college, that shows and explains saying you have initiative o Work without direction • Persuasive skills o Most people don’t have sales experience because its hard to get o Able to communicate different jobs or scholarships o Think about what else you have Recruiting Process • www.hormelfoods.com •
[email protected] • www.hormelfoods.com/careers o reach out and show your resume if not picked to interview • Interviews o On campus st nd o Phone (1 or 2 ) o On site (final step) Summer Internship • One of sales offices • Hourly position, 40 hours per week • Car, computer • Project to work on and complete by end of summer • Expert on the products • Shadowing • Work extra hours earlier in the week Where do you see Hormel in the future? Are there any new markets or opportunities on the horizon? • $400-‐500 M in cash and zero debt • Buy a large company in America o Huge acquisition o Stick in the protein, food business or ethnic business • International o China – 2 plants o Politics of food dictates where they can go o Meat in Europe • •
What else can I tell you to get me to the next level of the interview process? • Ask for the job • Ask for the order Difficult aspect of transition from graduation to working for Hormel • Idea of leaving home and being out on your own • Student to responsible part of work society • Results matter o I consistently achieve my objectives o We’ve received a ribbon for everything we have done o Used to being rewarded o But you have a goal to hit and you have to hit it o A-‐B not a big difference in getting a degree o But meeting goals 90% to 100% is a BIG difference
National Collegiate Sales Competition Dr. Terry Low runs the national collegiate competition 70 schools participate Final 4 Presentations • 400 people will watch each presentation • Buyer gets up and walks out on purpose • Be prepared for everything and keep the language simple Companies pay $20-‐40,000 to play • Happy hunting ground for college graduates Sell the same product all the way through • Change sales scenario • 2 hours to prepare for last presentation • Curveball that he couldn’t see after an accident
Communication Skills LO8: Understanding Communication Styles Communication: Key Thoughts • For professional salespeople the ability to ask good questions and then actively listen to the answers is as, if not more, important than their ability to present information • Salespeople should be strategic with the questions they ask. They should have a reason for asking the questions and a need for the answers. • Active listening requires concentration, focus, and determination. o Average attention span is 10 minutes for an American • Successful professional salespeople are able to read and correctly interpret non-‐verbal communication. • Verbal and non verbal Verbal Communication: Questioning • Salespeople skilled at questioning take a strategic approach to asking questions so that they may: o Control the flow and direction of the conversation o Uncover important information o Demonstrate concern and understanding o Facilitate the customers understanding • Competitive products that they are using or entertaining idea of possibly using o There is something they need – is the absence of this causing you any money, yes time and that’s your avenue to discuss value to the company Different Types of questions • Open end are the best questions o Interviewing – they want you to talk • Close-‐end questions o Yes or no – are you a good time manager • Dichotomous/Multiple choice questions o Yes no or MC questions • Probing questions o Designed to penetrate below generalized or superficial information o 1. Requesting clarification – indicative of your interest can you share an example with me? o 2. Encourage elaboration how are you dealing with that situation now? o 3. Verifying information and responses so if I understand you correctly…is that right? • Evaluative Questioning o Use open-‐ and closed-‐end question formats to gain confirmation and to uncover attitudes opinions, and preferences of customer How do you feel about ..? Do you see the merits of ..? What do you think about ..? – great question to ask ¾ thru presentation Most dangerous word in marketing is PERCEPTION • Tactical Questions o Used to shift or redirect the topic of discussion Earlier you mentioned that… Could you tell me more about how that might affect.. o Obstacles -‐-‐ need – productivity – priorities – dollars (price, investment) Strategic Application of Questioning • Generate buyer involvement – sit forward
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Provoke thinking – got the interview because they had a need Gather information Clarification and emphasis Show interest – if you don’t like what you do get out Gain confirmation – everyone needs to be on the same page Advance the sale – price and closing Barriers to communication o Nom-‐verbal: people cant see you all the time especially through email o Personal agenda o Distractions o Cultural differences: language and do’s an don’ts, even regions of the US o Terms: industry oriented jargon o Transfer of message: editorialize – add to, subtract from, change something because we don’t agree with it o Lack of focus and view of the fact that everyone is different o Pyramid of status: folks at the bottom wont be honest with people at the top, they will just say yes o Environment – look at the terrible things publicized o Regional – different viewpoints of different people who come from different parts of the country o Attitude o Pictures (vision) o Numbers (A,B,C,D – do not move D to A) o Some people are morning people o comes back to how we prefer to present and communicate and how we prefer to receive it Mastering Communication Style Flexing o Be aware of your own personal style o Flex your style to fit the potential client’s o Positive impact on salesperson’s performance and relationship o Note differences and rationalize them in terms of specific characteristics of each buyer’ style o More difficult to prepare for the amiable-‐expressive buyer and then switch to an analytical-‐ driver style
Confirmation addition Need (50%) o Costing? Opportunity cost? Loss of productivity? • Product/Service o features and benefits derived from need leading to a solution which entails an investment they are going to make in dollars from being productive The SPIN Process – Situation Questions • Situation o Have to understand the marketplace and interaction between industry, product, brand, and dynamics of growth, decline, and outlook for future o Information is available today – of all this stuff, what’s important? o Definition: finding out facts about the buyer’s existing situation o Examples:
Impact: least powerful of the SPIN questions. Negative relationship to success. Most people ask too many. o Advice: eliminate unnecessary situation questions by doing your homework in advance Problem o Definition Asking about problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions that they buyer is experiencing with the existing situation o Examples Have you ever had trouble managing your time or your contracts? Which parts of the system create error? o Impact More powerful than situation questions. People ask more problem questions as they become more experienced at selling. o Advice Think of your products or services in terms of the problems they solve for buyers – not in terms of the details or characteristics that your product possess Implication Questions o Definition Asking about the consequences or effect of a buyers problems, difficulties, or dissatisfactions o Examples What effect does that problem have on your productivity? Could that be impeding your ability to develop good relationships with your customers? o Impact The most powerful of all SPIN questions. Top salespeople ask lots of implications questions. o Advice These questions are hardest to ask. Prepare for all questions by identifying and understanding the implications of various suspected needs prior to the sales call. Need-‐Payoff Questions o Definition Asking about the value or usefulness of a proposed solution. They seek the buyers opinion as to what life would be like if the problem was solved. o Examples How would better time and consumer management help you? Would you like to discuss how we can do that for you? o Impact Versatile questions used a great deal by top salespeople. These questions help the buyer understand the benefits of solving the problem. o Advice Use these questions to get the buyers to tell you the benefits that your solution can offer. SPIN Questioning Strategy o Situation – fact finding objectives o Problem – current satisfaction, achieve objective of uncovering o
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how many people for you employ at this location? How do you manage your time and contacts?
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Implication – achieve objective of developing and channeling dissatisfaction, have high selling impact Need-‐Payoff – achieve objective of rehearsing and selectively channeling customer attention, have high selling impact
Planning and Presenting Discovering Needs – Review ADAPT • Assessment questions o Broad bases and general facts describing situation o Non-‐threatening as no interpretation required Don’t like use of the word “problem” o Open-‐end questions for maximum information • Discovery questions o Questions probing information gained in assessment o Seeking to uncover problems or dissatisfactions that could lead to suggested buyer needs o Open-‐end questions for maximum information • Activation o Show me how this wonderful thing you have works o Customer profile • Projection o Forecasts are a major portion of presentation – how much money you’re going to make o Why should we take this on? Because this what we anticipate you selling first, second, third quarter, how are you going to make sure we sell that much? o Enter MARKETING to answer why should we take this in? How do you know its going to sell? o TRP – targeted rating points How many times your target market would see the brand or product line How many impressions that marketing campaign was making for the target market profile o ADI – area of dominant influence Primetime television divided into states, buy by region • Transition o Get them from the needs, demonstration, price, attack the value situation and put the contract together o Next compelling event – somebody’s got to install it and train people and you’re there when that happens SIER Hierarchy of Active Listening • Pyramid o Responding o Evaluation o Interpreting o Sensing • American attention span is 10 minutes • How can you tell someone is listening to you? o Not texting on your cell phone Verbal Communication: Listening • Effective Active Listening o Pay attention -‐ pupils
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o Make no assumption o Encourage buyer to talk to you o Visualize – go through What If scenario o Paraphrase and repeat o Monitor non-‐verbal This is why you ask open ended questions
Nonverbal Communication • Facial Expressions • Eye movements • Placement and movements of hands, arms, head, and legs o Folded arms are an immediate shut off • Body posture and orientation • Proxemics o Personal Distance: Public Zone: >12 feet Social Zone: 4-‐12 feet Personal Zone: 2-‐4 feet Intimate Zone: 0-‐2 feet o British business people – all about distance, do not get close o Italians right away close o Latin Americans close after they realize you like them • Variation in voice characteristics o Speaking rate and pause duration o Pitch or frequency o Intensity and loudness Communication –Style Principles • 1. Individual Differences o individual differences exist and are important o each person displays individual array of verbal and nonverbal characteristics • 2. Communication style as a way of thinking and behaving o a preferred way of using once abilities o ability is how well you can do something o style is how you like to do it • 3. Individual styles tends to be stable over time o based on hereditary and environmental factors o out style tends to remain rather constant throughout life o the ability to flex can be enhanced • 4. There is a finite number of styles o most people display one several behavioral clusters o we can often label a person’s preferred communication style • 5. Get in sync with styles of others o communication style difference can be source of friction o develop ability to adapt to another persons style Improving Relationship Skills • First goal: understand your own preferred communication style • Second goal: develop a greater understanding and appreciation for different styles
• Third goal: manage selling relationships by adapting style (style-‐flexing) Nonverbal Key Points • Open: eye contact, smile • Defensiveness: moving far away from you • Boredom: pen tapping, Framework for Communication Style Classification • Sociability and Dominance o High sociability and high dominance: emotive o High sociability and low dominance: supportive o Low Sociability and high dominance: directive o Low sociability and low dominance: Reflective • Dominance Continuum o Low Cooperative Let others control Low assertiveness o High Like to control Initiate demand More aggressive o Reflective Style Control emotional expression Displays preference for order Tends to express measured opinions Seems difficult to get to know Distribution (Case 4) • Physical Side o Distributor with warehouses, railroad tracks, trucks , people in the marketplace o Food product -‐ shelf life • Marketing Side o Brand – varieties o Location – retail store o Price o Market coverage o On-‐premise – consume it o Off-‐premise – buy and consume at another location • Numbers get broad and span builds quickly in these systems • Be involved in all of this before you can go to brand management How do they go to market? • Options: o Direct sales force – all of the sales people that cover markets for that company get paid by that company Military Structure: sales people on the bottom, then sales managers All paid by the company o Distributor
o Broker o Agents • MFG Distributor Chain Retailer o 45%, 22-‐26%, 22-‐26% margins between o certainly adds to final price point in the market place o Sell the question of title Passage of title removes control of price • MFG Broker o Marketing arm o Get between 3-‐8% on everything they sell o Have one for each major market in the country o 58-‐63 major markets in the country How do companies decide which way to go? • Who is going to give you the best market coverage out there? • Most cost-‐effective • What has been done? – o Competition and what do they do empirically or historically? • Best fit o Why did P&G buy Gillete? Adaptive Selling Requires Versatility • Versatility describes ones ability to minimize communication-‐style bias o Tendency to focus on particular product or service • Adapting to the customers preferred style can enhance sales performance • Move toward a more mature style • Strength-‐weakness paradox • Intensity zones Minimizing Communication Style Bias • Salespeople often focus too much on the content and not enough on the delivery of their sales presentation • It can be a barrier to sales successes • One must work with people from all four quadrants • Become highly adaptable Adaptable: Gandhi in negotiation – satyagraph 1. Truth 2. No fears 3. Exercises self-‐control 4. Seeks solutions 5. Respects 6. Does not use violence or insults 7. Ready to change mind and differ with himself 8. Switches easily from small picture to the big one 9. Humble and trusts opponents 10. Learn from within 11. Relies on his own resources and strengths 12. Appeals to others spiritual identity 13. Tenacity, patient and persistent
14. Learns from the opponent 15. Goes beyond logical reasoning and trust his instinct as well as faith Strategic Prospecting and Preparing for Sales Dialogue • Strategic processing – process by which salespeople separate out those that are more likely to buy from those that are less likely to buy in order to avoid wasting resources • Leads may be generated in a variety of methods. It is important for salespeople to know which are more effective. • Satisfied customers are often the best source of good leads. • A strategic prospecting plan will improve a salesperson prospecting efficiency and effectiveness. • Salespeople should spend some time learning what they can (without wasting resources) about their qualified leads in order to develop an effective sales strategy. Prospecting • Rejection – 20:80 Rule • What if situation with 20% o Wal-‐Mart $2.5M loss o 3 or 4 clients with potential and concentrate on them
Sales Prospecting and Preparing for Sales Dialogue & Planning and Presenting Strategic Prospecting and Preparing for Sales Dialogue • Strategic prospecting – process by which salespeople separate out those that are more likely to buy from those that are less likely to buy in order to avoid wasting resources • Leads may be generated in a variety of methods. It is important for salespeople to know which are more effective. • Satisfied customers are often the best source of good leads. • A strategic prospecting plan will improve a salesperson prospecting efficiency and effectiveness. • Salespeople should spend some time learning what they can (without wasting resources) about their qualified leads in order to develop an effective sales strategy. Prospecting • Rejection – 20:80 Rule • What if situation with 20% o Wal-‐Mart $2.5M loss o 3 or 4 clients with potential and concentrate on them Why /buyers wont See Salespeople • They may have never heard of the salesperson’s firm. • They may have no need; they just bought the product category. • The buyer may have their own deadlines on other issues. • Buyers are constantly getting calls from the salespeople and do not have the time to see them all. • Gatekeepers in any organization screen their bosses’ calls and are often curt and even rude. Qualified Prospects… • Can benefit from the sales offering • Have the financial wherewithal to make the purchase • Play and important role in the purchase decision process • Are eligible to buy based on a fit within the selling strategy • Are reasonably accessible and willing to consider sales offering • Can be added to the customer base at an acceptable level of profitability Importance of Effective Prospecting • Suppose it takes 10 leads to generate 1 qualified prospect • And suppose it takes 10 qualified prospects to generate 1 customer • You would need 100 leads to generate 1 customer Time management 2/29/2012 Prospecting • Home to office or home to territory • Do you have it in writing? – if you don’t, keep talking to people Strategic Prospecting • Process of identifying, qualifying, and prioritizing sales opportunities, whether they represent potential new customers or opportunities to generate additional business from existing customer • Sales lead screening procedures for qualifying leads qualifying prospects sales opportunities for the sales person Importance of Effective Positioning • The better the lead generation method, the higher the proportion of qualified leads • The more accurate the qualifying process, the higher the proportion of customers per qualified lead • Improving the lead generation method so that 10 leas generate two qualified customers means you will need only 50 leads to generate one customer o 50 leads 1 customer o how many people do they have trained to take your job?
o 2012 employee cut – how much will it cost to higher a new person that’s just as good? Gathering Precall Information: The Prospect and the Organization • Information needed o The Prospect What is the prospects personality type? Easy going? All business? It this prospect willing to take risks? Are they confident with their decision making? Get prospect’s name and title correct. o Prospect’s Organization Who and how many vendors does the prospect presently buy from? How much and how long have they been purchasing from their supplier(s)? What challenges is the organization facing? What type of business are we dealing with? To what market does the company sell? Who are its primary competitors? What does the company make and sell? • Source o The Prospect Observation and experience with buyer May have to ask the prospect o Prospect’s Organization Salesperson may have to ask for this information. Can be gathered from a directory and company web site Annual reports and company website. Correct spelling and pronunciation can be gathered by asking the receptionists or secretary or gatekeeper to verify information. th Guest Speaker Monday, March 5 • Triage – consultants in the health care field Determinants of Customer Delivered Value • Total Customer Value o Product value o Services value o Personnel value o Image value • Total Customer Cost – first part to understanding o Monetary cost o Time cost B2B: how much do I have to spend with you so I understand fully what we’re buying from you Describe this to the people who are going to use this Explain to CFO why I committed $3 million of resources o Energy cost o Psychic cost If you develop your creativity, you will be welcomed by businesses who know the premium that today’s competitive firms put on discovery and initiative
The individual creativity is SPIRITED • Spontaneous • Persistent • Inventive • Rewarding • Inner openness • Transcendent • Evaluative • Democratic Planning and Presenting Key thoughts • Professional salespeople rely on organized sales dialogues and written and/or oral presentations • Poor grammar and spelling will severely diminish the effectiveness of a written proposal • Successful professional salespeople develop a sales call strategy prior to initiating the sales dialogue • Sales call strategies include a plan for asking questions and uncovering and understand the buyers buying motives 3/19/2012 and 3/26/2012 Planning and Presenting Presentations • Communication idea – update 3 Formats • Canned o Little training is required, inflexible/not customizable; difficult to build trust o No differentiation in need o Contradicts everything we look at in the marketing practice • Organize and Customize o Extensive training is required, customizable, interactive, fosters trust o Keyed on the client or customer o Requires tremendous amount of flexibility o Think of this in terms we use and draw parallels with this in the interviewing process • Written Presentation o Some training is required, customizable while being written but not once delivered, may be perceived as more credible o Hard copy o Not email, or texts, or technology o Don’t forget importance of expressing yourself on paper or your writing skills o What you write and what you send to people is a reflection of who you are Misspell one word on a resume: resume is thrown away o Assume that you have brought hard copies for everyone Components of a Written Proposal • Executive summary • Needs and benefits analysis • Company description • Pricing and sales agreement • Suggested action and timetable o Timetable: who, what, when, where, why, how much, and how soon? o March 26, we do business, what happens from here on out 2 weeks, 3 weeks, May, June
Psychologically conveys that we will walk the talk Builds trust relationship more
Sales Dialogue and Presentation Template • Section 1: Prospect Information • Section 2: Customer Value Proposition • Section 3: Sales Call Objective o Is it always going to be about buying one of our services? No. • Section 4: Linking Buying Motives, Benefits, Support Information and Reinforcement Method • Section 5: Competitive Situation o The less you say the better • Section 6: Beginning the Sales Dialogue • Section 7: Anticipate Questions and Objections • Section 8: Earn Prospect Commitment • Section 9: Build Value through Follow-‐up Action 12 Simple rules for Writing (in text) 1. Double check company’s names, titles, and individual’s names. 2. The spelling of words you are not sure of should always be looked up. Do not rely on your word processor’s speller checker. 3. Take a break before proofreading. 4. Proofread an edit improvements rather than to simply catch mistakes. Improve clarity and crispness? 5. Repeat the proofreading process and when possible have a third party read for meaning, clarity, grammar and spelling. 6. Use hyphens to avoid confusion 7. 8. 9. Avoid starting sentences with and or but 10. Use like for direct comparisons; use such as for examples 11. Use a dash to set off an end a though in a sentence that differs from the preceding concept or thought. 12. Periods, commas, and question marks go within quotation marks; semi-‐colons go outside quotation marks. Making the Sales Group Sales Presentations • “When selling to groups, salespeople can expect tough questions and should prepare accordingly.” • “When selling to groups, salespeople should take every opportunity to re-‐sell individual group members prior to the group presentation .” o Money is always a good opener o Get people who will be your advocate Think Outside the Bubble -‐ Differentiation • Do you know where the breakdowns occur in your industry? Can you turn these breakdowns into a major business opportunity? • Are you looking beyond your industry to discern how to deliver more value to your customers? • If your business is not performing well, where are the breakdowns occurring and what management disciplines must you apply to fix your systemic problems?
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Can you see an opportunity to meet a neglected need by widening your company’s frame of reference? Is the focus of your business narrow enough to enable you to target markets and build the capabilities needed to serve those markets?
Your Interview • What are you going to do to differentiate? o Price? o Quality? o Value Creation? • Send interviewer a handwritten note Making the Presentation • DON’T BE LATE o Challenge in Atlanta and Chicago o Get stuck in NYC, don’t run out of gas • Logistics o Lighting makes a difference o Seating Horseshoe Conference table o Timing and Mobility 15 minutes: stationary Longer, walk a little bit and focus on individuals • Don’t give them anything to read before you start your presentation
Briefs & Role Play BRIEFS •
• ROLE PLAY • • • • • • • •
• • • •
Blue Ocean and Sales o Products and Services essentially have the same Price Quality o How do you differentiate? Value Creation o If you were a square, maybe you need transition to the circle o So why should they buy from me? Great GPA Activities Leadership Overcame obstacles So does everyone else Six Sigma o Know something about quality control management
Business dress PowerPoint 2 people on each side of table 20-‐25 minute presentation If you’re the buyer first – representing the buyer company o Victoria Secret is the buyer, and NASCAR is trying to get sponsorship DO RESEARCH o Cost of sponsorship, amount of people, demographics Go through all of the steps in the sales process o Go into the syllabus and start looking at these steps 1 sales presentation o About half way through, use some sort of excuse like I think we’re going to have to bring somebody else in o Then you change positions o Go outside, knock on the door, and come back in to finish sales presentation Be creative but do some research Graded individually No hard copy necessary Stay away from any kind of scripting o Practice, practice, practice
3/23/2012 ROLE PLAY • 20 minutes • Sitting across from each other • Buyers on one side, sellers on the other • Knock on the door if you are the selling portion, buyers stand to greet them 1. APPROACH
Who you are Who you represent Connectivity with the appointment – called the secretary or networked to get appointment Business communication information – business card Ask permission to put your stuff on somebody’s desk Give them an agenda of what you are going to do for the next 20 minutes of presentation o Want to confirm what we researched on your company o Want to ask a few more questions o Want to tell you more about our products o Then talk about what were offering and how we can serve your needs • Product/ Service o Features, attributes o BENEFITS as they relate to your needs, as a company 2. NEEDS IDENTIFICATION • Something that addresses productivity is a great start • Find out via all of these questions if there are any opportunity loss situations o Ex. Honda leasing case using Buicks for field personnel o Paying $2000/month for field people: interested in maintenance, dependability, etc. • Find out what the needs are 2a. SWITCH • We will need to reschedule for another time • NCE • Then buyers come in as new sales people • Follow up meeting: o Very brief summary of what happened in the first meeting o Make sure business card ritual is followed o Demonstration, comparison of costs, how the product looks 3. PRODUCT/SERVICE PRESENTATION • Demonstration • Price objection o Mount Blanc pens: companies give gifts like this to clients, employees, or both Big deal because $235 per pen for 25,000 employees is a huge deal Sense of true appreciation as a gift from company to employee o How to overcome it • As you’re going through, you want to ask If they have any concerns o Don’t get to close and then hear concerns 4. OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS • Specific time window • Don’t want to repeat product demonstration again, waste of time • Questioning skills o Use to get information o And make sure they are following along with minimal concerns 5. CLOSE • Want the whole thing o If you cant get that, go with a pilot: month, quarter • Come out with the NCE o Another meeting, etc. o Asking right here for the order • Try to complete presentation with a forecast • • • • • •
o
Ex. Impacts on insurance premiums
PRICE • •
Cost of price change Installation, training, intense follow up o You will be there and your company will provide 24/7 help
Grading Process • Individual Grading o Name o Communication Skills o Practice o Component o Transition • Lax on technical aspects like being right or wrong and if your costs analysis are correct • Concerned about technique and process • Graded on selling aspect mostly, some grading on buyer Extras • Divide speaking by what seams natural o Avoid script dependence • Establish relationship and sale on first meeting • Address concerns right away o I know what your concerns are, we have had them arise with previous clients • Divided 10 and 10 among sides • Outside research and creative research • Use PPT o One of the sellers may actually have to stand up at the podium o Laptop on table too • Not hard copies of presentations but have it available o But tell them in the beginning that they are there • No interruptions
Final Presentation www.netsuite.com userid:
[email protected] password: net123 NetSuite and Changing Systems • Time • Lost productivity hours • Probability with systems and information of losing something o Hackers o Level 3 security, same thing banks use
Final Exam
March 30, 2012
Addressing Concern & Earning Commitment Objection (sales Resistance) • Anything the buyer says or does that slows down or stops the buying process Reasons why prospects raise objections • Prospect want to avoid sales interview • Salesperson has failed to prospect and qualify properly • Objecting is a matter of custom • Prospect resists change • Prospect fails to recognize a need • Prospect lacks information o Increase dollar amount, increase risk, increase empathy by putting yourself in their shoes LAARC Method For Handling Buyer Resistance • Listen • Acknowledge • Assess • Respond • Confirm ISO 9,000-‐14,000 • Full description on operations • Have to get this to sell product in Europe Commitment • Creation of an obligation between the seller and buyer • Seller obtains the buyer’s obligation to a specific action • The specific action is usually linked directly to one of the sales call objectives What Constitutes Commitment • An appointment • Agreement for the next meeting • Agreement for product memo • A sale Guidelines for Earning Commitment • Look for the Commitment Signals o That will get the job one o I didn’t realize you delivered everyday o The price is lower than I thought it would be • Ask Trial Commitment Questions o What do you think about what we’ve discussed? o Do you see how this well help your organization? • Resolve “Red Light” Statements Made by the Prospect o I’m not sure that will work o The price is higher than I thought it would be o Your delivery schedule does not work for us o I don’t see the advantage of going with your proposal Techniques to Earn Commitment • T-‐Account or Balance Sheet Commitment o Summary close on paper • Success Story Commitment o Salesperson tells a story of a business that successfully solved a problem by buying his or her product o If you have permission
Ask for the Order/Direct Commitment o Simply ask for the order • Legitimate Choice/Alternative Choice o Give the prospect a limited number of choices • Summary Commitment o Summarize all the confirmed benefits that have been agreed to Dealing with No! • Evaluate the customer’s explanation • Maintain the relationship foundation • Understand rejection is a fact of life • Evaluate your performance • Learn from the situation • Make improvements Dealing with YES! • Obtain the customers signature • Provide a plan of action (i.e. answer the question now what?) • Answer any remaining questions • Assure the buyer you will follow-‐up Thank the customer for the business •