The
Masters of Legendary Service
Observing
the traits of sales people who excel
All of us have experienced the occasion of observing a sales person
demonstrating extraordinary skills. If you have had the opportunity
of interacting with this sales person, a master of legendary service,
undoubtedly it was a pleasant experience you will long remember.
All of us with the responsibility of supervising any number of sales
people have wished we could clone the extraordinary salesperson,
knowing our sales would reflect a substantial increase. While the
inner drive fueling the master of legendary service is a study within
itself, there are several skills we can observe and educate our
sales people with.
The masters of legendary service are skilled in utilizing five types
of questions to learn more about customers, their needs, and to
close the sale. The masters, regardless of what industry they are
a part of, also know the three things they are selling and in what
sequence they should be presented to the customer.
The master will begin their conversation with a prospective customer
by engaging with an "open" or "probing" question
or statement. The open format can be as simple as a statement welcoming
the customer, thanking the customer for allowing the sales person
to call on the prospective customer, or inviting a comment in a
"neutral area" such as the weather or a local sports team.
Utilizing the probing technique requires the master having some
additional information about the customer. This would occur for
an inside sales person when the customer has "landed"
at a particular display, or is examining a brochure, color swatch
or other similar information.
For an outside salesperson, the probing question can initially be
used when the sales call is preceded by an inquiry by the customer.
They have asked you to bring information or a product or service
they are interested in. The probing questions are appropriate at
this point because the sales person has the ability to ask what
prompted the customer's interest in the product or service, or why
the customer is looking at the product or service.
Using a "why" question opens the door for additional probing
questions. "What has prompted you to look at this furniture?"
The answer will probably include explanation of the problems with
the previous furniture, or the announcement of a new home, pool,
or color scheme for the current home. Armed with this insight, the
master sales person is able to continue with the necessary questions
that precede the closing of the sale.
The third type of question a master can utilize is a close-ended
question. The master will use the question in several places. The
close-ended question can be a part of the assumed sale when the
master asks the customer if they would like the furniture delivered.
The master can also use the close-ended question to create an add
on sale.
Imagine the customer, having made a selection of an item, being
asked by the master, "Is one enough, or would two be better?"
The master knows 17% of the time the customer will take the second
item.
By definition, the close-ended question is one in which the answer
is "yes" or "no". The close-ended question is
the most frequently used type of question. Unfortunately, we all
experience it every day with the lesser quality salesperson as they
are asking, "Can I help you?"
The fourth type of question is as often a statement as it is a question.
The emotional question or statement given by the sales person can
give reinforcement of the relationship with the customer with an
"I value your opinion", or a question/statement of "I
know you have purchased this brand in the past. How do you like
this year's models?"
In examining the four questions we have already discussed, it is
important to explain that the four can often be used in conjunction
with each other, in a variety of sequences, as well as blended so
as to create the appropriate scenario for the master. These four
being reviewed, the fifth question remains, and is set apart for
reasons which will be explained. The "leading" question,
while a type of question a master is aware of, is used sparingly.
A sales person known for being pushy or a high-pressure sales person
is more apt to use the leading question. An example of the leading
question can be observed when the customer has shown a preference
for a lower priced product, and the sales person responds by asking,
"You don't really want to purchase the lesser quality set,
do you? You know it will not last as long."
While this may help to close a sale, the master does not utilize
this question because he or she recognizes the long term value of
the customer. It is not simply the dollars generated by the commission
of this one sale. Instead, the master is aware of the lifetime value
of the customer.
For those looking for a monetary value of this, calculate the average
sale of the business multiplied by the number of purchases per year
by the customer, again multiplied by the number of years a customer
will shop with the business. Now, look at the commission or profit,
from this calculation. This is a much larger amount of money, and
the master being aware of it, is looking for the long term relationship
as compared to the "quick sale".
Lastly, the master is aware of the three things he, or she is selling.
As a master enters into an interaction with a customer, they are
expending their efforts to sell themselves to the customer. They
build a relationship utilizing the questions appropriate for the
situation, and assist the customer in achieving a level of comfort
with the sales person as well as a level of satisfaction in the
knowledge of the master.
The master then sells the business in which they work. A master
can often explain to the customer that this is the business they
have selected to work in, as it is the most harmonious to the master's
business philosophy.
After a master has sold himself and the business, they are now free
to sell their product or service. And when the customer is ready
to make another purchase, the first thing they will decide will
be to talk to the master of legendary service.
*
A master utilizes five types of questions or statements
* A master sells three items
* The techniques of a master can be taught
