Coaching Session 9: Sales Strategies and Retention 

Lesson Notes

Time Stamps:

00:05 Video Introduction

02:18 What is the Sales Process?

  • Quality Leads
  • Sales Pitch & Objection Handling
  • Delivers product/service
  • After-sales/ Retention
  • Re-engagement

09:30 Types of Sales Calls

  • Hard Selling
  • Soft Selling
  • After-Sales Follow Up

14:30 Top Skills for Sales Professionals

  • Communication Skills
  • Rapport Building
  • Honestly and Integrity
  • Critical Thinking
  • Tenacity
  • Persuasion
  • Adaptability
  • Product Knowledge

18:50 Objection Handling

21:28  How to Handle Objections

21:31 Most Common Objections

24:48  Portfolio 9

 

I. What is the Sales Process?

 

What is the golden rule in Sales? 

“You sell to other people the way you would like to be sold to.”    ~Brian Tracy

 

SALES PROCESS

Qualify Leads
  • Lead Generation team gathers leads.
  •   The same team qualifies leads by sorting them out to either qualified or unqualified leads.
  • Discovery Phase – during this period, the Lead Gen team identifies needs by asking the right probing questions.
Sales Pitch & Objection Handling
  • If leads are qualified, the team endorses them to the Appointment Setting team as hot leads.
  • Appointment Setting team contacts hot leads either through a call or email and introduces the product or service.
  • When a lead showed interest in the product or service, setters set an appointment to discuss further with the Sales team.
  •     Sales team pitches for sale.
    • Don’t bombard with info.
    • Only sell what customers need/want.
  •  The sales team handles objections and addresses any doubts or hesitations by preparing rebuttals.
  • Negotiates with leads and draws up a proposal.
  • Recaps highlights and asks for contact details.
  • Closes the call. 
Delivers product/service.
After-sales/ Retention.
  • Sales do not stop after a closed deal.
  • Retain customers by renewing or upgrading the service.
Re-engagement

Leads that had objections or weren’t ready to proceed to the product or service delivery stage will be re-engaged and will go through the process of qualifying again.

 

Types of Sales Calls

1. Hard Selling

(https://simplicable.com/new/soft-sell-vs-hard-sell)

Hard selling is more “in-your-face” sales, with enthusiastic salespeople pushing the product or service. It is characterized by aggressive sales pitches and repeated calls to action (Act Now, Limited-Time Only, Last Chance, One-Time Only).

It seeks to close the deal as early as possible rather than giving consumers the chance to evaluate their options and potentially decide to wait on the purchase. Products being sold are not basic commodities but may be needed daily. Most products are luxury, high-ticket, or superfluous items that are harder to sell, a hard sell approach is often appropriate.

Hard selling is also known as a cold calling which is an unsolicited visit or phone call made by someone trying to sell goods or services. The salesperson and client don’t know each other and no prior interaction.

During cold calls, the salesperson does not have any idea whether the client wants or needs the product. 

Examples:

  1. Telemarketing – random calls from a person you don’t know selling a product or service
  2. In-person visits (Door-to-door) 
  3. Political or Poll survey – to gather the opinions and attitudes of potential voters, help identify supporters and understand what the public needs, election forecast 
  4. Market survey – provides insight into feelings, attitudes, and preferences of a specific audience 
  5. Infomercials – presentation of product or service packed with reasons to buy what is offered and backed up by testimonials 

Old school example: Wolf of Wall Street and Broiler Room movies. 

Robo-dialing is the latest innovation in cold calling whereby algorithms automatically dial and produce pre-recorded messages.

 

2. Soft Selling 

(https://simplicable.com/new/soft-sell-vs-hard-sell)

It is a gentler approach to making a sale. Salesperson encourages an individual to buy a product or service without seeming too pushy. The idea is to show the benefits of making a purchase while putting the customer at ease. 

It begins with questioning the prospective buyer. The salesperson will ascertain the buyer’s needs based on the answers they receive. They will then be able to make a helpful and suitable recommendation to the buyer about which product or service will best meet their needs. 

Soft selling salespeople will take their time to educate the buyers to lessen their concerns when they arise. Only when the prospective buyer is satisfied will the sale be completed.

Soft selling focuses on building a reputation and relationship with consumers. 

Also known as Warm calling, soft selling is a solicitation of a customer who had previously expressed interest in the product or service.

Examples:  

  1. When a prospect fills out an Enquiry Form online, sends out an inquiry email, calls in, or contacts thru chat inquiring leaves a message on social media to inquire.
  2. When an online retailer recognizes when an online shopper has abandoned a shopping cart with several items in it by sending an email to the shopper to ask if they encountered a problem or if they needed advice or answers.
  3. Signing up for a trial period. This is a good way to determine whether a consumer needs the product or service.  Gives the consumers ideas on how to use and explore the product or service.

 

3. After-Sales Follow Up 

(https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/consumer-laws/customer-service/after-sales/follow-up)

It is an activity carried out to monitor or further develop the customer’s journey with your product or service. Many sales are lost due to no follow-up. Repeat business is won with follow-up calls too. 

After-Sales Follow Up is performed either by phone call, email, or SMS. 

The purpose of making this call is to:

  • take the feedback from the person 
  • provide a solution if they are facing any difficulty with the product (providing repairs, refunds, and warranties)
  • create opportunities for customer follow-up such as sales alerts (upgrade/upsell)

The follow-up calls demonstrate commitment to building your customers’ loyalty, let customers feel that they are valued which eventually helps generate repeat sales. The technique will help you and your sales team build an ongoing sales relationship with your customers and encourage them to refer your business to others.

Good customer service steps include:

  • letting your customers know that the goods have arrived
  • following up to ensure goods have been received
  • providing updates on delivery or service arrangements
  • checking up on a new installation
  • referring customers to your online services

 

Build customer loyalty

Use these loyalty strategies to strengthen your customer’s devotion to your business:

  • personalized or customized the service (call them by their first name, recall the previous order or interaction with your customer)
  • offer rewards for new customer referrals
  • start a loyalty club and offer discounts to members
  • send birthday cards and seasonal greetings offering gift promotions (consider religious sensitivities)
  • invite your customer to open an online or in-store account with your business
  • invite your customers to keep in touch through social media channels
  • offer incentives for product recommendations or new customer referrals if they are satisfied with your product

 

Generate repeat sales

Use every opportunity to tell your customers about sales, promotions, and services you provide. Help your customer feel that they benefit by receiving preferential treatment and inside information from you. You can generate repeat sales by:

  • telling your customer about specials or promotions you are running
  • selling gift cards and arranging gift orders
  • sending periodical updates to advertise sales, offers, and promotions
  • offering product demonstrations that may be of interest to your customer
  • drawing customers’ attention to related products that provide them with different or additional benefits

 

III. Top Skills for Sales Professionals

(https://www.saleshacker.com/sales-skills-traits/)

1. Communication skills 

Active listening

It is important to understand the customer before pitching a sale. Listen and take note of what the customer is saying. This is the customers’ chance to air out their sentiment. Give them this chance. 

How do you listen actively?

  • Avoid interrupting the customer and avoid multitasking when the customer is talking. 
  • (EQ) Emotionally intelligent people can read the emotions of others with ease, and then exhibit their own emotional responses to achieve the desired outcome. 
  • Read between the lines. Listen to the tone of the voice. If you are to pick up on a prospect’s mood, you’ll be able to gauge how to proceed with the conversations. Are they in a great mode? 
  • Listen to customers’ pain points, wants, or needs. When the issue is understood, clarify.
  • Do not offer any products or services yet. Clarify or repeat the issue and confirm with the customer. When customers confirm, they feel like they are being heard and this builds credibility to the conversation. 
  • This creates an impression that the salesperson is interested in hearing out customers.
Empathize 

Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.

  • Not only listen to what the customers are saying, relate to them as if you are in their place. When a salesperson empathizes, a better product/service is offered.
  • Empathy helps you build meaningful relationships with prospects.
Asking relevant probing questions
  • To narrow down what the client really wants, ask the right questions. Investigate. 
  • Ask open-ended questions to fully gain the context of the message. Questions that are not answerable by “Yes” or “No”. Those “Wh” questions.
  • Ask questions that can help get to know customers to build rapport.

2. Rapport building 

Rapport is a mutually beneficial interaction with others that is characterized by harmony and trust that makes communication easier and much more effective.

  • Customize the call and develop a personal relationship to increase prospects’ trust 
  • Do not stick to the “script”.
  • Take time to know the prospect and treat them as humans instead of a sales quota or stats.
  • Add value by relating to the buyer on a more personal or human level.
  • Compliment if needed.

3. Honesty and Integrity 

Practice honesty and give the correct info to customers to help make intelligent buying decisions.

  • To maintain loyal customers, consistently provide accurate information.  Salespeople should never push a sale on someone who isn’t a good fit for a product or service.
  • Never give false information or mislead a customer just to gain a sale. 
  • Do not over-promise or underdeliver, it will always come back to you. It is not the best way to retain customers.  
  • As soon as they find out that they have been tricked or ripped off, they will more likely never go back to buy the product or avail of the service.

4. Critical Thinking 

The salesperson needs critical thinking skills to process information, analyze data, weed out relevant bits of information that will help formulate solutions for problems your prospect is experiencing.  

  • Identify the root cause of the issue/complaint, explore possible solutions, recommend the best course of action. 

5. Tenacity 

It is the ability to bounce back. 

Tenacious -someone who holds on firmly. 

  • Show resilience even after a few objections. Take rejections gracefully. “Be quick on your feet”.  
  • Be persistent and develop the ability to endure repeated rejection.
  • Rebut by educating customers with the features, benefits, and values of the product. In-depth product knowledge makes a great argument for rebuttal. 
  • Know what’s the best deal for the customers.

6. Persuasion 

It is asking people to move in your direction by explaining or offering genuine reasons that are in their benefit to accept.

  • Not “pushy” but influence prospects to do what’s in their own best interest that would also benefit your company. 
  • Persuade or reason out with logic and back it up with evidence.

7. Adaptability 

Adaptability is a survival mechanism not only in nature but also in the world of sales. Tools have changed and so have customer demographics. There are new engagement channels to explore. Smart sales professionals know they need to update their skills and utilize available resources. 

  • How to adapt? Upgrade skills and facilities. Modernized equipment by using computers and tablets, updating CRM to more user-friendly apps, and creating social media accounts.
  • Reasons:  Consumers are transitioning from analog to digital. 
  • Customers prefer the ease of transaction and almost real-time results/output rather than having them wait. 

8. Product Knowledge 

Deep and extensive knowledge about products/services values, benefits, and features gives the impression that the salesperson knows what he/she is doing. 

  • To give the best recommendation, thorough knowledge about the product is essential.
  • Do your own research and do not rely on the materials given by the client or company.
  • Research on Google and YouTube.  Read or watch product reviews or tips and tricks on how to use the product.
  • Know competitors’ products. This is an edge against competitors.
  • If a salesperson has poor product knowledge, it’s just like going to a battle but does not know how to use a gun, or knows how to use it but does not maximize its features. 

 

IV. Objection Handling

(https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/5-key-insights-for-handling-sales-objections)

 

How to handle these objections:

  1. Listen to the objection 

Let your customers talk and explain why they cannot purchase from your company. 

Listen to the “real” reason and look for hints to determine how strong the objection is.

  1. Respond to the objection

Once the objection is fully understood, give your best to address the objection. 

  1. Confirm the resolution

After giving out the resolution, check if customers are happy with what has been offered. If the resolution did not meet customer expectations, offer the product at a later date. 

 

Most common objections:

  1. Lock-in period with another company
    • Educate customers about the additional value/features that your product has. 
    • Talk about how easy contacting your customer service team is if issues arise. 
  2. Cost
    • Highlight a unique feature of your product. 
    • Explain why your product is unique (durability, high performance, usability, high-quality construction)
  3. Fear of change
    • Fear might come from hesitation as the new product may not work. 
    • Give more information about your business to answer your doubts.
    • Overcome hesitations by providing social proof in the form of testimonials, product reviews, feedback. 
    • Share product’s warranties or money-back guarantee. 
  4. Required features missing
    • Give a teaser of what your product can do. 
    • Break down features to your product to educate customers. 
  5. Timing
    • Encourage customers to sign up for a trial period. 
    • Introduce limited-offer promotion.

 

Portfolio

Task 1: Create a script to rebut a customer when calling and asking for cancellation and look for ways to retain the customer. Send your script and do a recording using Vocaroo.  (https://vocaroo.com/)

Audrey is a member of Globetrotter Miles. She is a frequent flyer as part of her job. Due to the pandemic, their company decided to work from home. Her membership expires soon. She does not want to renew the annual fee of $69.00 and wants to cancel her membership. She is not interested in any discounts or promotions.

If she cancels, she misses the travel perks offered by Globetrotter Miles. 

Your goal as a Sales agent is to save the cancellation. How are you going to retain Audrey as your client?

 

Portfolio submission template:

Batch # CSSS Portfolio – Lesson #

 

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