Balancing Act

Previously on September 7th, we asked Do You Have A Sales Process? In this post we discussed that the customer typically goes through 5 stages when making a buying decision.

These are:

Initial Interest
Fact Finding
Validation
Rationalization
Decision

So now we have to address how you are going to meet the clients’ needs at each of those stages.

Most of us can agree that the most important part of the sales process is the initial few moments of the sales presentation.

This is where the customer will make many of the big decisions about you and your product or service.

This is also the opportunity for you to make a first impression.

Will you be their advocate or their adversary?

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You have to investigate what it is the customer wants. This preparation work needs to happen before you begin your sales process. What are their needs, wants, hopes, desires? What will your product or service do for them?

Deliver the information the way the customer wants to receive it. Notice that this has nothing to do with how you want to deliver the sales pitch.

IIQ
Important Initial Questions

You have to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself these three questions:

What is their top priority?
What is their boss’s or significant other’s top priority?
What is their top objective?

Now you need to ask questions like….
Ask them what is on their desk?
What is critical for them this week?
What is taking up the most time?
What are they working on that needs to get implemented?

These questions are the Important Initial Questions or the IIQ.

The idea is that you are getting your prospect to talk about solving a challenge or problem. Customers hate to be sold, but most people love to solve a problem. You will both benefit from solving the problem.

BO
Buyer’s Options

Now you need to figure out what their options are. This will help you position what you are selling to the customer by positioning your solution as a unique option, the best option or the only viable option.

CAP
Create Action Plan

Once you have the answers to the IIQ and the Buyer’s Options thought out you will now be able to develop an Action Plan to solve the customer’s needs. You will be armed with the information to tailor your offer directly to the customer’s priorities, options and desires. Even better, you will be creating a solution! This is perhaps the most valuable thing you can offer a customer. This is the nature of creating a win=win relationship.

As always, I wish you continued success!

This post is part of an ongoing series on developing a sales process. Please visit often for the next part in the series on managing time in the sales process.