Sale is a multi-stage process in which there are rules and pitfalls. Despite this fact, many managers believe that in order to fulfill the plan, sales managers need to have talent and certain knowledge in this area. However, the truth is that any employee who has learned basic sales techniques can show good results.
What is the "five stages of sales" technique?
The most famous technique is the "5 stages of sales." Many managers in large corporations and ordinary sellers in small shops may not have heard of this method, but they partially use it in practice.
The sales method "5 stages" got its name because of the five essential elements, which in combination give guaranteed success. We will present these elements in the form of specific questions:
- How to establish contact with the client?
- How to identify customer problems?
- How to present the goods?
- What objections can a client have?
- How to complete the sale?
Consider each of the stages of the work of the sales manager in the theory of sales "5 stages".
How to establish contact with the client?
By establishing contact with a client, you should not literally mean dialing a phone number and a standard greeting. Any employee is capable of performing these simple procedures. It is more important to form a positive opinion of yourself as a professional who understands the product thoroughly.
Bad contact example:
Manager: Hello, we offer mosaic-grinding machines of domestic production, can you be interested?
Client: Yes, but tell me, what is the productivity of your machines per hour of work and is it possible to connect a vacuum cleaner?
Manager: Sorry, I need to clarify this information, I will call you back.
Obviously, the manager’s mistake in this case was not knowing the specifics of his product, so the client concluded for himself that the manager is not professional. As a result, the first stage in the 5-stage sales technique for the seller was a failure and contact with the buyer was not established.
We list the basic requirements for a sales manager that are necessary to establish contact:
- deep professional knowledge of the product;
- the seller’s confidence in the product and its own knowledge;
- ability and desire to solve a buyer's problem;
- appropriate appearance of the seller;
- adherence to business ethics.
In order to solve the buyer's problem, it is necessary to determine it, and for this you need to carefully listen to the client and ask leading questions. It is in this that the next steps of the "5 stages of sales" are made.
How to identify customer problems?
The main thing for the manager at this stage is to use the active listener technique, that is, speak less, and listen more to the buyer. Often sellers unknowingly skip this step and immediately begin to present the product and talk about all its benefits. The enthusiasm and energy of a selling monologue is best left to the next stage.
If the sale breaks down after the presentation of the product, whether it is a phone call or a personal meeting, then pay attention to whether you missed the stage of identifying problems and needs of the client.
Bad example of dialogue:
Client: Good afternoon, yes, maybe we are interested in buying new equipment, as there are problems with old machines.
The manager makes a presentation of the goods.
The client says he will think.
An obvious mistake, the manager skipped the second step of the "5 stages of sales" and did not allow the client to specify the problems with the old equipment.It was right to ask a few open questions and get a complete picture of the needs of the client. Perhaps in this situation it was enough to sell not new goods, but services for the repair of old equipment.
At the same time, if you skip the first stage of establishing contact and immediately proceed to establish a list of needs, then a potential client may experience distrust. So, if the contact is established and the problem field is identified, then you should proceed to the third step "5 stages of sales". For a successful seller, you now need to properly present your product.
How to present the goods?
If the first and second steps were rather an impromptu, then this should not be allowed in the process of product presentation. Present the goods you need briefly, comprehensively, but at the same time have time to show all the benefits. The presentation must meet the following requirements:
- Describe useful properties and characteristics;
- represent the advantages of the product compared to peers;
- give a complete picture of the product and company.
In presentations, it is worth avoiding the double-digit meaning in expressions so as not to mislead the buyer.
The presentation can be carried out orally, be presented on paper or using special software, including with a projector. All presentation tools work, the main thing is to choose the right option for your product and make sure that the text is not overloaded with numbers, is readable and looks interesting.
What objections can a client have?
The dream of any seller is customers who, after the presentation of the goods, are ready to immediately sign the contract and transfer the advance without any further questions. Unfortunately, in real work such cases are extremely rare, especially in the B2B market. Usually, after the presentation of the product, the client claims that the product does not suit him or is not interesting yet. For the sales manager begins the stage of the fight against objections.
An example of a bad dialog:
Manager: ... and you can place an order directly on the company’s website.
Client: Thank you, I'm not interested.
Manager: Sorry. Goodbye.
Obvious mistake of the “salesman” - the most popular objection “I am not interested” was missed. The phrase "I'm not interested" does not mean that a person does not want to buy, it only means that the client is not yet sure about the purchase. The task of the sales manager at this stage is to determine the reasons for the objection and provide convincing arguments to the client.
As with the presentation, there can be no impromptu in working with objections. You will not believe it, but there are many standard customer objections that are used in all areas:
- I am not interested.
- No money.
- I do not need it.
- Old still works.
- The competition is better.
- I'll think about it.
To learn how to successfully deal with objections, write down the above phrases on a piece of paper, as well as supplement the list with popular objections from your practice - you will get at least 15-20 phrases. Make a conversation scenario for each objection, perhaps for some it will be the same. Practice and speak each scenario, leave yourself brief notes for each objection.
How to complete the sale?
The "5 stages of the sales ladder" scheme ends and begins the same way under any conditions. The buyer has a problem, and the seller offers a specific product that will help solve this problem. The result of these actions is a purchase, and therefore it is important for the manager to know how to complete the transaction and subtly bring the client to pay for the goods, signing the contract, etc.
Research by specialists and trainers in the field of sales training techniques claims that about 90% of sellers are not able to complete a deal. The completion of the transaction should be a specific action from the client:
- signing a contract;
- Down payment transfer
- checkout at the cash desk of the store.
In the retail store, the final step is quite simple: according to the "5 stages of sales of the seller-consultant," the client must go to the cash register to pay for the goods. More variations remain for sales managers in the B2B market, since one cold call never leads to an instant signing of an agreement.
Finally
In various conditions, a specific plan is established for managers, for example, for appointments or sending product samples. So, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of selling expensive products, you will need to go through the funnel "5 stages of sales" several times. And initially, the final stage can only be an appointment.