Now that we have identified prospects, we feel more confident about making the time and effort to approach them. We believe that these prospects have the potential and resources to buy our product. It is not time to celebrate yet, but it is an important accomplishment.
PITCH
With prospects in hand, we are now ready to prepare and make a pitch. Salespeople enjoy this step most and approach it with eagerness, excitement, and enthusiasm. They enjoy this step because this is where he promotes his product, builds confidence and trust, describes benefits, and can be convincing and reassuring. Above all, this is the step where he talks and all salespeople like to talk. There are many different tactics to the pitch but perhaps the most effective one is to sell benefits. Every product has Features and Advantages that salespeople painstakingly identify for their pitch, i.e. bigger, lighter, sharper, etc., than the competition. However, no one buys Features and Advantages unless they equal a BENEFIT. People buy benefits. Have you ever bought anything that was not a benefit to you? Remember, Features + Advantages = Benefits.
ANSWERING OBJECTIONS
Pitching is always the highlight for a salesperson. However, successful salespeople understand that pitching is only the beginning of the process. The truth is no one ever really needs your product and thus there will be many objections to buying. It is not because he doesn’t want your product but he raises objections because he doesn’t want to part with his money. The salesperson will encounter various objections before making the sale. At this point, his objective is to find out if the objection is real or an actual reason to not buy. Objections normally mean that selling is not yet complete and more selling is required to highlight more benefits. The salesperson addresses each objection and removes it with more benefits or convinces the prospect it is not really an objection. Answering objections with meaningful responses will clear the way for a sale.
As is with all the steps of the sales cycle, there are many strategies and actions for each step. Many of the strategies have been tried and perfected over time. A successful salesperson knows that if he can master these skills, his job will be more rewarding with more sales.
Comments