Hoist the sales

The sales manager over my first area overcame a number of disadvantages to reach his exalted position.

Blessed with a set of unwisely chosen names, the signature of Mr Ian Michael Arthur Crook at the end of a contract added naught but grief.

His face had all the sweet charm and pleasant outlook of a bulldog chewing nettles. Possessed of a bottomless thirst, his sales visit occurred only on market days when pub hours were extended.

He owned and franchised a ferocious temper, and practiced his finely honed motivational skills by reducing me to a gibbering wreck.

'Now listen up sunshine, I have a two-year-old son. If I sent him round to your customers with his little slate and pencil he could get ninety percent of your orders. What's more, the little blighter can't even talk. No way will you ever be a sales representative. I'm going to head office and smack that human resources woman in the mouth for ever taking you on. I don't pay you good money to get AN order; I pay you to get THE order. Now sort it or you're fired.'

Did it work? You bet it did. I topped the sales charts, but with a new employer.

So how does the ability to sell well help your franchise? The benefits are twofold: Firstly, the franchise becomes more rewarding as you develop your skills, making you feel your effort is really worthwhile; and secondly, customers go away happy. Satisfied customers don't just come back; they tend to ask for you by name.

Satisfy their wants, add personal attention and a friendly touch, and they will become a walking advertisement for your franchise. Ignore their wants, show carelessness, inattention and poor manners, and they will simply cease to exist, as far as you are concerned.

Your customer does not understand what you have in mind - or what services you can offer them. The other side is that you do not know what is on their mind; what it is they really want.

They are sophisticated. Much more than was the case a few years ago. Their needs are more complex. They have grown accustomed to better things and have money to spend. Their ego needs the nourishment of a friendly, personal greeting from you. It is important that you appreciate the business - after all, when services and products are bought, the money is feeding you.

They are perfectionists and want the best for the money they spend. When they criticise your service, and they will, to anyone who will listen, then take heed.

The source of their discontent lies in something you or the services you sell have failed to do. Find that source and eliminate it or you will lose their business and that of their friends as well.

Other businesses continually beckon to customers with offers of 'more' for their money. To keep business, you must offer something better than they do. They are your customer now, but you must prove again and again that they have made a wise choice in selecting you, and your services, above all others.

There are five main reasons why franchisors complain about the effectiveness of their franchisee sales:

Many franchisees are sure their method of selling is the correct method. They ignore the experience and teaching of others in the franchise - 'they know better'

They ignore the real reasons behind lost sales, and blame it on the day, the time, the competition or the type of business. They could blame it on themselves but rarely do. In consequence they cannot apply self analysis to find the true causes. They refuse to admit their mistakes and therefore cannot learn from them.

When a franchisee escapes from a sales call without a flat turn-down they are so happy that they forget the prospect got rid of them without an order. They hope for an order tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes.

Many franchisees are far worse psychologists that they imagine. They overrate their insight into their own and their customer's personalities. They act from overconfidence and use the wrong psychology on their customers.

Franchisees rely too much on improvisation, and not enough on planning and using the system. Experience shows that systematically planned hard work achieves more in the long run that the odd spark of genius. Selling is simply a question of gaining factual knowledge and developing the ability to put it across.

A franchise customer should be contacted every six weeks, whether they are regular buyers, or completely new prospects. The first priority is to ensure that the reason is of sufficient importance to justify an approach.

No one wishes to waste time covering previous ground. No one wishes to spend too long or endure high-pressure tactics. Provide a genuine benefit for your call: 'I especially wanted you to know about the changes to our product', or 'I needed to explain that all orders this month include free installation'.

Whenever you make your call it is vital to have a well though-out plan for success. This plan, no matter how good, will not work all the time; no plan does. However it is better to have a plan rather than no plan at all.

In B2B begin by researching your customer. Check directories or their website before calling. Research which product or service would best meet their needs. Research the relationship they have with your competitors, or with your franchise. For private customers check from your records what products already have most impact with neighbours.

Set your objectives for the call. What alternatives can you offer? What products do they already buy, and what could they buy but do not already?

Your initial task is to sell new products to old customers, and old products to new customers.

Not everyone understands the same set of words, and you may need a question-and-answer session before you are sure you have perfect understanding.

Discover what your customer wants done by asking open questions and avoid the yes/no interlude. We are all individuals and we often want the same product to do different things. We each require a different benefit. Think about the customer's problems as if they were now your own and explain how your product meets their exact needs.

Customers are not interested in what your franchise has put into its product or service - those are the features. They really want only what they can get out of it - the benefits.

Live with, and use the product - both your own and your competitors. Try out the service and discover all the different uses that it may offer. Know what your product can do. Complete product knowledge comes from knowing not only what the product is - the features; not only what it can do - the advantage; but knowing what it can do for the customer - the BENEFIT.

Include a demonstration of how your product/service operates. The three rules are: Tell them what you'll show them. Show them. Tell them what you showed them. 'Can I ask you to keep your eye on the nozzle and see just how much dirt this machine will remove from your rug? Can you see it working? Okay, just take a look at the tank and see how much has been extracted from just one pass.'

Experience will show you that when a customer raises an objection they are still interested. Agree with the objection and follow with a question - Why? What? Where? When? How?

'I can understand you wanting to think about it, but tell me WHAT aspect exactly you still wish to consider.'

Meet their objections with answers. Play it cool even if they object to the price. Put their objection into perspective and follow up with another benefit. Divide the price by the extra benefits to reduce the impact or the years of happy use. Explain the extra benefits your product offers over the low-cost competition.

Never reduce your price simply through fear. If you are able to lower the cost, then 'trade' it away. 'If you could arrange to collect from our depot, I could offer a reduction of 5 per cent,' or 'if you could carry out your own installation I could credit twenty pounds.'

Close the sale by watching for buying signals: 'How long is delivery?' 'What colours are available?' or 'How long is the guarantee?' Hear this and your customer has gone from simply thinking about buying, to definitely owning.

Ask for the order, then shut up and wait. Write the order on your well-printed order form and get a signature, as you congratulate the customer on their wise decision.

Acknowledge that one of the strengths of a good salesperson is the ability to get along with all types of people. Your customers should like you and you should count your customers as friends. All things being equal customers will deal with a franchise they like, rather than one they feel indifferent towards.

All things cannot be equal if your franchise carries a constant burden in a product or service that is unable to match the competition. There are cycles in business when for a while the competition has the edge, but it is difficult to sell a product that is constantly inferior. Your offer must carry a price that your customers are willing to pay. Not necessarily a lower price, but a price that represents value for money.