MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH CENTRAL PA

Prospecting for Customers & Qualifying the Customer

Prospecting – How Important is it?

From Tim Conner’s book

“Soft Sell: The New Art of Selling, Self Empowerment and Persuasion”

“If you can master only one skill in selling, become a master prospector. It will guarantee your future success.”

Business Has Changed

Corporations are cutting budgets and laying people off every day, in every industry, all over the world.

While sales has never been "easy", it has now become really hard. You have to talk to the right person, say the right thing, and ask the right questions - at just the right time - or you're dead.

Proper Qualifying = Improved Closing

Winners in the Profession spent over 50% of their time “Prospecting.

Losers spend most of their time in presentations. They are professional visitors.

Elements of Prospecting

1. Identification, i.e., finding customers that have:– Need– Desire– Ability to pay for your products and services– Willingness to see you– Make or contribute to the buying decision

2. Qualification– Determining which prospects are the “BEST” prospects to

invest: Time Energy Resources in now

– Getting information to tailor presentation to needs, desires, problems, concerns and buying style of your prospect.

Customer Profile = Prospect Profile

Use profile of your existing “average” customer to develop a prospect profile.

– Take your list and develop each item into a probing question.

– Answers to questions will move you closer to establishing your customer as a qualified prospect

Ideal Prospect

Use profile of your existing “Best” customers to develop an ideal prospect profile.

– Create a profile template – Use the profile template as you work toward

identifying and qualifying each potential prospect for as close a match as possible

Questions to Identify Prospects

1. Do they have a basic need for the products or services you sell?2. Do they have the desire to buy now?3. Is the timing right in terms of their buying cycle?4. Can they pay for what you are selling, within your terms and conditions? 5. What is their available cash or credit?6. Who are the decision makers?7. Will they and can they make a buying decision?8. What is the decision process?9. Do you have a favorable selling environment?10. Who are they currently buying from?11. Will they give you the time you need to qualify and sell them?12. What are their attitudes, perceptions, or prejudices about your products or

services?

ASK THE PROSPECT QUESTIONS

Most Salespeople talk to much….you learn from listening…get the prospect to talk

Questions Offer Positive Benefits

Example You visit your doctor complaining of stomach pains. Without asking you any questions he prescribes a medication to be taken four times a day for 30 days.

Would you follow his advise?

Questions

Save you time Keep you from talking too much Get the prospect involved Get and maintain prospect attention Make your prospect think Increase likelihood the prospect will listen to

you when it’s your turn to talk Make you look competent and knowledgeable

Questions Help:

1. ..put you in driver’s seat allowing you to direct customer in a controlled way.

2. ..you determine how cooperative your prospect will be.3. ..get you valuable information about client’s needs,

desires, & problems. LISTEN!4. ..you identify client’s styles, opinions, current level of

understanding & awareness of their own needs and your products or services.

5. ..you avoid rejection by knowing when to terminate the presentation when you believe you are not talking to a quality prospect.

Questions Build Rapport

CUSTOMER TALKS…..YOU LISTEN

One of best compliments you can pay another human being is to be sincerely interested in what s/he has to say…..

One suggestion is to begin by saying:

“I don’t know how my company can best serve your needs. The best way for me to determine this is if I can ask you a few questions. Is this OK? If face-to-face ask: “Do you mind if I take notes?”

Ask Clear Questions

For example you are selling real estate and want to know

how many children the prospect has and their ages and sex.

So you ask:

Do you have any children? Yes

What I meant was, How many children do you have? Three

What I meant was how old are they? 12, 16, & 17

What sex are they, girls or boys? Two oldest are girls & youngest a boy.

Why not ask one question: “What are the ages and sexes of your children?”

Question Guidelines

1. Start with broad topics

2. Keep questions free of buzzwords, jargon, and technical terms.

3. KISS…and, present one idea at a time

4. Keep questions in sequence and in proper focus

5. Keep them non-threatening and positive

6. If asking sensitive questions explain why you are asking and give benefit to prospect for answering

7. Allow the prospect to answer, don’t force an answer

8. Maintain a consultative atmosphere

9. Phrase the questions so they are easy to answer

10. Phrase the questions from the prospect’s point of view and psychological level.

Develop an example of each:

Open-ended Question:

Closed-ended Question:

Clarifying Question:

Leading Question

Assumptive Question:

Proven Techniques.

1. What are the questions to use that stir up buying emotions?

2. How do you bond with anyone - no matter how different they seem?

3. What is your strategy to maximize your selling time on winnable deals?

4. How have you been able to be comfortable securing commitments early?

5. How do you get prospects to pursue you and reveal their budgets?

Question Development

Information I Need Questions To Ask

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.

When a prospect doesn’t buy ask questions to determine what prevented their purchase. This can be done with:

1. After sales call

2. Telephone call

3. Letter

FOLLOW-UP ON NO-SALE

Maybe

If you could would you prefer a “yes”, a “no”, or a “maybe”?

Experience says that most prospects don’t want to reject you and their hope is you’ll simply drift away into obscurity…..So, “maybes’ are actually a postponed “nos”

Best advise is to avoid maybes…..

Listening Skills

Suggestion that each Inside Sales Rep attend a two to three hour workshop on “Effective Listening Skills”