CJNg _ 2.jpgHi!

 

    My name is c.j., and here's the November 2007 issue of Psyche-Selling TM eNewsletter, and be sure to get some complimentary sales management tools as you read on.    

 

    On 5 Dec 2007, I'll be organising an Executive Briefing session together with Shi Bisset & Associates on "Stop Your Sales Training Now", which is based on last issue's main article, from 14:00-17:00 hrs at Mesa Manifesto on a strictly "by invitation" basis.  e-Mail me info@psycheselling.com if you would like to be invited.

 

     If you want to find out how to lead, manage and motivate winning sales teams, join us on 13-14 Dec here:  http://www.trainershubcn.com/eflyer.php?fid=221 

 

    BTW, if you are a trainer/ speaker (aspiring or experienced), and would like to know how you can promote your training/ speaking business better, pls. join us for this Professional Speakers' Association of China chapter meeting: http://www.psycheselling.com/PSAC-121107.htm

 

    This issue's main article is on  "Getting into the Minds of Customers and Make the Sale", and it deals with some fundamental issues that could help facilitate communication with customers.  This topic will also be featured as part of an evening workshop organised by the AustCham Shanghai on 29 Nov 2007.

 

    In brief:

  • While making money is a high priority on most customers' minds, it's NOT the first priority in most cases. More often, "saving money" is the number 1 concern that most customers have.

  • While customers would like to save money most of the time, that does not mean that the product with the lowest price always wins. To the customer, there is a huge difference between the price of a product and the cost of purchasing it.;

  • While the purpose of selling is to make money, and the objective of the customer is to save money, there seems to be some eternal conflict between buyer and seller. The good news is that there are simple ways to circumvent this "conflict", if you are willing to challenge some entrenched thinking and beliefs about selling.

    To read the rest of this newsletter, pls. click here (http://www.psycheselling.com/page4.html).


 

Getting into the Minds of Customers and Make the Sale  

 

by c.j. Ng

 

        Without a doubt, selling is all about facilitating customers to buy. If the customer doesn't want to make a purchase, there's no way you can close your sale. Forcing your way to close the sale in such circumstances isn't selling, it's daylight robbery.

        Hence, if you are keen on ensuring customers want to buy from you again and again, one way to do so is to simply get into the minds of customers, and find out what they want.


The First 3 Things on  Customer's Mind

         If you are selling to corporate customers, you'll know that you will get some kind of reaction when you talk about money.  Most sales people will assume that the first thing on the minds of corporate customers will be about making money.  On the contrary, it isn't.

         Human beings are more or less motivated by 2 issues (adapted from Herzberg's motivation theory) , that is:

  • Seeking pleasure; or
  • Avoiding pain

        Between the 2, however, "avoiding pain" tends to give us more urgency to act, since it's nature's way of protecting us from harm.  While "making money" is a notion that many corporate customers might be interested to discuss, it is NOT the first thing on customers' minds.  In fact, on the money issue, here's how most customers will prioritise:

  1. Save money;

  2. Make money;

  3. Don't spend money

        Apart from money issues, customers tend to prioritise based on avoiding pain first, then gaining pleasure later.  This is why customers are

  • Less likely to switch suppliers,
  • More likely to stick to a certain brand if that brand has proven to work well, and
  • More likely to buy from established names in the market

        This is even very much evident in cases when you have a much better product, but still customers prefer to stick with their tried-and-proven existing solution, than would they want to take any risk to "give yours a try"

Price vs. Cost


        If customers are so conscious about saving money and not spending money, does that mean that they will always buy the lowest-price product?

 

        Fortunately not.

 

        The un-educated customer will equate the price they pay with the cost of purchase, which in actual fact, isn't the case.


        Just think about this, if you are the cost-conscious customer.  If you were to buy a new car for instance, will you buy the cheapest car available, or would you consider buying something that you deem as value for money?


        Similarly, your customer will also be very much concerned about issues such as:

  • Easy maintenance;
  • Costs and availability of parts;
  • Lifespan of product and parts;
  • Productivity gains;
  • Amount of training required;
  • Safety;
  • Delivery times; etc.

        If there are customers who are just simply going after the lowest cost no matter what, there are 2 likely scenarios:

  1. You haven't done your job in educating your customer in differentiating between the cost of their purchase and the price they pay; or
  2. You found the wrong customer

        Warren Buffet has got a great definition between price vs. value:

 

"Price is what you pay; Value is what you get"
 

        Given that customers want to avoid pain, before they seek pleasure, the value they want to get from you are likely to be:

  • How to reduce costs;
  • How to reduce risks;
  • How to maintain market share; etc.

        If you pitch the right value that your customer want, and then educate them how they can achieve it, you have a sale right in your hands.

The Eternal Conflict Between Buyer and Seller


        Many times, sales people complain that while they would like to educate their customers, the latter just wouldn't want to listen.

        If this happens to you as well, you probably have to understand the inherent conflict between buyer and seller. 

        The purpose of selling, from the seller's point of view, is to make money from the customer.  The customer, on the other hand, would like to prevent anyone from taking away his/ her money.  Hence, the inherent conflict.

        Now if having money taken away is painful for the customer, what would make the customer want to pay money to buy anything at all?

        Simply put, the customer pays money to buy because the pain of NOT buying is greater than the pain of forking that money out and buy.  

        So if customers aren't willing to listen to you, there are again 2 possibilities:
  1. They haven't realised the pain of NOT buying yet; and
  2. They don't trust you enough to divulge their pains yet

       If you approach customers with the sole intention to take away their money, then guess what?  Customers avoid you!  On the other hand, however, if you are able to approach customers with a strong Valid Business Reason, and with the sincerity to just find out if there's a fit between what they need and what you can provide, then you may have some of them wanting to listen more from you.

        If you would like to find out how you can get into the minds of customers, find their pain and make the sale, simply e-mail info@psycheselling.com or call +86-13671902505 or Skype: cydj001 and arrange to buy me coffee.  All information shall be kept in confidence


 


 

Practical Tips:

Practical Tips on Tele-Selling v 2.0

 

by c.j. Ng

 

Recently, I was doing some e-mail coaching with an American company, and here's an amended copy (with names omitted to protect the innocent) of their tele-marketing script:

 

"Good Morning, (Prospect name) , My name is (employee name), with XYZ, Inc.

I am the assistant to our Director, (Employee name).

He has asked me to contact you and schedule a time to speak about some of your competitors and your business. He may have some suggestions related to some of the issues that you face in your business and the (industry type). Some of our clients in your industry have had concerns such as (Hot Button Issues).

(Mr \ Mrs Business Owner), what time would you be available tomorrow to speak with them on this subject?"


Here's my reply:


He has asked me to contact you and schedule a time to speak about some of your competitors and your business. He may have some suggestions related to some of the issues that you face in your business and the (industry type). Some of our clients in your industry have had concerns such as (Hot Button Issues).

In saying so, this may create the impression that they are dealing with a very junior person, and hence may not give the respect that the staff deserves.  The part on "competitors and your business" may back fire as well, since there are some companies insisting that they are streets ahead of the competition.  Whether they really are much better than their competition is immaterial, because as long as they perceive as such, they won't want to talk to you any further.  The 2nd and 3rd sentences can be combined to make it more compact:

 

"I'd like to arrange for a time for you to have a discussion with (Director's name) regarding the (hot button issue) that is affecting your industry right now." 

 

(Mr \ Mrs Business Owner), what time would you be available tomorrow to speak with them on this subject?

 

The usage of the customer's name for a second time is best done when you are emphasising a key selling point , but re-phrasing it to be their best interests.  Using the customer's name here tends to put people off, as it just sounds too salesy.  The phrase "available tomorrow to speak on this subject" sounds very "ancient" English.  To customers, it sounds deliberate and not authentic.  It will be best use everyday language, i.e. they way you would have said if you have asked a friend if he can speak to you tomorrow.

 

 "Would it be OK if I get him to call you at (specific time) tomorrow to discuss/ explore further?" is how I would have said it.

 

In a nutshell, there's no "one perfect script", as whoever is using it has to be comfortable and then sound natural and authentic on the phone.  If you think you need help, with your scripts, just e-mail info@psycheselling.com and I'll help whenever I can.

  


About PsycheSelling.com

As you might have heard of them, the most common challenges faced by sales people in any country, and across nearly every industry, are as follow:

  • Unable to qualify for the right customers;
  • Unable to generate interest through the telephone;
  • Unable to get to the right people (who may or may not be whom you think);
  • Unable to define the decision making structure of customers;
  • Unable to get customers interested and excited about what you have to offer;
  • Unable to sustain customers’ interest through the sales cycle;
  • Unable to get past clients’ objections and close the sale
  • Spending too much time with proposals that seem to go nowhere
  • Unable to sell deeper to the same customers

Having these concerns in mind, the Psyche-Selling TM is created as a result of 1-to-1 coaching with sales people from a variety of industries across 13 cities in Asia.

Psyche-Selling TM is currently a co-affiliate of the  HR Chally Group, together with  Shi Bisset & Associates, to help you identify gaps in your current sales force, and then formulate ways to help you get better results.

The HR Chally Group is a talent management, leadership development, and sales improvement corporation providing personnel assessment and research services for over 33 years.  Chally is recognised as an international technology leader in scientific assessment and prediction for selection, job alignment and leadership development, and for management assessment.  For more information about implementing Total Quality Sales Management in your company, pls. log on to http://www.psycheselling.com/TQSM-ExecBrief_email.pdf to get more insights.

Enquiries and suggestions, pls. e-mail info@psycheselling.com or visit www.psycheselling.com

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