Sales techniques

Sarah    We make financial software for medium-sized companies. Competition is strong - not necessarily price competition, because in our sector, quality , reliability and service are far more important factors. We use a sales technique that’s called ’ relationship selling ’. In other words, we spend a lot of time getting to know each prospect’s individual needs :their business processes, their strategic aims, and um ... Also the issues and constraints they face. The idea is that the customer sees us as a partner, someone who’s going to work with them and help them find the best solution for their business. Working this way, there are times when I have to freely admit to people that our products may not be best suited to their particular needs, but to be honest I’d much prefer to be doing that than using some hard-sell technique to push something I don’t really believe in myself, you know ...

Presenter   Thank you, Sarah. Now, Dale Freidman, I know you have a very different approach ...

Dale  I would say so, yes. In my line of business, it’s all about perceived benefits - there are some tangible ones like, for example, use of natural ingredients in our deodorants, but everyone in the industry copies ideas, so it’s difficult to sustain any kind of technical competitive advantage for long. So, I use a lot of anecdotes when I sell; I tell stories, get people laughing, My approach is direct - I guess some might say pushy, but I get results. I deal only with the decision maker, who’s generally a buyer for a chain of stores. You’d be amazed how much time people waste talking to the wrong guy. I always start by presenting them with the most expensive options, because this increases our average sales, and as soon as I get a buying signal from them - it could be anything, you know, just a question like ’ What’s your most popular product ? ’- I move in and close the sale by discussing quantities required, special delivery arrangements, favorable payment terms, thing that make them feel they’re getting added value ...