Listen up-and sell Keys to negotiative selling

By Jeffrey Hansler Oxford Co.

determine the facts.

f, S the world becomes smaller fl,through technology and overnight delivery, as quality becomes the norm, and as customers learn of vast alternative sources for similar products, selling loses any association with oneway communication and enters a new era of "negotiative selling."

Negotiative selling is the act of assisting someone in coming to a decision about a product, service or idea. Successful negotiative sellers help buyers discover their underlying needs and resolve any conflicts between those underlying needs.

I call the process used in effective negotiative selling "directed communication." Directed communication is a part of natural conversation. It's honest, straightforward and nonmanipulative. Most importantly, it guides a negotiative salesperson to uncovering the needs ofthe buyer.

The major contributing factor to the success of negotiative selling is the large quantity of questions. The best negotiative salespeople are open to receiving as much information as possible, factual and otherwise. Emotions contribute to a conversation, sometimes bringing forth facts and sometimes assumptions presented as fact. The greatest benefit from the five-step directed communication process to the negotiative salesperson is that it enables the salesperson to successfully

Step one is t|r,e CONTACT. In it, you briefly state your product, service or idea, and focus on learning about the prospect with your eyes and ears. You need to be aware of your personal strengths and weaknesses and those of your product or service. You should have a clear idea of what you intend to happen and several ideas on how it should happen. Your plans may be based on a great deal of information about the prospect, some facts, or only assumptions. Great negotiative salespeople realize that every situation is different and the process is dynamic.

Step two is QUALIFICATION. This is an evaluation of the resources you will need to invest to make a sale, and the prospect's ability to come to a "yes" decision. Qualification is a critical part of negotiative selling because it provides the salesperson with the ability ro spend time with the right prospects. It's great to have a prospect who really needs your product, but unless they can afford it you will be wasting valuable time.

Step three is NEEDS ANALYSIS. This is where the successful nesotiative salesperson spends the most-time. In this step, you help the prospect reveal the underlying needs for a product, service or idea. One of the best methods for determining a prospect's needs is to find out how they have satisfied their needs in the past. This is accomplished by asking a great many questions beginning with who, what, where, when and why, why, why? If any conflicts come up, you ask questions about which needs are most important and why, why, why? By questioning, you assist the prospect in realizing their own decision-making process.

Step four istheAGREEMENT. ln this step, you and the prospect discuss possible options available and you demonstrate or explain the ways your product or service will better meet their needs, if it does. Then you assist the prospect in making a decision based on their needs.

This is the point where the prospect says yes and becomes a satisfied customer, if the product addresses their needs, or you decide that the resources required to change his mind from a no will be too great. A maybe is merely a postponement of a decision, and indicates that underlying needs are still in conflict. Remember, many people who need your product, service or ideas will never purchase them. A negotiative salesperson's responsibility is only to bring the process to a decision for that moment in time, not force a desired decision.

Step five is FOLLOW-UP. Itprovides you with the customer's perception of their needs satisfaction. This, more than anything else, guides the salesperson to providing better service to this customer, all current customers and future customers.

Follow-up should be done with those who purchased and those who did not. Obviously, everyone who did not purchase cannot be followed up on, but some of your greatest learning lessons about you and your communication with others come from those who did not purchase.

Negotiative selling works well because it uncovers the underlying needs of the prospect. Needs that they themselves may not have been consciously aware of before they began answering your questions.

- Jeffrey Hansler is a professional speaker, sales educator, and president of Oxford Co., 213 Second St., Huntington Beach, Ca.92648; (714) 960-746L