Selling Is Simple

(Continued from page 24) without them. So, they are ignorant of the company and apathetic about it.

The first decision the customer must make is whether or not to call the company. The company hopes to influence that decision by the quality of its advertising, as well as its reputation in the market.

Let's say the customer decides in the affirmative and calls the company. Now, the customer has a salesperson on the phone. The customer now must decide whether or not to interact honestly with the salesperson. If the salesperson seems rude. arrogant or uninterested, the customer may decide to call someone else. Some get that impression and terminate the call. Others decide that the salesperson sounds trustworthy and competent enough to talk to, and do so.

As the conversation progresses, the salesperson is going to ask the customer for an appointment to come out, view their situation. and test their water. Another decision for the customer. Some decide not to do that, for whatever reason, and they drop out of the process. Others decide to make the appointment and move one step closer rn the process.

Now, the customer faces yet another decision-whether or not to keep the appointment. Twenty to 30Vo of those who make an appointment decide, after the fact, not to keep it. So, they make sure they are gone when the salesperson shows up, or they hide in the basement and wait until he leaves. Those who do not keep the appointment drop out of the process, those who decide to keep it, move one step further along.

The salesperson shows up, this time in person, in the customer's home. The customer has another decisionwhether or not to be honest and forthcoming with the salesperson. Should she let me test the water? Should she take him down in the basement and show him the old equipment? If the salesperson appears competent and trustworthy, she will generally decide to interact honestly and the process moves along. Finally, the salesperson tests the water, recommends a new system, and asks the customer to buy.

This simple, one-call close selling process consisted of a series of six decisions. Even in this simple selling process, the effective salesperson understands that it is a series of deci- sions and his/herjob is to help the customer make each affirmatively.

C. Srtttng is at the same time both simple and inc r e dibly c halle ng in g

It is simple in that almost every adult of reasonable intelligence, with just a modicum of people skills, can understand it and do it. It is incredibly challenging in that to become exceptionally good at it takes the better part of a lifetime of effon and practice.

Let's compare selling to the game of basketball. Anyone can take a basketball, bounce it a couple of times, and throw it up at hoop. In its essence, that's the game of basketball. However, there is a great distance between the skills and competence of the novice and those of someone like LeBron James. While the world is full of people who can play basketball, only a handful compete at a worldclass level.

You can sell. But more importantly, you can also sell better. You can do each step better.

- Dave Kahle is a sales trainer, presenter and author of eight books, including How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime. Reach him at (800) 331-1287 or via www.davekahle.com.

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