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training and techniques
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a free guide to selling methods,
emotional intelligence (EQ) sales techniques, selling models,
sales processes, sales training
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programs and sales training
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Selling is a wonderful profession when approached
ethically, constructively and helpfully. Happily
much sales development theory takes this positive
direction. The origins of the word 'sell' provide a useful
reminder of its purest meaning.
Selling is a wide subject, covering many selling
methods, sales theories, models and sales training
methods.

See subject categories index.
See the businessballs communityto
share, publish, promote, connect, etc.
This sales training guide attempts to summarise
the main ideas of the professional selling field. You
can use this information as a self-teaching aid to
develop your own sales skills, to teach others, or to
help you identify and choose suitable sales training
courses programs and providers for yourself, for
your team or for your sales organization.
I welcome suggestions of new selling concepts and sales
training methodsfor inclusion or reference within this
guide.

sales and selling index - sales

terminology, selling history,
theories, methods
• Introduction - and some quick tips for sales improvements
• Glossary of Sales and Selling Terms
• The Changing Face of Selling
• Early Selling and Sales Training Ideas
• AIDA and the Hierarchy of Effects
• The Seven Steps of the Sale ('PSS' - 'Professional Selling Skills'), incl
techniques
• The Product Offer - FABs, USPs and UPBs (Features Advantages Ben
Propositions/Points, Unique Perceived Benefits)
• Consultative Selling, Needs Creation Selling; and 'SPIN® Selling'
• Open Plan Selling/strategic selling ('lower-case' generic selling descri
(Miller Heiman registered trade name for Miller Heiman's sales traini
products) includingtelemarketing/telephone 'script' for appointment-m
and identifying decision-making contact names and buying processes
• Collaboration, Facilitation and Partnership Selling
• Beyond 'Sales Training' - the modern sales role: strive to be an enable
outcomes
• Selecting sales training and providers - and training specification sele
• Selling tips - max 100 words each - contributed by visitors to this pag

introduction - sales training and

selling methods, techniques, skills
The sales techniques and selling ideas here Note that this webpage is
have all been effective at some stage. Many of sales training and sellin
are still widely used. Think about what you
 models, as well as a traini
are selling, the market that you're selling
into, the people you meet in the selling Naturally some of the olde
process, and use what will help you sell techniques and examples
better. If you are managing sales people, the modern world.
best results generally come if you allow
sales people to work to their strengths; in a Modern business and selli
way that is natural to them. be ethical, collaborative, c
evenloving, which is an im
New sales techniques, sales training and the superb (and in my view
selling methods are continually developing. unbeatable) Buying Facili
This free sales training section covers sales
and the selling process from its early That said, many of the old
beginnings, through to the most modern principles of selling hold u
selling techniques and ideas. See for with a little thought and a
example the Sales Activator® sales training alternative close/leading q
system, andSharon Drew Morgen's Buying usefully be incorporated w
Facilitation® selling methods. Facilitation (again in my p
experience) where a prosp
Sales and selling terms, and early sales and from seeing the issue from
selling theories appear first in this article; important different perspe
the most advanced sales methods and ideas
are at the end of the section. While early For example: "Is it easier
sales processes still contain some useful these issues before or afte
techniques and fundamentals, successful round?.." Or "Is it better f
selling today relies on modern selling using given a presentation abou
collaboration, facilitation, and partnership. proposition best circulated
Tips on selecting sales training providers, paper?..."
sales training programs, selling courses and
sales management training are in the sales The point is whether the q
training providers section. is helpful and relevant to t
buyer - not just you), rathe
Successful selling also requires that the technique itself is accepta
product or service is of suitable quality for
its target market, and that the selling
company takes good care of its customers.
Therefore it's helpful for the sale person (or
anyone else in business for that matter) to
work for a professional, good quality
organization. Product development, design
and production, service delivery, and
the integrity of the selling company's
organization are also necessary for
successful selling, and typically are outside
the formal control of the sales person,
hence why internal selling is an
increasingly important aspect of the modern
sales role.
Effective sales people are interpreters
and translators (and increasingly
educators too) who can enable the
complex systems of the buying
organisation and the selling organisation
to work together for the benefit of both.

Tips on how to gain selling experience and

learn sales skills (for people new to selling
or seeking to teach themselves sales skills
for a career in selling) are at the end of this
article.

examples of how to improve your

selling skills, processes and sales
training
There are many ways to build your knowledge and
skills in selling and business. Be selective when
choosing sales training - see the tips for selecting sales
training providers, sales training methods, courses and
programs.

Aside from sales training courses here are some

fine examples of other sales improvement
concepts, and learning methods and resources.

1. See Sharon Drew Morgen's Buying

Facilitation® methodology - leading edge ideas in
sales and selling. Read Sharon Drew Morgen's
remarkable thinking and techniques in her
books 'Dirty Little Secrets' and 'Buying Facilitation'. Her
ideas are very progressive compared with most
other selling theories, and can transform the way
you sell and dramatically increase the results you
achieve. The philosophy and facilitative methods
focus on selling, but transfer extremely well to all
relationships and communications, for example
managing, coaching - even parenting.
See newsalesparadigm.com.
2. Download and read the free ebook The Game of
Business by Paul Gorman - a wonderful practical guide
to business success from a leading business
thinker. Paul's book encompasses modern selling
and extends to a complete package of
entrepreneurial methods and ideas. With grateful
acknowledgements to Paul Gorman.

3. Download and read another superb free

ebook - Business Survival and Prosperity Guaranteed - An
excellent, very helpful, practical and encouraging
guide to starting up a new business, or improving
an existing one - (note this is a 15MB pdf file) -
with grateful acknowledgements to Paul Hurst.

4. See Ari Galper's ideas on cold calling, one of the

greatest challenges for sales people and sales
organizations. Ari Galper's 'Unlock The
Game®' programme is a helpful and constructive
selling approach for the modern age.

5. If you have a sales team or sales organization,

see the Sales Activator® system for sales training and
development - for developing sales teams, sales
management, sales training and great selling
organizations. The Sales Activator® is an
innovative and effective sales training and sales
coaching system, underpinned by solid sales
theory, ethical principles, delivered via a highly
innovative and effective learning concept.

6. Download and read the superb free

ebook - Unleash the Power of Consultative Selling - an
excellent free 200 page ebook (560KB pdf) by Rich
Grehalva on modern selling methods - with grateful
acknowledgements to Rich Grehalva.

There are many more good modern ethical sales

training and development systems out there. If
you've had experience of a good modern sales
training programme or product, or a particularly
effective selling concept please let me know.

Businessballs does not receive a commission from the providers and authors
sales methods and theories featured in this sales training guide. Amazon boo
towards running the website, thank you.

glossary of sales and selling

terms
This list is not exhaustive, and is not meant to be
an endorsement of any of these techniques or
terms. See the notice at the foot of the page.

accompaniment visit/accompaniment report -

when a manager or supervisor or trainer
accompanies a sales person while working on the
sales territory, usually while meeting prospects or
customers. Typically the manager would complete
an accompaniment visit report on the performance
of the sales person, which would be discussed, and
suitable follow-up actions or training agreed.

account - a customer, usually a business-to-

business organization; a major account is a large
organization; a national account is a customer with
branches or sites that constitute a nationwide
coverage, which typically requires special pricing
and senior sales attention.

active listening - term used to describe high level

of listening capability and method, in which the
sales person actively seeks to understand how the
speaker feels, and what their issues are, in which
the type of listening extends far beyond common
inattentive listening. Related to empathy
andStephen Covey's principles of seeking to understand
before attempting to be understood.

added value - the element(s) of service or

product that a sales person or selling organization
provides, that a customer is prepared to pay for
because of the benefit(s) obtained. Added values
are real and perceived; tangible and intangible. A
good, reliable, honest, expert, informed sales
person becomes a very significant part of the
selling organization's added value, as perceived by
the customer, if not by the selling organization.

advantage - the aspect of a product or service

that makes it better than another, especially the
one in-situ or that of a competitor.

advertising/advertising and promotion/A&P -

the methods used by a company to publicise and
position its products and services to its chosen
market sectors, including product launches, image
and brand building, press and public relations
activities, merchandising (supporting and
promoting the product in retail and wholesale
outlets), special offers, generating leads and
enquiries, and incentivising distributors, and
agents, and arguably sales people. A&P methods
are sometimes described as above-the-line (media
advertising such as radio, TV, cinema, newspapers,
magazines) or below-the-line (non-'media' methods
or materials such as brochures, direct-mail,
exhibitions, telemarketing, and PR); advertising
agencies generally receive a commission (discount
'kick-back') from above-the-line media services,
but not from below the line services, in which case
if asked to arrange any will seek to add a mark-up.
See the marketing page.

appointment - a personal sales visit to a

prospect, usually arranged by phone. See
the appointment-making process.

benefit - the gain (usually a tangible cost, but can

be intangible) that accrues to the customer from
the product or service.

buyer - most commonly means a professional

purchasing person in a business; can also mean a
private consumer. Buyers are not usually major
decision-makers, that is to say, what they buy,
when and how they buy it, and how much they pay
are prescribed for them by the business they work
for. If you are selling a routine repeating
predictable product, especially a consumable, then
you may well be able to restrict your dealings to
buyers; if you are selling a new product or service
of any significance, buyers will tend to act as
influencers at most. See decision-makers, and
the buying techniques page.

buying facilitation® - also known as facilitative

buying, generally attributed (and registered) to
sales guru Sharon Drew Morgen. Extremely
advanced form of personal selling, in which the
central ethos is one of 'helping organizations and
buyers to buy', not selling to them. See collaboration
and partnership selling at the end of the section.

buying signal - a buying signal is a comment

from a prospect which indicates that he is
visualising to whatever extent buying your product
or service. The most common buying signal is the
question: "How much is it?" Others are questions
or comments like: "What colours does it come in?",
"What's the lead-time?", "Who else do you
supply?", "Is delivery free?" "Do you use it
yourself?", and surprisingly, "It's too expensive."

buying warmth - behavioural, non-verbal and

other signs that a prospect likes what he sees; very
positive from the sales person's perspective, but
not an invitation to jump straight to the close.

call/calling - a personal face-to-face visit or

telephone call by a sales person to a prospect or
customer. Also referred to a sales call (for any
sales visit or phone contact), or cold call (in the
case of a first contact without introduction or
notice in writing).

call centre - also called a contact centre (US =

center) - a department for outgoing and/or
incoming (outbound/inbound) telephone calls
to/from customers, commonly now extending to
email communications also if useful for customer
service, but not extending to email marketing. Call
centres can be primarily reactive (inbound) or
proactive (outbound - covering telemarketing,
telesales, and research), or both. Call centres can
be in-house, part of the employed organization, or
external, effectively a contractor or an agency.
Most modern in-house or long-term out-sourced
call centres are effectively customer service
centres or departments, containing staff dedicated
to telesales and customer services activities. Other
types of call centre activities and operations can
be concerned more with short-term telesales,
telemarketing or market research campaigns. Run
well a call/contact centre is a wonderful function.
Run poorly call centres are a nightmare for staff
and customers alike. Since the 1990s when the call
centre function became de-humanised and
obsessively cost-driven by many large corporations
the nightmare scenario largely applies. Some
call/contact centres are now such vast business
units that they warrant being 'off-shored'
(outsourced to countries with lower costs), which
generally equates to corporate own-foot-shooting
on a truly huge scale. A call centre which is
inherently liable to upset customers due to
inadequate levels of customer empathy and
service is quite obviously utterly self-defeating.
Staff turnover is unsurprisingly a major challenge
in call centres.

canvass/canvassing - cold-calling personally at

the prospect's office or more commonly now by
telephone, in an attempt to arrange an
appointment or present a product, or to gather
information.

close/closing - the penultimate step of the 'Seven

Steps of the Sale' selling process, when essentially
the sales-person encourages the prospect to say
yes and sign the order. In days gone by a Sales
person's expertise was measured almost
exclusively by how many closes he knew. Thank
God for evolution. See the many examples of
closes and closing techniques in the Seven Steps
section, but don't expect to kid any buyer worth his
salt today, and using one might even get you
thrown out of his office. Use with great care.

closed question - a question which generally

prompts a yes or no answer, or a different short
answer of just two possible options, compared to
open questions, which typically begin with who,
what, where, when, etc., and which tend to invite
much longer answers.
cold calling - typically refers to the first telephone
call made to a prospective customer. More
unusually these days, cold calling can also refer to
calling face-to-face for the first time without an
appointment at commercial promises or
households. Cold calling is also known as
canvassing, telephone canvassing, prospecting,
telephone prospecting, and more traditionally in
the case of consumer door-to-door selling as 'door-
knocking'. See the cold calling page.

collaboration selling - also known as

collaborative selling and facilitation selling - very
modern and sophisticated, in which seller truly
collaborates with buyer and buying organization to
help the buyer buy. A logical extension to
'strategic' or 'open plan' selling. See collaboration and
partnership selling at the end of the section.

commodities/commoditised (products and

services) - typically a term applied to describe
products which are mature in development,
produced and sold in vast scale, involving little or
no uniqueness between variations of different
suppliers; high volume, low price, low profit
margin, de-skilled ('ease of use' in consumption,
application, installation, etc). Traditionally the
'commodities' term applies to the 'commodities
markets' which trade and set prices for
fundamental commodities such as coffee, grain,
oil, etc., however in a more generic sales and
selling sense the term 'commoditised' refers to a
product (and arguably a service) which has
become mass-produced, widely available, easy to
make, de-mystified, and simplified; all of which is
almost invariably associated with a reduction in
costs, prices and profit margins, and which also
has massive implications for the sales distribution
model and methods for taking the product or
service to market. Commoditised products are
amenable to mass-market and large-scale sales
distribution methods and models, as opposed to
specialised or high-complexity products, which
tend to require closer customer support and
greater expertise and advice at the point of selling
and installation, and commissioning and
application, if appropriate. An electric battery torch
is a commoditised product that is freely available,
at competitively low price, 'off-the-shelf' at any
supermarket (or via the internet); whereas a
holographic projector is only available via a
specialised supplier, at relatively high cost and
profit margin, potentially without a similar
competing product, and requires a significant
degree of technical advice and support, and
possibly user-training. Similarly, a microwave oven
is a commoditised product, widely available,
inexpensively, off-the-self from a retail store (or via
the internet); whereas an integrated commercial
kitchen is a specialised system, requiring a high
level of sales and selling expertise, support and
installation. Commoditised products sell by the
millions; specialised products might only sell in
hundreds or less. All consumer products and
services become commoditised over time. Virtually
all B2B products and services become
commoditised over time. Colour TV's are cheaper
than they were thirty years ago because they've
become commoditised. Same can be said for
mobile phones, home security systems, computers;
even motor cars are becoming genuinely
commoditised. In our lifetimes perhaps so too will
houses and buildings.

concession - used in the context of negotiating,

when it refers to an aspect of the sale which has a
real or perceived value, that is given away or
conceded by seller (more usually) or the buyer.
One of the fundamental principles of sales
negotiating is never giving away a concession
without getting something in return - even a small
increase in commitment is better than nothing. See
the negotiationsection.

consultative selling (consultation selling) -

developed by various sales gurus through the
1980s by David Sandler among others, and
practiced widely today, consultative selling was a
move towards more collaboration with, and
involvement from, the buyer in the selling process.
Strongly based on questioning aimed at gaining
useful information.
consumer - in the context of selling a consumer
typically refers to a private or personal customer or
user, as distinct from a business or organizational,
or trade customer. Notably we see this term in the
acronym B2C, which means 'business-to-
consumer', which describes the type of business in
which the transaction and relationship is between
a business and a private 'domestic' customer. A
household insurer, or an estate agent, are
examples of B2C sales organizations. Retail is by
its nature consumer business. A holiday company
is a B2C business. B2B describes 'business-to-
business' - which is trade and selling between
businesses.

customer - usually meaning the purchaser,

organization, or consumer after the sale. Prior to
the sale is usually referred to as a prospect.

customer relationship management (CRM) -

CRM is now a commonly used term to describe the
process of managing the entire selling process
within a department or organisation. Computerised
CRM systems enable management of prospect and
customer details, contacts, sales history and
account development. Well known examples of
CRM computerised systems are Sage's ACT!, which
claims (as at 2006) to be the world's most popular
CRM system, and Front Range's Goldmine. Chief
elements of a CRM system (or strategy, since the
term is used to describe the process and
methodology as well as the system) are:

• compilation and organisation of data (prospects,

customers, product, sales, history, etc)

• planning, scheduling and integrating customer

development activities and communications

• analysis and reporting of all sales related

activities and data

Good CRM strategy and systems are generally

considered necessary for modern organisations of
any scale to enable effective planning and
implementation of sales (and to an extent
marketing) activities.
cycle - see sales cycle.

deal - common business parlance for the sale or

purchase (agreement or arrangement). It is rather
a colloquial term so avoid using it in serious
company as it can sound flippant and
unprofessional.

decision-maker - a person in the prospect

organization who has the power and budgetary
authority to agree to a sales proposal. On of the
most common mistakes by sales people is to
attempt to sell to someone other than a genuine
decision-maker. For anything other than a routine
repeating order, the only two people in any
organization of any size that are real decision-
makers for significant sales values are the
CEO/Managing Director/President, and the Finance
Director. Everyone else in the organization is
generally working within stipulated budgets and
supply contracts, and will almost always need to
refer major purchasing decisions to one or both of
the above people. In very large organizations,
functional directors may well be decision-makers
for significant sales that relate only to their own
function's activities. See influencer.

deliverable(s) - an aspect of a proposal that the

provider commits to do or supply, usually and
preferably clearly measurable.

demonstration/'demo'/'dem' - the physical

presentation by the sales person to the prospect of
how a product works. Generally free of charge to
the prospect, and normally conducted at the
prospect's premises, but can be at another suitable
venue, eg., an exhibition, or at the supplier's
premises.

demographics - the study of, or information

about, people's lifestyles, habits, population
movements, spending, age, social grade,
employment, etc., in terms of the consuming and
buying public; anyone selling to the consumer
sector will do better through understanding
relevant demographic information.
discipline - within the context of an organization
this is similar to function, i.e., job role, although a
discipline can refer more generally to a capability
or responsibility, for example 'financial disciplines',
or 'customer service disciplines', or 'technical
support disciplines'. Discipline can of course mean
separately 'control', others or oneself, which is
certainly relevant to sales and selling, but not the
reason for its inclusion in this glossary. In business-
to-business selling of a complex strategic nature
looking at disciplines (capabilities and
responsibilities) can help to explore the different
ways that people are affected by a change or
proposition, which generally accompanies the sale
of a product or service.

distribution/sales distribution - the methods or

routes by which products and services are taken to
market. Sales distribution models are many and
various, and are constantly changing and new ones
developing. Understanding and establishing best
sales distribution methods - routes to market - are
crucial aspects of running any sales organisation,
and any business organisation too. Sales
distribution should be appropriate to the product
and service, and the end-user market, and the
model will normally be defined by these factors,
influenced also by technology and social trends.
For example, commoditised mass-market
consumer products (FMCG - fast-moving consumer
goods, household electricals, etc) are generally
distributed via mass-market consumer distribution
methods, notably supermarkets, but also
increasingly the internet. A lesson in changing
sales distribution models, and the need for
manufacturers and sellers to anticipate changes is
found in the switching of book sales and CD sales
from retail store distribution to websites, with the
resulting demise of many retailers in those sectors.
Future changes in sales distribution will see for
example music transferring increasingly via online
downloads, thus threatening those involved with or
dependent upon physical shipping of products. B2B
(business-to-business) sales distribution models
have their own shape, again dependent on
products and services, customer markets,
technology, plus other influences such as
economical trends, environmental and legislative
effects, etc. Examples of B2B sales distribution
models are franchising, direct sales forces
(employed), direct sales forces (sales agents),
telephone sales (call-centres, out-bound and in-
bound), the internet (online website businesses),
distributors (independent sellers who carry
products and services of other manufactuerers and
'principals'), and channel partners and partnering
arrangements (prevalent in telecomms and IT
sectors).

empathy - understanding how another person

feels, and typically reflecting this back to the other
person. The ability to feel and show empathy is
central to modern selling methods. See the Empathy
page. See also NLP (Neuro-Linguitsic Programming).

ethics/ethical selling/ethical business - this

would not have appeared in a selling glossary a
few years ago, because the line between right and
wrong was a mile wide. To certain leaders and
companies it still is, although gradually, slowly
business and selling is becoming more civilised.
Honesty, morality and social responsibility are now
crucial elements in any effective selling method,
and for any sustainable business. In Spring 2008
someone left a message on my answerphone. The
person said he was from 'central government',
working on a 'policy piece' about e-learning, and
could I give him a call back. I duly called back.
After several sidesteps, the 'seller' eventually
clarified that the purpose of the contact was to sell
me some advertising in a directory, supposedly
endorsed or approved by a 'government
department'. This is a fine example of unethical
selling, and unethical business too, since the seller
was clearly following a company script and set of
tactics designed to deceive. Unethical business
and selling have always been wrong, but nowadays
they carry far greater risks for those who behave
badly. Consumers are wiser and better informed.
Authories and the courts are less tolerant and
more senstitive to transgressions. In all respects
today poor ethics guarantee personal and business
failure. See ethical management and leadership.
FABs - features advantages benefits - the links
between a product description, its advantage over
others, and the gain derived by the customer from
using it. One of the central, if now rather
predictable, techniques used in the presentation
stage of the selling process.

feature - an aspect of a product or service, eg.,

colour, speed, size, weight, type of technology,
buttons and knobs, gizmos and gadgets, bells and
whistles, technical support, delivery, etc.

feel-felt-found - old-style persuasive

push/pressure technique for objection handling,
dating back to the 1980s and probably earlier,
based on the sales-person using a response built
around the three 'feel felt found' elements: "I
understand how you feel/why you feel
that...//Other customers have felt just the
same/that...//But (or 'And') when... they have found
that..." The technique seeks first to empathise,
then in stage two to move the objection into
neutral area avoiding direct one-to-one (2nd
person, 'you must change your mind')
confrontation, and creating an artificial sense of
majority experience and opinion, where in the third
stage the objection can be countered and the
benefits reinforced with supposed large-scale
evidence, persuading the buyer that he/she (if
failing to buy) is isolated and deprived of the
benefits others are enjoying. The method had
limited effectiveness a generation or two ago but
now the tactic mostly insults people and makes the
sales-person look like an idiot.

field - means anywhere out of the sales office.

Field sales people or managers are those who
travel around meeting people personally in the
course of managing a sales territory. To be field-
based is to work on the sales territory, as opposed
to being office-based.

forecast/sales forecast - a prediction of what

sales will be achieved over a given period,
anything from a week to a year. Sales managers
require sales people to forecast, in order to provide
data to production, purchasing, and other functions
whose activities need to be planned to meet sales
demand. Sales forecasts are also an essential
performance quantifier which feeds into the overall
business plan for any organization. Due to the
traditionally unreliable and optimistic nature of
sales-department forecasts it is entirely normal for
the sum of all individual sales persons' sales
annual forecast to grossly exceed what the
business genuinely plans to sell. See targets.

function - in the context of an organization, this

means the job role or discipline, eg., sales,
marketing, production, accounting, customer
service, delivery, installation, technical service,
general management, etc. Understanding the
functions of people within organizations, and
critically their interests and needs, is very
important if you are selling to businesses or other
non-consumer organizations.

gestation period - sale gestation period typically

refers to the the time from enquiry to sale, the
Sales Cycle in other words, (see Sales Cycle).
Awareness and monitoring of Sale Gestation
Period/Sales Cycle times are crucial in sales
planning, forecasting and management, for
individuals sales teams and sales organizations.

influencer - a person in the prospect organization

who has the power to influence and persuade a
decision-maker. Influencers will be generally be
decision-makers for relatively low value sales.
There is usually more than one influencer in any
prospect organization relevant to a particular sale,
and large organizations will have definitely have
several influencers. It is usually important to sell to
influencers as well as decision-makers in the same
organization. Selling to large organizations almost
certainly demands that the sales person does this.
The role and power of influencers in any
organization largely depends on the culture and
politics of the organization, and particularly the
management style of the two main decision-
makers. See decision-makers.

intangible - in a selling context this describes, or

is, an aspect of the product or service offering that
has a value but is difficult to see or quantify (for
instance, peace-of-mind, reliability, consistency).
See tangible.

introduction - the word introduction has two

different main meanings in selling: Introduction
refers either to first stage of the face-to-face or
telephone sales call (see the Opening stage in the Seven
Steps of the Sale), or the term means a personal
introduction - also called a referral - of the sales
person to someone in the buying organisation by a
mutual friend or contact. Personal introductions of
this sort tend to imply endorsement or
recommendation of the seller, and since they are
made by an existing contact they help greatly in
establishing initial trust. The value and potency of
a personal introduction genrally reflects the
importance of the introducing person and the
strength of their relationship with the buying
contact. Networking is essentially based on using
(sometimes several quite informal) introductions,
to connect a seller with a buyer.

introductory letter - a very effective way to

improve appointment-making success, and to open
initial dialogue, especially for selling to large
organisations. See the introductory letters structure and
template examples.

LAMP® - Large Account Management Process -

sales acronym and methodology for major
accounts management developed by Robert Miller,
Stephen Heiman and Tad Tuleja in their 1991 book
Successful Large Account Management (see the
books at the foot of this page). Note that LAMP®
and Strategic Selling® methods and materials are
subject to copyright and intellectual property
control of Miller Heiman, Inc. Also note that
LAMP® and Strategic Selling® methods and
materials are not to be used in the provision of
training and development products and services
without a licence. See LAMP®and Strategic
Selling® copyright details below.

lead-time - time between order and delivery,

installation or commencement of a product or
service.
listening - a key selling skill, in that without good
listening skills the process of questioning is
rendered totally pointless. See the Levels of Listening
on the Empathy page.

major account - a large and complex prospect or

customer, often having several branches or sites,
and generally requiring contacts and relationships
between various functions in the supplier and
customer organization. Often major accounts are
the responsibility of designated experienced and
senior sales people, which might be formed into a
major accounts team. Major accounts often enjoy
better discounts and terms than other customers
because of purchasing power leveraged by bigger
volumes, and lower selling costs from economies of
scale.

marketing - perceived by lots of business people

to mean simply promotion and advertising, the
term marketing actually covers everything from
company culture and positioning, through market
research, new business/product development,
advertising and promotion, PR (public/press
relations), and arguably all of the sales functions as
well. It's the process by which a company decides
what it will sell, to whom, when and how, and then
does it. See the marketing section.

margin/profit margin - the difference between

cost (including or excluding operating overheads)
and selling price of a product or service.
Percentage margin is generally deemed to be the
difference between cost and selling price, divided
by the selling price ex tax (eg something that costs
£1 and is sold for £2 plus tax produces a 50%
margin - gross margin that is - net margin is after
overheads are deducted).

mark-up - this is the money that a selling

company adds to the cost of a product or service in
order to produce a required level of profit. Strictly
speaking, percentage mark-up refers to the
difference between cost and selling price as a
factor of the cost, not of the selling price. So a
product costing £1 and selling for £2 has been
given a mark-up of 100%; (at the same time it
produces a margin of 50%).

needs-creation selling - a selling style

popularised in the 1970s and 80s which asserted
that sales people could create needs in a prospect
for their products or services even if no needs were
apparent, obvious or even existed. The method
was for the sales person to question the prospect
to identify, discover (and suggest) organizational
problems or potential problems that would then
create a need for the product. I'm bound to point
out that this is no substitute for good research and
proper targeting of prospects who have use of the
products and services being sold.

negotiation/negotiating - the trading of

concessions including price reductions, between
supplier and customer, in an attempt to shape a
supply contract (sale in other words) so that it is
acceptable to both supplier and customer.
Negotiations can last a few minutes or even a few
years, although generally it's down to one or two
meetings and one or two exchanges of
correspondence. Ideally, from the seller's point of
view, negotiation must only commence when the
sale has been agreed in principle, and conditionally
upon satisfactory negotiation. However most sales
people fall into the trap set by most buyers -
intentionally or otherwise - of starting to negotiate
before the selling process have even commenced.
See the section on negotiation for negotiating theory,
rules and techniques.

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) - A very

accessible branch of psychology developed by
Bandler and Grinder in the 1960s. NLP involves
language, thinking and communications, and is
therefore immensely useful and often featuires in
sales training. See the NLP page.

networking - an increasingly popular method of

developing sales opportunities and contacts, based
on referrals and introductions - either face-to-face
at meetings and gatherings, or by other contact
methods such as phone, email, social and business
networking websites, etc. See the business networking
guide.

objection/overcoming objections - an objection

is a point of resistance raised by a prospect,
usually price ("It's too expensive.."), but can be
anything at any stage of the selling process.
Overcoming objections is a revered and much-
trained skill in the traditional selling process, but
far less significant in modern selling.
Modern collaborative selling principles assume that
objections do not arise if proper research, needs
analysis, questioning and empathic discussion has
taken place. Also the notion of using techniques or
pressure to overcome what may be legitimate
obstacles is contrary to principles of modern
selling. Modern selling methods tend to identify
objections much earlier in the process, and either
to filter out the prospect at that stage and abandon
the approach, or where objections arise from
multiple decision influencers within the buyer
organization, to agree collaboratively a strategy
with the main contact at the prospective customer
for dealing with objection(s) arising.

open/opening - the first stage of the actual sales

call (typically after preparation in the Seven Steps
of the Sale). Also called the introduction.

opening benefit statement/OBS - traditionally

an initial impact statement for sales people to use
at first contact with prospect, in writing, on the
phone or face-to-face - the OBS generally
encapsulates the likely strongest organizational
benefit typically (or supposedly) derived by
customers in the prospect's sector, eg., "Our
customers in the clothing retail sector generally
achieve 30-50% pilferage reduction when they
install one of our Crooknabber security systems..."
- N.B. The OBS is a relatively blunt instrument for
modern selling - use it with extreme care for fear of
looking like a total twerp.

open plan selling - a modern form of selling,

heavily dependent on the sales person
understanding and interpreting the prospect's
organizational and personal needs, issues,
processes, constraints and strategic aims, which
generally extends the selling discussion far beyond
the obvious product application; (in a way, it's
rather like combining selling with genuinely
beneficial, free, expert consultancy). In 'open plan
selling' the seller identifies strategic business aims
of the sales prospect or customer organization, and
develops a proposition that enables the aims to be
realised. The proposition is therefore strongly
linked to the achievement of strategic business
aims - typically improvements in costs, revenues,
margins, overheads, profit, quality, efficiency,
time-saving and competitive strengths areas.
There is a strong reliance on seller having excellent
strategic understanding of prospect organization
and aims, market sector situation and trends, and
access to strategic decision-makers and
influencers. Open Plan Selling is also underpinned
by strong ethical principles, notably honesty and
the premise that persuasion and influence are
unhelpful, and in this respect the methodology
relates somewhat to modern ideas of facilitating
and helping, as primarily featured in Buying
Facilitation. The term Open Plan Selling was coined
(to the best of my knowledge) by British consultant
and trainer Stanley Guffogg. See Open Plan Selling.

open question - a question that gains

information, usually beginning with who, what,
why, where, when, how, or more subtly 'tell me
about..' - as distinct from a closed question, for
example beginning with 'Is it...?' or 'Do you...?'
etc., which tend to glean only a yes or no answer.

package - in a selling context this is another term

for the product offer; it's the whole product and
service offering at a given price, upon given terms.

partnership selling - very modern approach to

organizational selling for business-to-business
sales - see collaboration and partnership selling.

perceived - how something is seen or regarded by

someone, usually by the prospect or customer,
irrespective of what is believed or presented by the
seller, ie what it really means to the customer.
pipeline - see sales pipeline.

positioning - more a marketing than sales term,

although relevant to experienced and sophisticated
sellers, and related to targeting - positioning refers
to how a product/service/proposition is presented
or described or marketed in relation to the market
place - with reference to customers, competition,
image, pricing, quality, etc. Positioning basically
refers to whether a proposition is being sold
appropriately - in the right way, to the right people,
at the right time, in the right place, and at the right
price. A potentially brilliant business can fail
because its products are not positioned properly,
which typically manifests as sales people being
unable to sell successfully. There might be little or
nothing wrong with the sales people and their
skills, and the product/service, but the venture fails
because the positioning is wrong. Conversely, good
positioning can rescue a less than brilliant
product/service. Effective selling is not only about
quality and skills - its about suitability of targeting.

preparation - in the context of the selling process

this is the work done by the sales person to
research and plan the sales approach and/or sales
call to a particular prospect or customer. Almost
entirely without exception in the global history of
selling, no call is adequately prepared for, and
sales that fail to happen are due to this failing.

presentation/sales presentation - the process

by which a sales person explains the product or
service to the prospect (to a single contact or a
group), ideally including the product's features,
advantages and benefits, especially those which
are relevant to the prospect. Presentations can be
verbal only, but more usually involve the use of
visuals, commonly bullet-point text slides and
images on a computer display or projected onto a
screen. Can incorporate a video and/or physical
demonstration of the product(s). See
the presentation training section.

product - generally a physical item being

supplied, but can also mean or include services
and intangibles, in which case product is used to
mean the whole package being supplied.

product offer - how the product and/or service is

positioned and presented to the prospect or
market, which would normally include features
and/or advantages and also imply at least one
benefit for the prospect (hence a single product
can be represented by a number of different
product offers, each for different market niches
(segments or customer groupings). One of the
great marketing challenges is always to define a
product offer concisely and meaningfully.

proposal/sales proposal - usually a written offer

with specification, prices, outline terms and
conditions, and warranty arrangements, from a
sales person or selling organization to a prospect.
Generally an immensely challenging part of the
process to get right, in that it must be concise yet
complete, persuasive yet objective, well specified
yet orientated to the customer's applications. An
outline proposal is often a useful interim step, to
avoid wasting a lot of time including in a full
proposal lots of material that the customer really
doesn't need.

proposition - usually means product offer, can

mean sales proposal. The initial proposition means
the basis of the first approach.

professional selling skills - see PSS

PSS - 'Professional Selling Skills' - highly structured

selling process pioneered by the US Xerox (and UK
Rank Xerox) photocopier sales organization during
the 1960s, and adopted by countless business-to-
business sales organizations, normally as the
'Seven Steps of the Sale', ever since. PSS places a
huge reliance on presentation, overcoming
objections and umpteen different closes. Largely
now superseded by more modern 'Open Plan' two-
way processes, but PSS is still in use and being
trained, particularly in old-fashioned paternalistic
company cultures. The regimented one-way
manipulative style of PSS nowadays leaves most
modern buyers completely cold, but strip it away
to the bare process and it's better than no process
at all.

prospect - a customer (person, organization,

buyer) before the sale is made, ie a prospective
customer.

puppy dog sale/puppy dog close - a method of

selling or closing a deal whereby you let the
customer try the product or service for free without
commitment, for a limited period, in the confidence
that once they live with it they won't want to give
it up - just like giving someone have a puppy for a
day. These days the puppy dog approach would
ideally extend to giving the prospective customer
some education and support about looking after
the puppy so that they understand and are
prepared for the changes that come with a new
puppy. See Level 5: education/information-led selling in the
development of selling overview.

questioning - the second stage of the sales call,

typically after the opening or introduction in the
Seven Steps of the Sale, but also vital to modern
selling methods too, notably collaborative/facilitative
selling. A crucial selling skill, and rarely well
demonstrated. The correct timing and use of the
important different types of questions are central
to the processes of gathering information,
matching needs, and building rapport and
empathy. Questioning also requires that the sales
person has good listening, interpretation and
empathic capabilities. See the questioning section.
And see empathy, including the levels of listening.

referral - a recommendation or personal

introduction or permission/suggestion made by
someone, commonly but not necessarily a buyer,
which enables the seller to approach or begin
dialogue with a new perspective buyer or decision-
maker/influencer. Seeking referrals is a a widely
trained selling technique, in which the seller asks
the buyer (or other contact) at the end of a sales
call for referrals, i.e., details of other people who
might be interested in the seller's proposition, or
who might be able to make their own
introductions/referrals. This latter scenario
effectively equates to networking.

rem - common slang for remainder or remnant in

any business which deals with end-of-line, left-
over, or otherwise non-standard-stock items which
typically are handled and disposed at attractive
terms to minimise waste and write-offs.

research/research call - the act of gathering

information about a market or customer, that will
help progress or enable a sales approach. Often
seen as a job for telemarketing personnel, but
actually more usefully carried out by sales people,
especially where large prospects are concerned
(which should really be the only type of prospects
targeted by modern sales people, given the need
to recover very high costs of sales people).

retention/customer retention - means simply

keeping customers and not losing them to
competitors. Modern companies realise that it's far
more expensive to find new customers than keep
existing ones, and so put sufficient investment into
looking after and growing existing accounts. Less
sensible companies find themselves spending a
fortune winning new customers, while they lose
more business than they gain because of poor
retention activity. (The hole in the bucket
syndrome, where it leaks out faster than it can be
poured in.)

sales cycle - the Sales Cycle term generally

describes the time and/or process between first
contact with the customer to when the sale is
made. Sales Cycle times and processes vary
enormously depending on the company, type of
business (product/service), the effectiveness of the
sales process, the market and the particular
situation applying to the customer at the time of
the enquiry. The Sales Cycle time is also referred to
as the Sale Gestation Period (ie from conception to
birth - enquiry to sale). The Sales Cycle in a sweet
shop is less than a minute; in the international
aviation sector or civil construction market the
Sales Cycle can be many months or even a few
years. The funnel diagram and sales development
process on the free resources section show the sales
cycle from a different perspective, (and actually
prior to enquiry stage). A typical Sales Cycle for a
moderately complex product might be:
1. receive enquiry
2. qualify details
3. arrange appointment
4. customer appointment
5. arrange survey
6. conduct survey
7. presentation of proposal and close sale

sales forecasts - also called sales projections,

these are the predictions that sales people and
sales managers are required to make about future
business levels, necessary for their own
organisation to plan and budget everything from
stock levels, production, staffing levels, to
advertising and promotion, financial performance
and market strategies.

sales funnel - describes the pattern, plan or

actual achievement of conversion of prospects into
sales, pre-enquiry and then through the sales
cycle. So-called because it includes the conversion
ratio at each stage of the sales cycle, which has a
funneling effect. Prospects are said to be fed into
the top of the funnel, and converted sales drop out
at the bottom. The extent of conversion success (ie
the tightness of each ratio) reflects the quality of
prospects fed into the top, and the sales skill at
each conversion stage. The Sales Funnel is a very
powerful sales planning and sales management
tool. A diagram of a typical basic Sales Funnel
appears on the free resources section. Also referred to
as the Sales Pipeline.

sales report - a business report of sales results,

activities, trends, etc., traditionally completed by a
sales manager, but increasingly now the
responsibility of sales people too. See the sample
monthly sales report template (MSExcel format), or as a
PDF version of the same report template. A sales
report can be required weekly, monthly, quarterly
and annually, and often includes the need to
provide sales forecasts.
sales pipeline - a linear equivalent of the Sales
Funnel principle. Prospects need to be fed into the
pipeline in order to drop out of the other end as
sales. The length of the pipeline is the sales cycle
time, which depends on business type, market
situation, and the effectiveness of the sales
process.

sector/market sector - a part of the market that

can be described, categorised and then targeted
according to its own criteria and characteristics;
sectors are often described as 'vertical', meaning
an industry type, or 'horizontal', meaning some
other grouping that spans a number of vertical
sectors, eg., a geographical grouping, or a
grouping defined by age, or size, etc.

segment/market segment - a sub-sector or

market niche; basically a grouping that's more
narrowly defined and smaller than a sector; a
segment can be a horizontal sub-sector across one
or more vertical sectors. See the marketing page.

service contract - a formal document usually

drawn up by the supplier by which the trading
arrangement is agreed with the customer. Also
known as trading agreements, supply agreements,
and other variations. See the section on service
contracts and trading agreements.

solutions selling - a common but loosely-used

description for a more customer-orientated selling
method than the Seven Steps; dependent on
identifying needs to which appropriate benefits are
matched in a package or 'solution'. The term is
based on the premise that customers don't buy
products or features or benefits - they buy
solutions (to organizational problems). It's a similar
approach to 'needs-creation' selling, which first
became popular in the 1970s-80s. Solutions selling
remains relevant and its methods can usefully be
included in the open plan selling style described
later here, although modern collaborative and facilitative
methodologies are becoming vital pre-requisites.

SPIN® and SPIN® Selling - A popular selling

method developed by Neil Rackham in the 1970-
80s: SPIN® is an acronym derived from the basic
selling process designed and defined by Rackham:
Situation, Problem, Implication, Need, or Need
Payoff. More detail about SPIN® and
SPIN® Sellingappears in the Consultative Selling and
Needs Creation Selling methods section. Note that
SPIN® and SPIN SELLING® methods and materials
are subject to copyright and intellectual property
control of the Huthwaite organisations of the US
and UK. SPIN® and SPIN SELLING® methods and
materials are not to be used in the provision of
training and development products and services
without a licence. See SPIN® copyright details.

steps of the sale - describes the structure of the

selling process, particularly the sales call, and what
immediately precedes and follows it. Usually
represented as the Seven Steps of the Sale, but can be
five, six, eight or more, depending whose training
manual you're reading.

Strategic Selling® - when used in upper case

and/or in the context of Miller Heiman's Strategic
Selling® methodology (which features in their
books of the same name, first published in 1985)
the Strategic Selling® term is a registered and
protected product name belonging to the American
Miller Heiman training organisation - so be warned.
LAMP® and Strategic Selling® methods and
materials are subject to copyright and intellectual
property control of Miller Heiman, Inc., and again
be warned that LAMP® and Strategic
Selling® methods and materials are not to be used
in the provision of training and development
products and services without a licence.
See LAMP® and Strategic Selling®copyright
details below.

strategic selling - you will also hear people (me

included) referring to 'strategic selling' in
ageneric sense, and not specifically referring to
the Miller Heiman methods and materials. In a
generic 'lower case' sense, 'strategic selling'
describes a broad methodology which began to be
practised in the 1980s, literally 'strategic' by its
nature (the principles involve taking a strategic
view of the prospective customer's organisation, its
markets, customers and strategic priorities,
etc), which is described below and referred to as 'open plan
selling'. When using the 'strategic selling'
terminology in a training context you must be
careful therefore to avoid confusion or
misrepresentation of the Miller Heiman intellectual
property. If in any doubt don't use the 'strategic
selling' term in relation to providing sales training
services - call it something else to avoid any
possible confusion with the Miller Heiman products,
(see the Miller Heiman Strategic Selling® copyright
details below.

tangible - in a selling context this describes, or is,

an aspect of the product or service offering that
can readily be seen and measured in terms of cost
and value (eg., any physical feature of the product;
spare parts; delivery or installation; a regular
service visit; a warranty agreement). See
intangible.

target/sales target - in a sales context this is the

issued (or ideally agreed) level of sales
performance for a sales person or team or
department over a given period. Bonus payments,
sales commissions, pay reviews, job gradings, life
and death, etc., can all be dependent on sales staff
meeting sales targets, so all in all sales targets are
quite sensitive things. Targets are established at
the beginning of the trading year, and then
reinforced with a system of regular forecasting and
reviews (sometimes referred to as 'a good
bollocking') throughout the year. See forecasting.

targeting - this has a different meaning to the

usual noun sense of target (above). Targeting is a
marketing term - very relevant and important for
sales people and sales managers too - which refers
to the customers at which the selling effort is
aimed, hence targeting. In this respect the term
relates to 'target markets', or 'target sectors'. This
is the customer aspect within 'positioning' of a
product or service or proposition. Targeting is
represented by the question: Who will buy the
product/service? Deciding targeting on a company
scale is normally the responsibility of a marketing
department or agency, but each sales person and
sales team as huge potential to develop and refine
their own local targeting - so as to aim their efforts
at the sectors or customers which will produce the
greatest results. For example - and many sales
people, especially self-employed providers and
traders - completely ignore the fact that sales
generally come more easily from existing or
previous customers than prospective new
customers to whom the supplier is completely
unknown. Similarly size of prospective customer is
another largely overlooked aspect of targeting. Any
business will naturally have more amenable
sectors of potential customers than other parts of
the market. Targeting is the process by which the
selling organization maximises its chances of
engaging with the most responsive and profitable
customers.

telemarketing - any pre-sales activity conducted

by telephone, usually by specially trained
telemarketing personnel - for instance, research,
appointment-making, product promotion.

telesales - selling by telephone contact alone,

normally a sales function in its own right, ie.,
utilising specially trained telesales personnel; used
typically where low order values prevent the use of
expensive field-based sales people, and a
recognisable product or service allows the process
to succeed.

tender - a very structured formal proposal in

response to the issue of an invitation to tender for
the supply of a product or service to a large
organization or government department. Tenders
require certain qualifying criteria to be met first by
the tendering organization, which in itself can
constitute several weeks or months work by lots of
different staff. Tenders must adhere to strict
submission deadlines, contract terms,
specifications and even the presentation of the
tender itself, and usually only suppliers
experienced in winning and fulfilling this type of
highly controlled supply ever win the business. It is
not unknown for very successful tendering
companies to actually help the customer formulate
the tender specification, which explains why it's so
difficult to prise the business away from them.

territory - the geographical area of responsibility

of a sales person or a team or a sales organization.
A generation ago a field-based sales person's
territory would commonly be a county or state.
Now in this globalized age, where so much selling
is done online and remotely by telephone rather
than by expensive face-to-face selling, field-based
sales people's territories are much bigger, and can
be entire countries or continental regions.

territory planning - the process of planning

optimum and most cost-effective coverage
(particularly for making appointments or personal
calling) of a sales territory by the available sales
resources, given prospect numbers, density,
buying patterns, etc., even if one territory by one
sales person; for one person this used to be called
journey planning, and was often based on a four or
six day cycle, so as to avoid always missing
prospects who might never be available on one
particular day of the week.

trial close - the technique by which a sales person

tests the prospect's readiness to buy, traditionally
employed in response to a buying signal, eg:
prospect says: "Do you have them in stock?", to
which the sales person would traditionally reply:
"Would you want one if they are?" Use with
extreme care, for fear of looking like a clumsy
desperate fool. If you see a buying signal there's
no need to jump on it - just answer it politely, and
before ask why the question is important, which
will be far more constructive.

unique/uniqueness - a feature that is peculiar to

a product or service or supplier - no competitor can
offer it. See the marketing section for more detail
about developing unique selling propositions.
Uniqueness is a much overlooked aspect of selling.
The vast majority of sales organizations focus their
efforts on selling 'me too' products and services,
where inevitably discussions tend to concentrate
on price differences, whereas the most enlightened
and progressive sales organizations strive to
develop unique qualities in the propositions, which
dramatically reduces competitive pressures.

UPB - unique perceived benefit - now one of the

central strongest mechanisms in the modern
selling process, an extension and refinement of the
product offer, based on detailed understanding of
the prospect's personal and organizational needs.
A UPB is your USP from the customer's perspective,
in other words, what your USP means to your
customer, which is a very different way of
approaching selling than from the traditional angle
of seller-oriented USPs. It's essential to discuss
your offering in these terms with your customer.
The UPB acronym and concept was developed
by The Marketing Guild, who specialise in practical,
innovative, and effective sales and marketing.

USP - unique selling point or proposition - this is

what makes the product offer competitively strong
and without direct comparison; generally the most
valuable unique advantage of a product or service,
for the market or prospect in question; now
superseded by UPB.

variable - an aspect of the sale or deal that can be

changed in order to better meet the needs of the
seller and/or the buyer. Typical variables are price,
quantity, lead-time, payment terms, technical
factors, styling factors, spare parts, back-up and
breakdown service, routine maintenance,
installation, delivery, warranty. Variables may be
real or perceived, and often the perceived ones are
the most significant in any negotiation. See the
section on negotiation.

the changing face of selling -

sales methods continually change
This simple chart illustrates the fundamental shift
in selling theory which occurred particularly during
the 1980s, reflecting the development of an
increasingly competive market-place and a better-
informed buying and purchasing audience.

The advent of the internet and globalization during

the 1990s meant that old styles of selling, based
on one-way persuasion and control theories were
finally obsolete for all mainstream business
activities.

The development of selling ideas and methods is

progressive. Selling inevitably reflects the
changing world of business and communications.

Please note that where reference is made to the

customer 'organization' this reflects a business-to-
business scenario, however, the principles in all
other respects apply for business-to-consumer, or
for person-to-person sales scenarios.

values/expectations of the sales

organization and the selling
process
The columns compare traditional old-style selling
versus modern selling ideas.

traditional selling modern selling

Typical 1960s-80s selling, and still found Essential to sustain succe

today.

standard product customised, flexible, tailor

sales function performed by a 'sales-person' sales function performed b
manager'
seller has product knowledge seller has strategic knowle
place and knows all implic
resulting from product/ser
customer's market-place
delivery service and supporting information and strategic interpretation of t
training are typical added value aspects of
supply
good lead-time is a competitive advantage
value is represented and judged according to
selling price
the benefits and competitive strengths of the
products or service are almost entirely tangible,
and intangibles are rarely considered or
emphasised
benefits of supply extend to products and
services only
selling price is cost plus profit margin, and
customers have no access to cost and margin
information
seller knows the business customers' needs
sales person sells (customers only deal with
sales people, pre-sale)
sales people only sell externally, ie, to
customers
strategic emphasis is on new business growth
(ie, acquiring new customers)
buying and selling is a function, with people
distinctly responsible for each discipline within people with differing jobs
selling and customer organizations
hierarchical multi-level management structures
exist in selling and customer organizations
organisation's market oppo
with project evaluation an
added value aspects of sup
just-in-time (JIT) is taken
planning and scheduling; c
are: capability to anticipate
requirements, and assistan
and market development
value is assessed according
customer, plus non-financi
respect to CSR (corporate
environment, ethics, and c
the benefits and competitiv
product or service now inc
intangibles, and the onus i
organization to quantify th
benefits of supply extend w
services, to relationship, c
assistance that the selling o
to the customer to enable a
staff, customers, reputation
respects
selling price is market driv
and demand), although cer
on access to cost and marg
seller knows the needs of t
customers and partners an
whole organization sells (c
able to deal with anybody
pre-sale)
sales people need to be abl
own organization, in order
are met
strategic emphasis is on cu
increasing business to thos
new business is still sough
buying and selling is a pro
selling and customer organ
management structures are
management layers
authority of sales person is minimal, flexibility authority of sales person is
to negotiate is minimal, approvals must be experience), negotiation fl
sought via management channels and levels for exceptions are dealt with q
exceptions involving the relevant peo
selling and buying organization are divided selling organization is stru
strictly according to function and department, allowing for functional eff
inter-departmental communications must go up functional collaboration re
and down the management structures customer service, all suppl
communications
supplier and customer organization functions open communications to, f
tend to talk to their 'opposite numbers' in the functions between supplie
other organization organization
the customer specifies and identifies product the selling organization mu
and service requirements specifying and identifying
requirements on behalf of
the customer's buyer function researches and the selling organization mu
justifies the customer organization's needs researching and justifying
needs, on behalf of the cus
the customer's buyer probably does not the seller will help the buy
appreciate his/her organization's wider strategic wider strategic implication
implications and opportunities in relation to the relation to the seller's prod
seller's product or service, and there will be no
discussion with the seller about this issues
the buyer will tell the seller what the buying or the seller will help the buy
supplier-selection process is align the many and variou
(customer) organization, s
organization can assess the
the supplier's products or s
appropriate decision wheth

Nowadays, more is demanded from the selling

process by consumers, professional buyers and
organizations choosing their suppliers. The analysis
below refers both to the development in recent
decades of what customers require from the selling
function, and also to the progression of a
relationship between supplier and customer.

This is different historical perspective of the way

that selling methods and theory have changed.
The grid tracks the sales function from its
beginnings to what sales means and entails in the
modern age.
the development of the selling
function
1. pure transaction
Since time began. Pure transaction is
effectively one step removed from stone-age
barter.
2. relationship and trust
Since the beginning of selling as a
profession, popularised by Dale Carnegie,
among others, early-mid 1900s
3. management and
information
Operated instinctively in isolated examples
in business relationships for centuries, but
not generally seen in selling methodology,
sales training and strategic application until
the 1960s-1970s.
4. partnership
Basic selling. Standard com
price and reliability - there
business may be spasmodic
unpredictable. There is no r
the transaction.
Continuity, consistency, sus
understanding of the custom
to have a value by both sell
organization. Intangibles su
communications and contac
trading, mutual flexibility a
regarded as relevant benefit
can justify a price premium
protection against 'cheaper'
loyalty to supplier.
The provision of manageme
support by seller to buying
exchange and cooperation i
significant increase in depth
selling reletionships. A long
arrangement - a requiremen
level of selling - is seen as a
and buyer, because it brings
of co-operation and support
customer's business, eg., tra
product development - whic
customer's own competitive
efficiencies. The supplier is
and is likely to be more inv
customer's own internal sys
planning, etc.
The activities of the buying
become almost seamless wh
connected; the supplier is v
 A sophisticated open approach to selling
which mainly first developed in the 1980s,
probably in response to the increasing
complexity of business relationships,
technology, global markets, etc., and the
increasingly fast pace of change.
Organizations could be more effective and
adaptable by devolving operating
responsibilities to suppliers. Very different
to merely buying and selling products and
services.
5. education and
enablement
2000 and beyond. The dimensions, scope
and impact of this new type of selling are
not yet fully developed and defined.
There are signs however that the sellers who
can give most to their customers - especially
in areas that the customers didn't even know
they had a need or an opportunity - will be
the most successful.
early selling and sales training
ideas
Much of the early development of selling skills and
conventional sales training theories is attributed to
American writer, speaker and businessman Dale
Carnegie (1888-1955). Carnegie, from humble
customer's organization and
sourcing' generally requires
collaboration, which involv
innovation and integrated s
difficult to un-pick, even if
interests to do so. Partnersh
legal or contractual arrange
relationship, which operate
partnership would do. Ther
enormous depth of understa
which is not written down o
Partnership selling relations
to develop - probably betwe
on the size and complexity
organizations.
The educational and 'giving
organization extend the asp
information found in the pa
incorporated are aspects of
support, which are for exam
Sharon Drew Morgen's 'Bu
methodology. The seller giv
and all help it can reasonab
the customer's understandin
commercial development o
supply area. This is a hugel
selling which was difficult
last century. Sellers and sel
the role of teacher, guide, m
can influence and help cust
commercial and financial o
unimagined strategic busine
considerable change. Intern
Google are examples of this
its best can actually give m
beginnings and several early career failures,
started his training business in the early 1900s,
initially focusing on personal development. Later,
Carnegie's 1937 self-help book 'How to Win Friends
and Influence People' became an international
best-seller, and probably the major source of the
ideas and theory which underpinned traditional
selling through the 20th century. Carnegie's book
remains a highly regarded and widely read work on
human motivation, relationships and 'influencing'
others.

Carnegie's ideas contain a huge amount of useful

learning relating to understanding other people
and their motives. As such the theories are well
worth reading. In this respect, Carnegie's concepts,
and other similar methods based on them, are
helpful in understanding that people are all
different and therefore all have different
perspectives (and different to those of the seller,
or influencer). This is a vital concept within selling -
to appreciate that people have their own views,
feelings, values, and aims. The more we can
understand the other person's situation,
aims and feelings, the more likely we will be
able to develop rapport and trust with them,
and then hopefully to arrive at suitable
solutions and agreements with them. As far as
this goes all is well.

However, as with all early and 'traditional' sales

persuasion techniques and methodologies, the
purpose of 'influence' is in the hands of the
'influencer' (or seller), and this purpose (product or
service) may or may not be in the best interests of
the customer. In other words, early thinking (and
much current thinking still unfortunately) primarily
focuses on influencing the other person (customer)
to adopt an opinion or to take action in the
direction which favours the influencer, irrespective
of whether this is in the genuine best interest of
the other person. Indeed, some modern criticism
suggests that Carnegie's and other similar
traditional selling methodologies and sales training
systems lack honesty and integrity, which in my
view many do.
Traditional methods - most of which continue to
draw on the ideas and concepts contained in Dale
Carnegie's 1937 book, tend to encourage sales
people, or others seeking to persuade and
influence, to use knowledge about the other
person's (or customer's) perspective as a means of
gaining their trust and flexibility, so that the
customer can be led in a certain direction. Used
unethically this amounts to manipulation and is
therefore wrong and not sustainable.

Carnegie and others who have interpreted and

developed his early ideas, commonly provide a
good framework for understanding other
people's needs and motives, but arguably the
matters ofethics, honesty, integrity,
sustainability, are omitted.

The purpose of using the techniques, and what to

do with the understanding was, and remains,
open to use or mis-use by the seller.

The question is - as sales-people - is our purpose

(and responsibility) to exploit people - or to help
people?

Therein lies the major difference between early

(and still-practised) traditional selling, and modern
collaborative, facilitative ideas, which in my
opinion are the most effective, sustainable and
ethically sound concepts for today's business
world.

Look at the old ideas like Carnegie's, learn

the Seven Steps of the Sale, understand consultative
and needs-creation selling - they all contain useful
learning and processes - but most importantly,
ensure you work within a strong and ethical value-
system. These days selling should more than ever
focus on helping people, which of course has
additional implications for your choice of
organization, and the products and services that
you choose to represent.
AIDA
AIDA is the original sales training acronym, from
the late 1950s, when selling was first treated as a
professional discipline, and sales training began.
The model is said to have evolved from earlier
work by American psychologists concerning
assimilation and understanding of communications
and information. Walter Dill Scott's 'Attention-
Comprehension-Understanding' model, developed
by 1913 at the Chicago Northwestern University, is
cited as one example of possible contributory
thinking, although this is by no means a specific
single origin; in fact it is unlikely that a specific
single origin for AIDA actually exists.

AIDA is perhaps more relevant and useful today

than when it was first devised, because modern
theories and distractions can often cause people to
lose appreciation for the most basic and obvious
features and requirements of a successful sales
engagement.

So, especially for those learning your trade in

selling or advertising or communicating with
prospective customers, if you remember just one
sales or selling model, remember AIDA.

Often called the 'Hierarchy of Effects', AIDA

describes the basic process by which people
become motivated to act on external stimulus,
including the way that successful selling happens
and sales are made.

A - Attention

I - Interest

D - Desire

A - Action

The AIDA process also applies to any advertising or

communication that aims to generate a response,
and it provides a reliable template for the design of
all sorts of marketing material.

Simply, when we buy something we buy according

to the AIDA process. So when we sell something we
must sell go through the AIDA stages. Something
first gets our attention; if it's relevant to us we
are interested to learn or hear more about it. If
the product or service then appears to closely
match our needs and/or aspirations, and resources,
particularly if it is special, unique, or rare, we begin
todesire it. If we are prompted or stimulated to
overcome our natural caution we may then
become motivated or susceptible to
taking action to buy.

Some AIDA pointers:

Attention

• Getting the other person's attention sets the

tone: first impressions count , so smile - even on
the phone because people can hear it in your
voice - be happy (but not annoyingly so) be
natural, honest and professional.

• If you're not in the mood to smile do some

paperwork instead. If you rarely smile then get
out of selling.

• Getting attention is more difficult than it used to

be, because people are less accessible, have less
free time, and lots of competing distractions, so
think about when it's best to call.

• Gimmicks, tricks and crafty techniques don't

work, because your prospective customers - like
the rest of us - are irritated by hundreds of them
every day.

• If you are calling on the phone or meeting face-

to-face you have about five seconds to attract
attention, by which time the other person has
formed their first impression of you.

• Despite the time pressure, relax and enjoy it -

expect mostly to be told 'no thanks' - but
 remember that every 'no' takes you closer to the
next 'okay'.

Interest

• You now have maybe 5-15 seconds in which to

create some interest.

• Something begins to look interesting if it is

relevant and potentially advantageous. This
implies a lot:

• The person you are approaching should have a

potential need for your product or service or
proposition (which implies that you or somebody
else has established a target customer profile).

• You must approach the other person at a suitable

time (ie it's convenient, and that aspects of
seasonality and other factors affecting timing
have been taken into account)

• You must empathise with and understand the

other person's situation and issues, and be able
to express yourself in their terms (ie talk their
language).

Desire

• The sales person needs to be able to identify and

agree the prospect's situation, needs, priorities
and constraints on personal and organizational
levels, through empathic questioning and
interpretation.

• You must build rapport and trust, and a

preparedness in the prospect's mind to do
business with you personally (thus dispelling the
prospect's feelings of doubt or risk about your
own integrity and ability).

• You must understand your competitors'

capabilities and your prospect's other options.

• You must obviously understand your product

(specification, options, features, advantages, and
benefits), and particularly all relevance and
implications for your prospect.
• You must be able to present, explain and convey
solutions with credibility and enthusiasm.

• The key is being able to demonstrate how you,

your own organization and your product will
suitably, reliably and sustainably 'match' the
prospect's needs identified and agreed, within all
constraints.

• Creating desire is part skill and technique, and

part behaviour and style. In modern selling and
business, trust and relationship (the 'you' factor)
are increasingly significant, as natural
competitive development inexorably squeezes
and reduces the opportunities for clear product
advantage and uniqueness.

Action

• Simply the conversion of potential into actuality,

to achieve or move closer to whatever is the
aim.

• Natural inertia and caution often dictate that

clear opportunities are not acted upon,
particularly by purchasers of all sorts, so the
sales person must suggest, or encourage
agreement to move to complete the sale or
move to the next stage.

• The better the preceding three stages have been

conducted, then the less emphasis is required for
the action stage; in fact on a few rare occasions
in the history of the universe, a sale is so well
conducted that the prospect decides to take
action without any encouragement at all.

AIDCA
More recently (c.1980s-1990s) the AIDA acronym
has been used in extended form as AIDCA,
meaning the same as AIDA with the insertion
of Commitment prior to the action stage.
Arguably Commitment is implicit within the Action
stage, but if it suits your sales training purposes
then AIDCA is an acceptable interpretation.
Commitment here means that a prospective
customer is more likely to progress to the Action
stage if their commitment to the proposition can
first be established. As ever, adding detail make
the thing less elegant and flexible, which in this
case makes AIDCA non-applicable to selling
methods that do not involve a two-way
communication, for example, the structure of a
sales letter or advert, for which AIDA remains more
helpful. For two-way sales communications,
discussions, presentations, etc., then AIDCA is fine.

• Attention

• Interest

• Desire

• Commitment

• Action

the seven steps of the sale

The Seven Steps of the Sale is the most common
traditional structure used for explaining and
training the selling process for the sales call or
meeting, including what immediately precedes and
follows it. This structure is usually represented as
the Seven Steps of the Sale, but it can can be five,
six, eight or more, depending whose training
manual you're reading.

This structure assumes that the appointment has

been made, or in the instance of a cold-call, that
the prospect has agreed to discuss things there
and then. The process for appointment-making is a
different one, which is shown later in this section.
Aside from the questioning stage, this structure
also applies to a sales visit which been arranged
for the purpose of presenting products/services or
a specific proposal following an invitation, earlier
discussions or meetings. For these pre-arranged
presentations it is assumed that the sales person
has already been through the questioning stage at
prior meetings.

The Seven Steps of the Sale remains a helpful

structure for sales and sales training, but do bear
in mind that the concept is over forty years old,
and these days the modern collaboration and facilitation
methods are a lot more effective, typically when
treated as a front-end to the Seven Steps or
incorporated withing the first stage as an
approach. The collaborative selling section includes
anaugmented 'seven steps of the sale' which includes
integrated modern 'facilitative' sales skills, of
whichSharon Drew Morgen's 'Buying Facilitation'® is a
uniquely special and effective model.

the seven steps of the sale

The original commonly used Seven Steps
terminology is in bold. In recent years more
sophisticated interpretation and application of the
Seven-Step selling process requires the model to
be expanded and interpreted with more subtlety
and flexibility, as shown here:
1. preparation/planning/research/approach
(using facilitative methods)
2. introduction/opening/approach/establish
initial credibility
3. questioning/identify needs/ask how and
what, etc/establish rapport and trust
4. presentation/explanation/demonstration
5. overcoming objections/negotiating/fine-
tuning
6. close/closing/agreement/commitment/confir
mation
7. follow-up/after-sales/fulfil/deliver/admin
the seven steps of the sale in
summary

1. planning and preparation (the

seven steps of the sale - 1)
Generally, the larger the prospect organization, the
more research you should do before any sales call
at which you will be expected, or are likely, to
present you company's products or services.

• ensure know your own product/service extremely

well - especially features, advantages and
benefits that will be relevant to the prospect you
will be meeting

• ascertain as far as you can the main or unique

perceived organizational benefit that your
product or service would give to your prospect

• discover what current supply arrangements exist

or are likely to exist for the product/service in
question, and assess what the present supplier's
reaction is likely to be if their business is at
threat

• understand what other competitors are able and

likely to offer, and which ones are being
considered if any

• identify as many of the prospect organization's

decision-makers and influencers as you can, and
assess as much as far as you can what their
needs, motives and relationships are

• try to get a feel for what the organizational

politics are

• what are the prospect's organizational decision-

making process and financial parameters (eg.,
budgets, year-end date)

• what are your prospect's strategic issues, aims,

priorities and problems, or if you can't discover
these pre-meeting, what are they generally for
 the market sector in which the prospect
operates?

• prepare your opening statements and practice

your sales presentation

• prepare your presentation in the format in which

you are to give it (e.g., MS Powerpoint slides for
laptop or projected presentation) plus all
materials, samples, hand-outs, brochures, etc.,
and always have spares - allow for more than the
planned numbers as extra people often appear
at the last minute - see the presentation section for
more detailed guidance on designing formal
sales presentations

• prepare a checklist of questions or headings that

will ensure you gather all the information you
need from the meeting

• think carefully about what you want to get from

the meeting and organise your planning to
achieve it

• understand and make the most of cold calling:

despite the tendency for some organizations to
position cold calling as a lowly de-skilled
canvassing or enquiry-generation activity, cold
calling increasingly enables sales people to
become more strategic and significant in the
sales function

2. introduction/opening (the
seven steps of the sale - 2)
• smile - be professional, and take confidence from
the fact that you are well-prepared

• introduce yourself - first and last name, what

your job is and the company you represent, and
what the your company does (ensure this is
orientated to appeal to the prospect's strategic
issues)

• set the scene - explain the purpose of your visit,

again orientate around your prospect not
yourself, eg "I'd like to learn about your situation
 and priorities in this area, and then if
appropriate, to explain how we (your own
company) approach these issues. Then if there
looks as though there might be some common
ground, to agree how we could move to the next
stage."

• ask how much time your prospect has and agree

a time to finish

• ask if it's okay to take notes (it's polite to ask -

also, all business information is potentially
sensitive, and asking shows you realise this)

• ask if it's okay to start by asking a few questions

or whether your prospect would prefer a quick
overview of your own company first (this will
depend on how strongly know and credible your
own company is - if only a little you should plan
to give a quick credibility-building overview in
your introduction)

3. questioning (the seven steps of

the sale - 3)
• while questioning is a vital aspect of selling, the
principles and techniques of questioning are
mostly transferable to other situations where
questioning is essential for effective cooperation
and relationships - these questioning guidelines
therefore extend to applications beyond sales
and selling

• empathy and listening are crucial in questioning

- understanding body language is useful too

• a major purpose of questioning in the traditional

selling process is to identify the strongest need
or benefit perceived by the prospect relating to
the product/service being offered by the seller

• as the questioner you need also to understand

very clearly what you are seeking from the
relationship - questioning should aim to identify
a mutual fit - relationship work when theer is a
good fit for both sides
• buyers commonly have one main need or
benefit, and a number of supporting
needs/benefits

• needs and benefits may be obvious to seller and

buyer, or not obvious to either, in which case
questioning expertise is critical in selling, as it is
an all other relationships where motives and
change are involved

• questioning must also discover how best to

develop the relationship and the sale with the
organization - how the organization decides:
timings, authority levels, the people and
procedures involved, competitor pressures, etc.

• good empathic questioning also builds

relationships, trust and rapport - nobody wants
to buy anything from a sales person who's only
interested in their own product or company - we
all want to buy from somebody who gives the
time and skill to interpreting and properly
meeting our own personal needs

• to be professional in your approach you should

prepare a list of questions or headings before the
discussion

• aside from complex variations, there are two

main sorts of questions: open questions and
closed questions

• broadly open questions gather information and

build rapport; closed questions filter, qualify and
seek commitment

• open questions invite the other person to give

long answers; closed questions invite the other
person to say yes or no, or to select from
(usually two) options, for example red or blue, or
mornings or afternoons, etc

• use open questions to gather information -

typically for example, questions beginning with
Who? What? Why? Where? When? and How?

• when training or learning the skills of using open

questions it helps to refer to the Rudyard Kipling
 rhyme: "I keep six honest serving men, They
taught me all I knew; Their names are What and
Why and When, And How and Where and Who.."
This is from Just So Stories, 1902, The Elephant's
Child - see other useful and amusing training quotes and
maxims.)

• use "Can you tell me about how..." if you are

questioning a senior-level contact - generally the
more senior the contact, the bigger the open
questions you can ask, and the more the other
person will be comfortable and able to give you
the information you need in a big explanation

• 'what...? and 'how...?' are the best words to use

in open questions because they provoke thinking
and responses about facts and feelings in a non-
threatening way

• use 'why?' to find out reasons and motives

beneath the initial answers given, but be very
careful and sparing in using 'why' because the
word 'why?' is threatening to many people - it
causes the other person to feel they have to
defend or justify themselves, and as such will not
bring out the true situation and feelings,
especially in early discussions with people when
trust and rapport is at a low level

• listen carefully and empathically, maintain good

eye-contact, understand, and show that you
understand - especially understand what is
meant and felt, not just what is said, particularly
when you probe motives and personal aspects

• interpret and reflect back and confirm you have

understood what is being explained, and if
relevant the feelings behind it

• use closed questions to qualify and confirm

your interpretation - a closed question is one
that can be answered with a yes or no, eg., "Do
you mean that when this type of equipment goes
down then all production ceases?", or "Are you
saying that if a new contract is not put in place
by end-March then the existing one
automatically renews for another year?"
• when you've asked a question, you must then be
quiet - do not interrupt - allow the other person
time and freedom to answer

• the other person (your 'prospect' in selling

language) should be doing 80-99% of the talking
during this stage of the sales discussion; if you
are talking for a third or half of the time you are
not asking the right sort of questions

• do not jump onto an opportunity and start

explaining how you can solve the problem until
you have asked all your questions and gathered
all the information you need (in any event you
should never be seen to 'jump' onto any issue)

• all the time try to find out the strategic issues

affected or implicated by the product/service in
question - these are where the ultimate decision-
making and buying motives lie

• if during the questioning you think of a new

important question to ask note it down or you'll
probably forget it

• when you have all the information you need,

acknowledge the fact and say thanks, then take
a few moments to think about, discuss and
summarise the key issues/requirements/priorities
from your prospect's organizational (and
personal if applicable) perspective

• questioning is traditionally treated by

conventional sales people and conventional sales
training as a process to gather information to
assist the sales person's process, and this is how
it is typically positioned in the old-style 'Seven
Steps of the Sale'; however, modern sales
methodology treats questioning in a
radically different way - as an essential
part of a facilitative process whose purpose
is to help the buyer decide (see the
information about collaborative selling and buying
facilitation for more explanation)

• questioning is a fundamentally important part of

selling - techniques being increasingly developed
and refined far beyond early selling techniques -
 transferable to and from other disciplines
(notably coaching, counselling, therapy, etc)

• see for example Sharon Drew Morgen's excellent

facilitative questioning methodology and theClean
Language concept

4. presentation (the seven steps

of the sale - 4)
• the sales presentation should focus on a central
proposition, which should be the unique
perceived benefit that the prospect gains from
the product/service

• during the questioning phase the sales person

will have refined the understanding (and ideally
gained agreement) as to what this is - the
presentation must now focus on 'matching' the
benefits of the product with the needs of the
prospect so that the prospect is entirely satisfied
that the proposition

• the sales person therefore needs an excellent

understanding of the many different
organizational benefits that accrue to customers,
and why, from the product/service - these
perceived benefits will vary according to the type
of customer organization (size, structure, market
sector, strategy, general economic health,
culture, etc)

• the sales presentation must demonstrate that

the product/service meets the prospect's needs,
priorities, constraints and motives, or the
prospect will not even consider buying or moving
to the next stage; this is why establishing the
prospect's situation and priorities during the
questioning phase is so vital

• the above point is especially important to

consider when the sales person has to present
on more than one occasion to different people or
groups, who will each have different personal
and organizational needs, and will therefore
respond to different benefits (even though the
 central proposition and main perceived benefit
remains constant)

• all sales presentations, whether impromptu (off

the cuff) or the result of significant preparation,
must be well structured, clear and concise,
professionally delivered, and have lots of
integrity - the quality and integrity of the
presentation is always regarded as a direct
indication as to the quality and integrity of the
product/service

• it follows then that the sales person must avoid

simply talking about technical features from the
seller's point of view, without linking the features
clearly to organizational context and benefit for
the prospect - also avoid using any jargon which
the prospect may not understand

• sales presentations must always meet the

expectations of the listener in terms of the level
of information and relevance to the prospect's
own situation, which is another reason for proper
preparation - a vague or poorly prepared sales
presentation sticks out like a sore thumb, and it
will be disowned immediately

• when presenting to influencers, which is

necessary on occasions, it is important to
recognise that the sales person is effectively
asking the influencers to personally endorse the
proposition and the credibility of the selling
organization and the sales person, so the
influencers' needs in these areas are actually
part of the organizational needs of the prospect
company

• the presentation must include relevant evidence

of success, references from similar sectors and
applications, facts and figures - all backing up
the central proposition

• business decision-makers buy when they

become satisfied that the decision will either
make them money, or save them money or time;
they also need to be certain that the new
product/service will be sustainable and reliable;
 therefore the presentation must be convincing in
these areas

• private consumer buyers ultimately buy for

similar reasons, but for more personal ones as
well, eg., image, security, ego, etc., which may
need to feature in these type of presentations if
they form part of the main perceived benefit

• while the presentation must always focus on the

main perceived benefit, it is important to show
that all the other incidental requirements and
constraints are met - but do not over-emphasise
or attempt to 'pile high' loads of incidental
benefits as this simply detracts from the central
proposition

• presentations should use the language and style

of the audience - eg., technical people need
technical evidence; sales and marketing people
like to see flair and competitive advantage
accruing for their own sales organization;
managing directors and finance directors want
clear, concise benefits to costs, profits and
operating efficiency; and generally the more
senior the contact, the less time you will have to
make your point - no-nonsense, no frills, but
plenty of relevant hard facts and evidence. See
the presentation section for more guidance on this.

• if the sales person is required to present to a

large group and in great depth, then it's
extremely advisable to enlist the help of one or
two suitably experienced colleagues, from the
appropriate functions, eg., technical, customer
service, distribution, etc., in which case the sales
person must ensure that these people are
properly briefed and prepared, and the prospect
notified of their attendance.

• keep control of the presentation, but do so in a

relaxed way; if you don't know the answer to a
question don't waffle - say you don't know and
promise to get back with an answer later, and
make sure you do.
• never knock the competition - it undermines
your credibility and integrity - don't even imply
anything derogatory about the competition

• if appropriate issue notes, or a copy of your

presentation

• use props and samples and demonstrations if

relevant and helpful, and make sure it all works
properly

• during the presentation seek feedback,

confirmation and agreement as to the relevance
of what you are saying, but don't be put off if
people stay quiet

• invite questions at the end, and if your are

comfortable, at the outset invite questions at
any time - it depends on how confident you feel
in controlling things

• whether presenting one-to-one or to a stern

group, relax and be friendly - let your personality
and natural enthusiasm shine through - people
buy from people who love and have faith in their
products and companies

5. overcoming
objections/negotiating (the seven
steps of the sale - 5)
• decades ago it was assumed that at this stage
lots of objections could appear, and this would
tend to happen, because the selling process was
more prescriptive, one-way, and less empathic;
however, successful modern selling now
demands more initial understanding from the
sales person, even to get as far as presenting, so
the need to overcome objections is not such a
prevalent feature of the selling process

• nevertheless objections do arise, and they can

often be handled constructively, which is the key

• if objections arise, firstly the sales person should

qualify each one by reflecting back to the person
who raised it, to establish the precise nature of
 the objection - "why do you say that?" , or better
still, "what makes you say that?, is usually a
good start

• it may be necessary to probe deeper to get to

the real issue, by asking why to a series of
answers - some objections result from
misunderstandings, and some are used to veil
other misgivings which the sales person needs to
expose

• lots of objections are simply a request for more

information, so definitely avoid responding by
trying to re-sell the benefit - simply ask and
probe instead; the best standard response is
something like "I understand why that could be
an issue, can I ask you to tell me more about
why it is and what's important for you here?.."

• try to avoid altogether the use of the word 'but' -

it's inherently confrontational

• an old-style technique was to reflect back the

objection as a re-phrased question, but in a form
that the sales person is confident of being able
to answer positively, for example: the prospect
says he thinks it's too expensive; the sales
person reflects back: "I think what you're really
saying is that you have no problem with giving
us the contract, but you'd prefer the payments
staged over three years rather than two? - well I
think we could probably do something about
that..."

• another old-style technique used to be to isolate

the objection (confirm that other than that
sticking point everything else was fine), then to
overcome the objection by drawing up a list of
pro's and con's, or analysing to death all the
hidden costs of not going for the deal, or re-
selling the benefits even harder, and then to
close powerfully, but these days such a contrived
approach to objection handling is likely to insult
the prospect and blow the sales person's
credibility

• the 'feel-felt-found' technique was another

popular tactic in overcoming objections: this is a
 response built around the three 'feel felt found'
elements: "I understand how you feel/why you
feel that...//Other customers have felt just the
same/that...//But (or 'And') when... they have
found that..." The method uses empathy in stage
one, neutrality and group reference (shifting the
issue away from personal confrontation) in stage
two, and then counters the objection and
reinforces the benefits using (alleged) majority
evidence in stage three, in the hope of
persuading the buyer that he/she is isolated and
missing out if deciding not to buy

• it is important to flush out all of the objections,

and in so doing, the sales person is effectively
isolating them as the only reasons why the
prospect should not proceed, but then the more
modern approach is to work with the prospect in
first understanding what lies beneath each
objection, and then working with the prospect to
shape the proposition so that it fits more
acceptably with what is required. See the section
on negotiating.

• avoid head-to-head arguments - even if you win

them you'll destroy the relationship you'll go no
further - instead the sales person must enable a
constructive discussion so that he and the
prospect are both working at the problem
together; provided the basic proposition is sound
most objections are usually overcome by both
the seller and the buyer adjusting their positions
slightly; for large prospects and contracts this
process can go on for weeks, which is why this is
often more in the negotiating arena than
objection handling

• you've handled all the objections when you've

covered everything that you've noted down - it's
therefore important to keep notes and show that
you're doing it

• by this stage you may have seen some signs

that the prospect is clearly visualising or
imagining the sale proceeding, or even talking in
terms of your working together as supplier and
customer; this is sometimes called buying
warmth. Certain questions and comments from
 prospects are described as buying signals
because they indicate that the prospect may be
visualising buying or having the product/service.
In the old days, sales people were taught to
respond to early buying signals with a 'trial
close', but this widely perceived as clumsy and
insulting nowadays. Instead respond to early
buying signals (ie those received before you've
completed the presentation to the prospect's
satisfaction, and answered all possible queries)
by asking why the question is important, and
then by answering as helpfully as possible

6. close/closing/agreement (the
seven steps of the sale - 6)
• in modern selling, even using the traditional
Seven Steps process, every sales person's aim
should be to prepare and conduct the selling
process so well that there are few if any
objections, and no need for a close

• the best close these days is something like "Are

you happy that we've covered everything and
would you like to go ahead?", or simply "Would
you like to go ahead?"

• in many cases, if the sales person conducts the

sale properly, the prospect will close the deal
himself, and this should be the another aim for
the sales person - it's civilised, respectful, and
actually implies and requires a high level of sales
professionalism

• the manner in which a sale is concluded depends

on the style of the decision-maker - watch out for
the signs: no-nonsense high-achievers are likely
to decide very quickly and may be a little
irritated if you leave matters hanging after
they've indicated they're happy; cautious
technical people will want every detail covered
and may need time to think, so don't push them,
but do stay in touch and make sure they have all
the information they need; very friendly types
may actually say yes before they're ready, in
which case you need to ensure that everything is
suitably covered so nothing can rebound later
• for the record here are some closes from the bad
old days - the traditional golden rule was always
to shut up after asking a closing question, even if
the silence became embarrassingly long - (a
who-talks-first-loses kind of thing) - use them at
your peril:

• the pen close: "Do you want to use your pen or

mine?" (while producing the contract and pen)

• the alternative close: for example - "Would you

like it delivered next Tuesday or next Friday?", or
"We can do the T50 model in silver, and we have
a T52 in white - which one would you prefer?"

• the challenge close: "I know most men wouldn't

be able to buy something of this value without
consulting their wives - do you need to get your
wife's permission on this?.." or "Most business
people in your position need to refer this kind of
decision to their boss, do you need to refer it?"

• the ego close: "We generally find that only the

people who appreciate and are prepared to pay
for the best quality go for this service - I don't
know how you feel about it?..."

• the negative close: "I'm sorry but due to the

holidays we can't deliver in the three weeks after
the 15th, so we can only do it next week, is that
okay?"

• the guilt close: "Over three years it might seem a

lot of money, but we find that most responsible
people decide they simply have no choice but to
go for it when it's less than a pound/dollar a day
to protect your.../safeguard your..../improve
your... (whatever)."

• the sympathy close: "I know you have some

reservations that we can't overcome right now,
but I've got to admit that I'm pretty desperate for
this sale - my manager says he'll sack me if I
don't get an order this week, and you're my last
chance - I'd be ever so grateful if you'd go ahead
- and I promise you we'd be able to sort out the
extra features once I speak to our production
 people..." (How could anyone live with
themselves using that one?....)

• the puppy dog close/puppy dog sale: "Let me

leave it with you and you see how you get on
with it..."

• the last ditch close: (sales person packs case and

goes to leave, but stops at the door) "Just one
last thing - would you tell me where I went wrong
- you see I just know this is right for you, and I
feel almost guilty that I've not sold it to you
properly, as if I've let you down....."

• the pro's and con's list: "I can appreciate this is a

tough decision - what normally works is to write
down a list of all the pro's and con's - two
separate columns - and then we can both see
clearly if overall it's the right thing to do..."

• the elimination close: "I can see I've not

explained this properly - can we take a moment
to go through all the benefits and see which one
is holding us back from proceeding?" (At which
the sales person lists all the benefits - the
positives, and runs through each one to confirm
it's not that one which is causing the problem,
crossing a line through each as he goes. When
he crosses the last one out he can claim that
there really seems to be no reason for not going
ahead...)

7. follow-
up/fulfilment/delivery/admin
(the seven steps of the sale -
7)
• after-sales follow-up depends on the type of
product and service, but generally for every sale
the sales person must carry out a number of
important processes:

• all relevant paperwork must be completed and

copies provided to the customer - paperwork is
will cover the processing of the order, the
confirmation of the order and its details to the
 customer, possibly the completion of installation
and delivery specification and instructions

• Sales reporting by the sales person is also

necessary, generally on a pro-forma or computer
screen, typically detailing the order value,
product type and quantity, and details about the
customer such as industrial sector - each sales
organization stipulates the sales person's
reporting requirements, and often these are
linked to sales commissions and bonuses, etc.

• The sales person should also make follow-up

contact with the customer - as often as
necessary - to confirm that the customer is
happy with the way the order is being
progressed; this helps reduce possible confusion
and misunderstood expectations, which are a big
cause of customer dissatisfaction or order
cancellation if left to fester unresolved

• Customer follow-up and problem resolution must

always be the responsibility for the sales person,
who should consider themselves the 'guardian'
of that customer, even if a well-organised
customer service exists for general after-sales
care

• Customers rightly hold sales people responsible

for what happens after the sale is made, and
good conscientious follow-up will usually be
rewarded with referrals to other customers - this
is also helpful for networking

• Follow-up is an important indicator of integrity;

when a sales person makes a sale he is
personally endorsing the product and the
company, so ensuring that value and satisfaction
are fulfilled is an integral part of the modern
sales function
the product offer (also called
'sales proposition')

FABs (features advantages

benefits)
USPs (unique selling
propositions/points)
UPBs (unique perceived benefits)

The product offer, or sales proposition, is how the

product or service is described and promoted to
the customer. The product offer is generally
presented in varying levels of detail and depth,
depending on the situation.

As an opening or initial proposition the words are

used by the sales person to attract attention and
interest in verbal and written introductions to
prospects - so it has to be concise and quick -
remember that attention needs to be grabbed in
less than five seconds.

The product offer is also used by the selling

company in its various advertising and promotional
material aimed at the target market.

Traditionally the selling company's marketing

department would formulate the product offer, but
nowadays the sales person greatly improves his
selling effectiveness if he able to refine and adapt
the product offer (not the specification) for
targeted sectors and individual major prospects.

Developing and tailoring a product offer, or

proposition, is a vital part of the selling process,
and the approach to this has changed over the
years.
FABs (features - advantages -
benefits)
The technique of linking features, advantages, and
benefits (FABs) was developed in the 1960s and it
remains an important basic concept for successful
selling and sales training. FABs were traditionally
identified and by the company and handed by the
training department to the sales people, who rarely
thought much about developing them.

Here is the principle of using Features, Advantages,

Benefits:

Customers don't buy features, they don't even buy

the advantages - what they buy is what the
product's features and advantages will do for
them, which in selling parlance is called the
benefit.

For example: A TV might have the feature of

internet connectivity and a remote control qwerty
keyboard; the advantage is that the customer can
now access and interchange internet and TV
services using a single system; and the benefit is
that the customer saves money, space, and a lot of
time through not having to change from one piece
of equipment to another.

It's the saving in money, space and hassle that the

customer buys. A sales person who formulates a
sales proposition or product offer around those
benefits will sell far more Internet TV's than a sales
person who simply sells 'TV's with internet
connectivity and remote qwerty keypads'. In fact
lots of customers won't even have a clue as to
what a 'TV with internet connectivity and remote
qwerty keypad' is, particularly when it's packaged,
branded and promoted as the latest 'WebTV XL520
with the new Netmaster GT500 Supa-consul'....

Moreover the few customers who recognise the

product benefit by its features and advantages will
also recognise all the competitors' products too,
which will cause all the sales people selling
features and advantages to converge on the most
astute purchasing group, leaving the most
lucrative uninformed prospects largely untouched.

The aim is to formulate a product offer which

elegantly comprises enough of what the product
does and how, with the most important or unique
benefits for a given target market or prospect type.

USPs (unique selling

points/propositions)
The strongest benefit for a given target sector is
often represented by the term USP, meaning
unique selling point or proposition (for many
companies no real uniqueness exists in their USPs,
so the term is often used rather loosely where the
word 'strongest' would be more apt). Real or
perceived uniqueness is obviously very important
because it generally causes a prospect to buy from
one sales person or supplier as opposed to
another. If there were umpteen WebTVs on the
market, the ones that would sell the best would be
those which had the strongest unique selling
points.

Price is not a USP; sure, some people only buy the

cheapest, but most do not; most will pay a little or
a lot extra to get what they want. As with the
example of the WebTV, an advantage that
produces a money-saving benefit is different to
straight-forward price discounting. A low price is
not a benefit in this context, and any product that
is marketed purely with a low-price USP will always
be vulnerable to competition which offers proper
user-related benefits, most of which may come in
the form of a higher value, higher price package.

What makes it difficult to succeed all the time with

a fixed USP or series of USPs is that one man's USP
is another man's dead donkey - USPs by their
nature fail to take account of a prospect's
particular circumstances and detailed needs. The
name itself - unique selling point - says it all.
Purchasers of all sorts are more interested
in buying, not being sold to.
Each type of prospect has different reasons for
buying. Market sectors or prospect types with
smaller houses and fewer rooms are more likely to
respond to the space-saving benefit of the WebTV
as the product's main USP. Market sectors or
prospect types with big houses and lots of big
rooms are more likely to regard the time-saving
benefit as the key USP instead. A sector which
comprises people who are not technically
competent or advanced, may well respond best to
a USP that the supplier could fail to even mention,
ie., installation, training and a free technical
support hotline. Where does that leave the sales
person if his marketing department hasn't included
that one on the list?..

UPBs (unique perceived benefits)

This leads us to the UPB, meaning unique
perceived benefit - a modern selling concept
naturally evolved from FABs and USPs.

The UPB acronym and concept was originated

by The Marketing Guild, and it is proper to mention
this when using the term in training.

A UPB is essentially a customer-orientated product

offer.

The problem with USPs and FABs is that they are

largely formulated from the seller's perspective;
they stem from product features after all. So if
instead of looking at the product from the seller's
viewpoint, we look at the need, from the
customer's viewpoint, we can build up a UPB-
based product offer that fits the prospect's
situation and motives much better than any list of
arbitrary FABs and USPs.

First it comes down to knowing the target market

segment, or the targeted prospect type, extremely
well. This implies that we should first decide which
sectors or segments to target, and it also shows
why the planning and preparation stage in the
selling process is far more significant and
influential than it ever used to be.
Each targeted segment or prospect type has its
own particular needs and constraints, and these
combine to create the prospect's or target sector's
very specific buying motive. So if we can identify
and then formulate a unique perceived benefit to
meet or match a known or researched sector's
specific buying motive, we can create a very well-
fitting and easily recognisable product offer
indeed.

For instance, a likely attractive target sector for the

WebTV could be families with limited space and
little technical confidence. With children at school
learning how to use computers, their parents (the
decision-makers) would likely be interested in
improving their children's access to internet
services at home, given no requirement for extra
space, and in a way that didn't put pressure on
their limited technical know-how at the time of
installation and for ongoing support. If the package
enabled the parents to upgrade their TV as well for
not much more than the cost of a conventional TV,
then we're certainly likely to get their attention and
interest, and we're a short step away from creating
some real desire. The UPB for this particular
prospect type might look something like:

"You can now give your children important

educational access to the Internet at home, if you
know nothing about computers, and don't even
have room for one."

The product offer above is described so that the

prospect type in question identifies with it, and can
immediately match it to his own situation. The
WebTVs relevant benefits - ie., you save space and
you don't need to spend time understanding the
technicalities - have been translated to match
exactly why we believe that the prospect might be
motivated to consider buying it. The 'important
educational' reference is an example of developing
the UPB further, ie., that your children's education
will be improved. The trade-off is that more words
reduces impact and attention; only by using the
UPB in various forms can we see what works best.
It's now clear to see the difference now between a
basic technical feature ('a TV with internet
connectivity and remote qwerty keypad) and an
unique perceived benefit (your children will be
better educated). The feature does nothing to
attract the buyer; the UPB does a lot.

There's another important reason to use tailored

perceived benefits, rather than focus on FABs and
unique selling points: it's easy for prospects to
compare and put a price on what a product is
(FABs and even USPs), but it's very difficult to
value a real UPB. This means that sales people who
sell UPBs are far less prone to competitor threat.

Developing strong meaningful unique perceived

benefits is not easy - it requires good insight and
understanding of the prospect or sector to be
approached, and a lot of thought, trial and error to
arrive at something that works well.

Remember that it is important to adapt the

product offer (UPB, sales proposition or
however you define it) according to its use in
the selling process. For example:

• When cold calling, the proposition is generally

broad, concise, and more strategic in nature, and
amounts to no more than a long sentence.

• In sales brochures and enquiry follow-up letters

the product offer or proposition is more detailed,
perhaps running to a few sentences or bullet
points.

• In formal proposals and detailed presentations

the proposition can often extend to several
paragraphs.
consultative selling, 'needs-
creation' selling, and
'SPINSelling®'
Consultative selling involves deeper questioning of
the prospect, about organizational and operational
issues that can extend beyond the product itself.
This leads to greater understanding of the
prospect's wider needs, (particularly those affected
by the product), and the questioning process itself
also results in a greater trust, rapport, and
empathy between sales-person and buyer. The
process has been practised instinctively in good
sales people and organizations for many years,
particularly since the 1970s, especially for concept
selling or service solutions selling, driven by
competitive pressures, as buyers began to learn as
much about the sales process and techniques as
the sales people themselves. In the 1970s and
1980s various proprietary frameworks and models
were established, and many of these remain in use
today. The 'needs-creation' selling approach is
example of consultative selling. It's more involving
(of the client) than the essentially one-way
prescriptive Seven Steps method, but it is still
largely centred on what the supplier wants, rather
than helping the buyer.

In 'needs-creation' selling, the sales-person seeks

to identify and then 'enlarge' a particular need,
problem, challenge or issue that a potential
customer faces. Obviously the sales-person would
must have a reasonable confidence that the
supplier organisation is able to offer a suitably
matched remedy or solution (product and/or
service proposition) once the 'need', with all of its
attached considerable and negative strategic and
financial implications, are firmly established in the
buyer's mind.

The consultative aspect exists hopefully in the

sales-person's ability, experience and expertise, to
'consult' with the buyer in developing a solution,
which of course entails the supplier organisation
provision of product and/or service.
The process is rather like the process employed by
professional consultants in all sorts of 'professional'
and 'technical' disciplines (for example,
engineering, health and safety, law, finance, IT,
etc):

1. Research the prospective customer

organisation to confirm suitable prospect
profile (subject to the supplier's prospect
qualification criteria), and competitor
threats, opportunities, contract review
dates, past dealings, etc.

2. Establish rapport and seller's

professional credentials with the client
(typically by referencing case-histories
and case-studies for successful solutions
provided in similar markets and
applications that are similar to those of
the prospective client).

3 Ask 'strategic' open questions to

identify, explore and develop areas of
potential problems, difficulties, aims,
challenges and unresolved issues within
the prospect organisation. Normally
identify and agree on a single primary
issue (which represents both a major
concern for the buyer, and a relevant
area of product and/or service
opportunity for the seller.) This could be
a 'distress' or emergency pressure,
priority, or threat, for example an issue
which the prospect is involved in 'fire-
fighting' to resolve currently, such as
legislative compliance; or a strategic
development opportunity for market
or business development, to which
significant potential profit, cost-savings
and/or competitive advantage are
attached.

4. Interpret, clarify, extend and quantify

in financial and strategic terms the
knock-on effects of the primary area of
opportunity or threat. That is to
say, what are all the negative effects
and costs of failing to resolve the
threat or pressure?, or what are all
the positive effects and
revenues/profits that will be derived
from achieving the identified
strategic opportunity? The sales
person is effectively doing three things
here:

a) Increasing the size and cost/value of

the issue heightens the issue's priority
and importance, and thus increases the
buyer's feeling that action must be
taken - it gets the issue higher up the
buyer's agenda and closer to the front of
his/her project schedule.

b) Increasing the size and complexity of

the issue increases the need
and opportunity for consultative
advice - the buyer increases his/her
perception that outside expertise (from
the seller) is required.

b) Increasing the costs or values

associated with the issue naturally
increases the buyer's tolerance and
expectations for the cost of the
supplier's proposed product/service
solution - the higher the cost or value of
the challenge, then the higher the cost of
the solution.

5. Sell the principle of the seller's solution

(necessarily in outline for large prospects
- small, simple situations often require
specific solutions proposals at this stage),
matching the benefits of the solution to
the various aspects of the prospect need
or strategic opportunity. For larger
prospects it is commonly necessary to
agree to proceed with a survey or
assessment prior to producing a fully
detailed proposal. A large complex
proposal would typically need to be
presented by the sales-person, or a team
from the seller's organisation, to a board
 or decision-making team within the
prospect organisation.

The final point referring to a buying organisation's

decision-making team provides a clue as to the
weaknesses of these traditional supplier-orientated
selling methods. Decision-making within
organisations, particularly large ones, is a highly
complex process. Often the organisation, and
certainly the buyer, does not understand it, let
alone be able or willing to explain it to an outsider.

Buyers rarely explain everything to a sales-person

during a consultative meeting, however good the
sales-person is. This is not a criticism of buyers -
simply an acknowledgement of the extremely
complex nature of organisational decision-making.
As such, consultative selling and 'needs-creation'
selling, howsoever packaged, don't always provide
a reliable selling framework for the modern age.

Buyers and customer organisations often need

more help, especially in the early stages of the
sales process.

They need help with their own processes of

evaluation and assessment, decision-making,
communications, and implementation, which
traditional 'consultative selling' alone is unable to
address in a true and meaningful sense. For this
reason, if you seek to become a truly expert and
effective sales person modern selling and business,
I would urge you to look beyond the traditional
methodologies, to the modern philosophy and
concepts contained in collaborative and facilitative
selling, especially the ideas developed and defined
by Sharon Drew Morgen.

neil rackham's 'SPIN Selling®'

model
Neil Rackam's SPIN Selling® model is a fine
example of a consultative selling process and
'needs-creation selling'. It was developed by Neil
Rackham in the 1970s-80s, from his extensive 12-
year study into successful selling behaviour in 20
leading sales organizations, in 23 countries,
involving analysis of data from 35,000 sales
calls. Rackham's book 'Spin Selling' is one of the biggest
selling on the subject of sales, and the
SPIN® methodology remains a mainstay of his
Huthwaite training organization. Rackham's
SPIN® model is in simple terms:

S - Situation
P - Problem
I - Implication
N - Need (or Need-payoff)

In other words:
1. Discuss, understand or explain
the situation with the prospect.
2. Next identify the problem that exists or
could arise.
3. Explain, discuss or understand
the implication of the problem for the
prospect's business (ie., what organizational
improvement can potentially be achieved).
4. This effectively creates a need or
opportunity to rectify the problem (by selling
the sales person's product/service) - the
'payoff'.

SPIN® endures as one of the most versatile,

memorable and useful sales models.

Note that SPIN® and SPIN SELLING® methods and

materials are subject to copyright and intellectual
property control of the Huthwaite organisations of
the US and UK. SPIN® and SPIN SELLING®methods
and materials are not to be used in the provision of
training and development products and services
without a licence. See SPIN® copyright details.
open plan selling, strategic
selling, e.g., Miller Heiman's
Strategic Selling®
To my best knowledge, the term 'Open Plan Selling'
was first coined by a wonderful and inspirational
British business consultant and trainer, Stanley
Guffogg, during the early-1980s. His ideas and
philosophies were many years ahead of their time,
and they provide much of the bedrock for what is
written here.

I had the great pleasure reconnecting and meeting

once again with Stanley Guffogg in April 2008 after
losing touch almost twenty years ago. He
confirmed that indeed the term 'Open Plan Selling'
was his conception, together with some of the
surrounding theory, although as with theories in
general much of the inspiration and components
derive from various contributory ideas and
influences. He was also able to explain some of the
underpinning principles of Open Plan Selling -
which hitherto have not been fully represented in
this section. Accordingly this item will soon be
expanded, upon which it will have far greater
relevance to modern thinking and expectations in
ethical responsible selling. The underlying
philosophy of Open Plan Selling is helping and
enabling rather than persuading and influencing,
which represented a major departure from
traditional selling 'push' or 'pull' models.

Strategic selling (lower case generic description) is

also commonly used today to describe similar
selling ideas and processes, but be very careful not
to confuse this with Miller Heiman's registered and
protected 'Strategic Selling® (upper case
trademark) sales training methods and products.

The American Miller Heiman organization uses the

term Strategic Selling® to describe its own
particular sales training methods and products,
first published in the Miller Heiman book Strategic
Selling® in 1985, and more recently updated and
revised in The New Strategic Selling® by Stephen
Heiman, Diane Sanchez and Tad Tuleja (1995 and
later revisions). See the books below, see the
explanations of the strategic selling terminology in the
glossary above, and see the Miller Heiman copyright
details.

The explanation in this section is concerned

with 'open plan selling' and 'strategic selling'
(lower-case generic descriptive in the sense
of selling strategically), and is not an
attempt to summarise or describe Miller
Heiman's sales training methods or products
in any way. For that you'll need to buy the
books or the Miller Heiman materials, and a
licence as well if you seek to sell or provide
Miller Heiman products.

open plan selling and strategic

selling (small 's' - not Miller
Heiman Strategic Selling®)
Open plan selling is in many ways a completely
different approach to the old prescriptive and
relatively rigid Seven Steps of the Sale, and the
Professional Selling Skills model, that began in the
1960s. Open plan selling is also more advanced
than most consultative selling methods being
practiced today, largely because of the strategic
aspects of the open plan approach.

Open plan selling is especially suited to the

business-to-business major accounts selling
function - which is now the principle domain of the
field-based sales person (because field-based sales
people are very expensive people and low-value
business can't recover their costs). However, the
open plan selling principles - not the full-blooded
structure - can and should be readily adapted for
all other types of selling, including even telesales
(selling by telephone).

In modern business-to-business selling, successful

sales people and organizations provide
a tailoredproduct or service which delivers a big
measurable strategic improvement to the
customer's own businesses. This implies that the
customer contact should be a strategic buyer -
usually at least a director, or in a small company
the finance director or CEO. Nobody lower in the
organization has the necessary authority and
budget.

The only way to develop tailored strategic offerings

is by researching the market and understanding
the customer's business, which means the sales
person must understand business, and be
comfortable talking at director level. When you do
business at this strategic level you are at a higher
level than your competitors, who are still selling
ordinary products and services to middle managers
and buyers without true authority. Selling
strategically takes time - time to train sales people,
and time for selling opportunities to be identified
and researched.

The open plan or strategic selling (lower case - not

Miller Heiman) process and summary below
assumes a major account scenario, whose size and
complexity let's say does not enable a sales
proposal to be formulated at the first meeting.

For smaller-scale opportunities the middle stages

numbers 4 to 7 are effectively compressed or leap-
frogged so that the formulation of the proposal and
its presentation happens at the first appointment
(stage 3) or soon after it.

open plan selling process:

1.research and plan - market sector,
prospect, and decide initial
approach
2.make the appointment
3.attend appointment to build
rapport and credibility, gather
information about business needs,
aims and process, and
develop/agree a
project/product/service
specification
 4.agree survey/audit proposal
(normally applicable)
5.carry out survey/audit (normally
applicable)
6.write product/service proposal
7.present proposal
8.negotiate/refine/adapt/conclude
agreement
9.oversee fulfilment/completion
10.feedback/review/maintain
ongoing relationship

open plan selling in summary:

research and plan - open plan selling - step 1

In open plan selling, research and planning is a

very important part of the process. The bigger the
prospect organization or potential sale, the more
planning and preparation is required. Major
accounts need extensive researching before any
serious approach is made to begin dialogue with an
influencer or decision-maker. This is to enable the
sales person to decide on the best initial approach
or opening proposition. Implicit in this is deciding
what is likely to be the strongest perceived
organizational benefit that could accrue from the
product or service in question, as perceived by the
person to be approached (different people have
different personal and organizational views and
priorities). Generally it is best to concentrate on
one strong organizational benefit. A benefit-loaded
'catch-all' approach does not work, because it's
impossible to make a strong impact while
promoting lots of different points - people respond
most to a single relevant point of interest (see
the advertising tricks of the trade for more detail on this).

Assuming a large account is being targeted, the

sales person must acquire as much as reasonably
possible of the following information about the
prospect organization:
• the organization's size and shape (turnover, staff
types and numbers, sites, management and
corporate structure, subsidiaries and parent
organization)

• strategy and trading situation (main business

aims, issues, priorities, trends of business and
sector, a profile of the organization's customers
and competitors, and what the company
considers important for its own customers)

• current and future demand, volume, scale for the

product/service in question

• current supply arrangements and contract

review dates

• decision-making process (who decides, on what

basis, when and how)

• decision-makers and influencers (names,

positions, responsibilities and locations)

• the organization's strategic implications,

threats and opportunities that the
product/service in question affects or could
affect (in terms of the organization's
strategic aims, operating efficiency,
product and service quality, staff reaction
and attitudes, and particularly how the
product/service in question affects or could
affect the organization's own competitive
strengths and added value to its own
customers)

The final point in bold is the really special part, and

obviously requires a good insight into the
prospect's business and market. The other
information is what all good sales people will be
trying to discover, but only the open plan sales
person will look for the final point. The final point is
absolutely pivotal to the open plan selling process.
When the sales person moves the dialogue with
the prospect into this area then the sale takes on a
completely different complexion; it completely
transcends and surpasses any benefits, USPs or
UPBs, that other sales people might be discussing.
These days it's easier to research and plan for a
sales call than it used to be, because of the wealth
of information available in company brochures,
websites and from the organization's own staff,
notably in customer service, press relations, and
from the relative openness of most organizations.
Trade journals and trade associations are other
useful information sources for building up a
picture. Depending on the particular product or
service, different people in the prospect
organization will potentially be able to provide
company-specific information about important
matters such as contract review dates, purchasing
procedures and authority, even sometimes very
useful details of attitudes, politics, the styles of the
key people, and their priorities.

With a sensitive approach it's often possible obtain

the trust and co-operation of somebody in the
prospect organization, so as to provide this
information, particularly if the discussion is
positioned as non-threatening, empathic and of
some strategic potential for the prospect. The rules
of AIDA apply even to this information gathering
element alone.

The secretaries and personal assistants of the

influencers and decision-makers are generally very
helpful in providing information to sales people
once an appointment has been made - assuming
they are asked politely and given proper reason -
because they know that a well-informed visitor is
more likely to enable a productive meeting,
thereby saving the boss's time. It's often worth
approaching these people for information and
guidance even prior to making the approach for an
appointment. Again the justification needs to be
sensitively and professionally positioned.

It's important to strike the right balance between

researching prior to the first appointment, and
researching during the first appointment. The sales
person should take advantage of all information
that is obtainable easily and leave the rest to be
filled in at the first meeting - as a rule, prospects
respect and respond well to a well-prepared
approach because it shows professionalism, and
allows a relevant and focused discussion.
Conversely, a prospect responds poorly to a 'blind'
approach because it suggests a lack of care and it
usually produces a vague, ill-informed discussion,
which wastes time.

A good technique for planning and research is to

design a 'pro-forma' or checklist of items to be
researched for new prospects. This template will be
different for each sales organization and product
and maybe sector, but once designed serves as a
really useful tool, both to gather the right data and
to provide the discipline for it to actually be done.

sample research and planning

(customer/prospect) profile
template
organization name

decision-makers, titles, locations, phone and address data

influencers, titles, locations, phone and address data

decision-making process information

budgetary issues, inc financial year-end

current supplier(s) and contracts

volume and scale indicators (staff, sites, users, etc)

special criteria (eg supplier accreditations)

trading and strategic pointers

the organization's strategic implications, threats and opportunities that are a

potentially affected by the product/service in question (in terms of the organ
strategic aims, operating efficiency, product and service quality, staff reactio
and particularly how the product/service in question affects or could affect
organization's own competitive strengths and added value to its own custom

other notes
Having researched and gathered information from
various sources, the sales person is better
informed as to how and whom to approach in the
prospect organization.

Generally the first serious approach should

be made to a senior decision-maker, normally
the finance director/chief financial officer or
the managing director/CEO. This is because
only these people have the authority to make
important strategic budgetary decisions in
the organization; other managers simply
work within prescribed budgets and
strategies established by the FD/CEO.

There are other reasons for planning to make the

approach at the highest strategic level:

If the sales person begins a sales dialogue with a

non-decision-maker, it is very difficult to raise the
contact to the necessary higher level afterwards.
This is due to the perfectly normal psychology of
politics and pecking-order in organizations.
Everyone, when presented with a proposition
which concerns their own area responsibility, by a
person who reports to them, is prone to the initial
"not invented here" reaction. The reaction of the
recipient is largely dependent not on the nature of
the proposal, but upon their relationship with the
proposer.

The sales person's proposition should ideally be

based on serious strategic implications and
benefits, which will not typically match the motives
of a lower-ranking influencer.

The sales person must avoid a situation developing

where he is reliant upon someone in the prospect's
organization having to 'sell' the proposition to a
decision-maker on the sales person's behalf. This is
because it rarely succeeds, not least due to the
'not-invented-here' reaction of higher ranking
people in the prospect organization.
make the appointment - open plan selling -
step 2

The most important rule about appointment-

making is to sell the appointment and not the
product. The sales person must never get drawn
into having to sell the product or service, either in
writing or on the phone, while trying to arrange an
appointment. The sales person cannot sell without
first understanding the real issues, and the real
issues may not even be apparent at the first
meeting, let alone before even making an
appointment.

Appointment-making is a skill in its own right.

Some selling organizations use canvassers or
telemarketing staff to do this for the sales person,
but for large prospects it's useful for the sales
person to combine the appointment-making with
the initial researching activity. When combined in
this way it helps to build initial relationships with
helpful people in the prospect organization, and
the sales person can collect additional useful
information that would otherwise be missed or not
passed on by a separate appointment-maker or
canvasser.

Introductory letters are a useful and often essential

requirement before an appointment can be made.
See the section on introductory sales letters. Generally
the larger the prospect organization, then the more
essential an introductory letter will be. This is
mainly because pa's and secretaries almost always
suggest that any approach to a decision-maker (ie
the boss, whose time the secretary is protecting)
be put in writing first. It's simply an expected part
of the process by which credibility and level of
interest is assessed by the prospect.

Remember AIDA - it applies to the appointment-

making process as well. The aim is the
appointment not the sale. When telephoning for an
appointment, with or without a prior letter, the
sales person typically must first speak to a
switchboard operator or receptionist, then be put
through to the targeted person's secretary or pa.
Bear in mind that the pa is there as a defence for
the boss, and rightly so, or the boss would never
get anything done. So for any approach to succeed
in getting through to the boss, the pa must
effectively endorse its credibility. Whether by
writing or telephoning, the reason for wanting to
meet must be serious and interesting enough,
which is why researching and understanding the
organization's strategic priorities are so crucial.
Generic product and service approaches do not
work because the are not seen to relate or benefit
the prospect's own strategic priorities.

A carefully thought-through UPB (unique perceived

benefit) forms the basis of the appointment
approach. If it strikes the right chord the
appointment will be granted. A good introductory
letter may win an appointment without the need
even to speak to the decision-maker. Imagine what
happens: the letter is received by the pa. If it looks
interesting and credible and worthy, the pa will
show it to the boss. If the boss is interested, and in
the event that the pa keeps the boss's diary (as is
often the case), the boss often instructs the pa to
make an appointment when the phone call from
the sales person is received.

Calling early or late in the day, or at lunchtimes,

often enables the sales person to circumvent the
pa, but generally it's best to work with secretaries
and pa's; they are usually extremely capable and
knowledgeable people. They can be immensely
helpful, so it's best to work with them and certainly
not to alienate them.

In modern appointment-making, calling out of

normal hours is advisable only in instances where
both pa and boss are extremely difficult to reach
during normal working hours.

The sales person's attitude towards the pa is very

important. Imagine a pa who has taken a dislike to
a pushy arrogant sales person - even if the
approach is enormously well researched, relevant
and appealing, the pa will for certain tell the boss
about the sales person's attitude, and it is virtually
inconceivable for the boss then to agree to an
appointment. The sales person should always
assume that the loyalty and mutual trust between
boss and pa are strong. Most pa's can exert
positive influence too; some will even make
appointments for the boss with little reference to
the boss, so there are lots of reasons for a sales
person to make a favourable impression with a pa.

The use of serious-sounding language is important

also in presenting the reason for wanting the
appointment. The pa will generally try to divert the
sales person's approach to a less senior member of
staff. By orientating the reason to fit into the
contact's responsibility, there is less chance of the
approach being diverted. So it's important to tailor
the approach to fit with the level of, and functional
responsibility of the person being approached for
the appointment.

For example, a managing director's pa will refer

anything purely functional to the functional
department concerned, ie., HR issues will be
referred to personnel; IT issues will be diverted to
IT department; sale sales and marketing will be
referred to those departments. The only issues
which will win appointments with MD's, CEO's, or
FD's (the main decision-makers) are those which
are perceived to significantly affect or benefit the
profit and/or strategy of the business.

Therefore if the sales person seeks an appointment

with one of these decisions-makers, the approach
must be orientated to have a potentially significant
affect or benefit upon profit or strategy.

On occasions, the sales person will not be granted

an appointment with the targeted main decision-
maker, but instead will be referred by them to
make an appointment with a lower ranking
manager or director. If this happens it's no problem
- the sales person then proceeds with the MD's or
FD's endorsement to develop the situation with the
lower ranking contact. The fact that it's been
referred by the MD or FD gives the sales person
vital authority and credibility.
Being referred down is fine; but trying to refer
upwards for eventual purchase authorisation or
budgetary approval is nearly impossible, which is
why appointment-making should always aim high,
with a strategically orientated proposition.

Avoid scripts - everyone recognises and reacts

against a script. Just be your honest self. You must,
however, smile and mean it. If you don't feel like
smiling, then don't do any sales calling - do some
paperwork instead until you cheer up. If you rarely
cheer up then you should get out of selling,
because unhappy people can't sell. You must also
smile on the phone, because words spoken with a
smile or a grimace sound different, and people can
tell which is which. Just say "Hello, I'm/this is (first
and last name), from (your organization), can I take
a couple of minutes of your time please?", or "are
you okay to talk for a minute?"

Let your personality shine through - don't force it,

don't try to be someone that you're not, just be
you. If you are door-knocking and personal cold-
calling - which is only recommended for smaller
prospects - be professional, enthusiastic and
straight-forward. Resist any temptation to employ
gimmicks, jokes and flashing bow-ties - your
credibility will be undermined before you even
open your mouth.

Some trainers talk about PMA - Positive Mental

Attitude - and suggest that this is some kind of
magic that anyone can simply turn on and off at
will. For all but the most experienced practitioners
of self-hypnosis or neuro-linguistic programming,
this is nonsense. If you're not feeling good, don't
force it or you'll waste the call and feel worse. Just
wait until you're in the right mood and everything
will be fine.

Sales people were, and still are, taught to use an

alternative close when making appointments, eg.,
"What's best for you, Tuesday morning or Thursday
afternoon?..." This can be quite insulting to another
person, who'll have heard the technique about a
thousand times just in the past week, so it's best
avoided these days. Just ask when would suit best;
or initially, "What week are you looking at?..", and
then take it from there.

Don't suggest appointments at 9.00am or 4.30pm,

or at lunchtime, but if they're offered don't quibble.

Here is a simple stage-by stage 'script' for

beginning the initial approach to a new prospective
company, through the PA:

telephone sales/telemarketing
flexible 'script' for initial sales
approach
There is no magic, secret or trickery involved - the
process is based on straight-forward logic, and
straight open, honest, professional language. It
also helps to have done some research before-
hand about the company, and to think about what
sort of proposition is likely to be of interest, but do
not make assumptions of what needs or
opportunities will arise.

First you'll normally speak to the person on

switchboard. Introduce yourself - full name and
company - and ask to be put through to the PA
(personal assistant - or secretary) of the
director/VP for the function that you believe makes
the strategic decision about your offering (if in
doubt ask for the PA to the
CEO/MD/President/General manager:

" Hello, this is (your full name) from (your company

name) - could you put me through to the PA for the
(relevant function, eg Sales, Finance, IT,
Operations, etc) director/VP, thanks - what is the
PA's name please?" (Ask this last thing while you
are being put through - it will help you to know the
PA's name now and in the future should you call
back - this person is there to help his/her boss -
don't try to by-pass him/her - ask for their help -
that's their job - to be a vital link in the
communications between their boss and everyone
else).

When put through: "Hello, this is (your name) from

(your company name) - is that (name)/are you the
PA for the ............. director/VP? (depending on
whether you have the PA's name or not.)

If no, ask when/if he/she is available and if

applicable if you can be transferred to them. If yes
-

Ask the PA: "I wonder if you could help me please?"

PA will normally say: "Sure/I'll try/it depends/what's

it about?"

You say,"I'd like to submit a strategic proposition to

(company) concerning (briefly describe your area
of interest using professional straight language,
but do not go into great detail, and try to use a
description that is unlikely to attract the response:
'we've already got that covered thanks') - could
you tell me to whom I should initially approach that
has a strategic view of this?"

Or:

"I'd like to open dialogue with (company) about

(again describe your area of interest using
professional straight language, but do not go into
great detail, and try to use a description that is
unlikely to attract the response: 'we've already got
that covered thanks') - could you advise how best
to do this, to whom I should write or speak, and
when's the best time to reach them on the phone
afterwards?"

Or:

"I wonder if you can advise me on what's the best

way to find out who, when and how for (company)
determines strategy and decides solutions and
providers in the area of (again, briefly describe
your area of interest using professional straight
language, but do not go into great detail, and try to
use a description that is unlikely to attract the
response: 'we've already got that covered
thanks')."

And then take it from there - be guided by the PA.

Fitting in with their communications and decision-
making processes and systems is as important as
your proposition and service, and the PA is the best
one to help you begin to understand about this.

the appointment - open plan selling - step 3

There are some obvious things to do pre-

appointment which can be overlooked, so here
they are:

• establish how long the meeting will last and

who'll be there

• confirm the appointment in writing - keep it brief,

professional, and you can even provide an
agenda for the meeting, which shows you've
thought about it, and prepares the contact for
what's to come

• gather any more information that you need - the

willingness of the contact's support staff to help
will be quite high at this stage, but don't be a
nuisance

• ensure you've prepared everything that you

might need for the meeting - broadly, you must
be able meet the expectations that your contact
has for the meeting, mainly this will be
information about the company, its products and
services; maybe relevant case history examples
(if any exist - summaries of successful supply
contracts to similar organizations)

• learn anything you need to know to avoid being

late - map and directions; security gate check-in
procedure; car-parking; journey and travel time -
allow sufficient time for delays
The sales person's aims at the first appointment
are to

• complete the gaps in the basic research and

planning template, ie the basic company profile
(though not necessarily any mundane points,
which could be provided later, but certainly the
strategic information and views)

• establish personal rapport and trust, and the

credibility of the sales person and the selling
organization

• learn about the prospect's business, priorities,

problems, trends and issues, and especially the
corporate aims and objectives of the main
decision-maker(s)

• gather relevant information about the strategic

needs, implications and potential benefits linked
with the product/service

• understand the prospect's buying process,

including people and the role of influencers,
budgets, timescales, procedures, internal politics
and attitudes, competitors and existing supply
arrangements

• understand the trading preferences of the

prospect - purchase vs lease vs rental - long term
partnerships vs short term contracts - payment,
ordering, lead-times, inventory, one-stop-shop vs
dual or multiple supplier arrangements, etc

• agree a way forward that progresses the

opportunity in a way that suits and helps the
prospect, in whatever areas of help that are
useful to the prospect

The sales person's aim at this stage is absolutely

not to launch into a full-blown presentation of the
product/service features advantages and benefits.
Sales people who do this will be listened to politely,
ushered out and forgotten. (They'll then wonder
why the once attentive, interested prospect
afterwards won't return the sales person's phone
calls, let alone agree to another meeting.)
The sales person must be prepared to talk about
the relevant technical aspects and benefits if
asked, but typically this will not happen in major
account situations, because the prospect will know
that the sales person is in no position yet to
present a relevant solution or proposition of any
kind.

The sales person will be expected to know about

and refer to some examples of how the
product/service has produced significant strategic
benefits (profit and/or quality - making money or
saving money) in similar organizations and in
similar industrial sectors to the prospect's
organization. This is more proof of the need for
good industry knowledge - beyond product
knowledge and FABs - this is knowledge about how
the prospect's organization could significantly
benefit from the product/service.

It may be also that the sales person is able to

convey and interpret issues of legislation, health
and safety, or technology, that have potential
implications for the prospect's organization. This is
a great way to build both credibility and added
value for the sales person and the selling
organization.

At the beginning of the appointment explain what

you'd like to achieve - broadly a summary of the
points above (essentially to understand all the
relevant issues from a strategic perspective - and
to what end - which is to identify how best to
progress the situation in a way that will be most
helpful to the prospect.

And then you're into the questioning phase, which

has already been outlined in the Seven Steps of
the Sale.

Where questioning differs in major accounts selling

compared to the style within the Seven Steps, is
that the prospect's perspective and situation are
wide and complex, so more care and time needs to
be taken to discover the facts. If the appointment
is with a senior decision-maker the breadth of
implications and issues can be immense. Any
product or service can have completely surprising
implications, when an MD or CEO explains their
own position. For example, a purely technical
product sale lower down the organization, where
specification and price appear to be the issues,
might have enormous cultural and cultural
implications for a CEO. A new computerised
monitoring system for example, would again
simply have price and technical issues for a
middle-ranking technical buyer, but there could be
massive health and safety legislative compliance
issues (threats and potential benefits) for the CEO.

Only by asking intelligent, probing questions

(mostly open questions, and use of the phrase
'why is that') will the issues and opportunities be
uncovered.

Sales people really only need a pad and pen for the
great part of the first meeting (ask if it's okay to
take notes - it's a professional courtesy). The sales
person should actually try to adopt the mind-set
and style of an 'expert consultant', specialising in
the application of the particular product or service
to the prospect type and industry concerned - and
not behave like a persuasive sales person. The
appointment process and atmosphere should be
consultative, helpful and co-operative. Steven
Covey's maxim 'Seek first to understand before
you try to be understood' was never more true.

Senior experienced decision-makers will provide a

lot of relevant information in response to very few
questions. Lower ranking influencers need to be
asked more specific questions, dealing with an
issue at a time, and they will often be unable to
give reliable information about real strategic
decision-making motives and priorities, because
they simply do not operate at that level.

There is twin effect from asking and interpreting

strategic questions: first, vital information is
established; second, the act of doing this also
establishes professional respect, rapport and trust.
Combine these two and the sales person then has
a platform on which to build the next stage.
agree audit or survey - open plan selling step
-4

For anything bigger than a simple small business

prospect, normally the stage after the appointment
is to survey, audit or gather necessary data to be
able to produce a sales proposal. Therefore at the
appointment it is important for the sales person to
agree the survey or audit parameters: exactly what
is to happen, how it is to be done, whether a cost is
attached (rarely, but can be if significant expertise
and input is required), a completion date, who is to
be involved, and what the output is at the end of it,
which is normally a detailed sales proposal.

The survey will normally take place some time

after the appointment; it would be rare in a large
account situation for the sales person to be able or
to be asked to carry out a survey immediately.

Therefore, after the appointment the sales person

needs to summarise very concisely the main points
of the meeting and the details of the survey,
particularly focusing on its purpose and outputs,
from the prospect's viewpoint. This confirmation
must include all necessary parameters to ensure
no misunderstandings develop and that seller's
and buyer's expectations match.

The document outlining the survey parameters and

aims should be copied to the relevant people in the
seller's and buyer's organizations.

carry out the survey or audit - open plan

selling - step 5

This part of the process will depend on the type of

product or service, and the process of the selling
organization. Some will have dedicated survey
staff; in other situations the sales person may carry
out the survey.

For a large prospect organization this survey stage

can be protracted and complex. It may be
necessary for reviews during the survey process to
check understanding and interpretation.
Permissions and access may need to be agreed
with different sites or locations in the prospect's
organization, and this should all be managed
sensitively by the sales person.

It is essential that the sales person manages this

stage properly, thoroughly and sympathetically.
This is because the way that a survey is conducted
serves as a very useful guide to the prospect as to
the potential supplier's quality, integrity and
professionalism.

write the product/service proposal - open

plan selling - step 6

The sales person is responsible for writing the sale

proposal, which should reflect the findings of the
survey.

Some sales organizations have dedicated people

who write project proposals or quotations. In this
case the sales person should ensure that what is
written is relevant and concise, factually correct,
and outlines the organizational benefits clearly
stemming from the product or services being
proposed.

It may be possible for the sales person to involve

an influencer or decision-maker in the drafting of
the proposal, so that it is framed as suitably as
possible to meet the requirements of the prospect
organization. Getting some help in this way is
ideal.

Proposals that are necessarily lengthy and very

detailed should begin with an executive summary
showing the main deliverables, costs and
organizational benefits.

The sales person should always try to present the

sales proposal personally, rather than send it. The
prospect may agree to, or actually ask for, a
presentation to a group of people in the prospect
organization including influencers and decision-
makers, which is ideal.

The sales person should try to avoid any situation

where a proposal is presented on the sales
person's behalf in their absence, by an influencer
to the decision-maker(s).

If the open plan process has been applied thus far

then it's actually unlikely that the prospect would
not want the sales person's involvement at the
presentation stage.

See the tips on writing.

present the sales proposal - open plan selling

- step 7

The aim of the presentation must be based on

whatever is the next best stage for the prospect,
not for the seller. Large organizations will not be
pushed, and to try to do so often risks upsetting
the relationship and losing the opportunity
altogether.

It may be that just one presentation is required and

that approval can be given there and then, or the
sales process may warrant several more
refinements to the proposal and more
presentations or meetings. It could be that the
decision-maker is advising and needing the sales
person's help in how to achieve positive approval
for the proposal from the influencers. Or the
decision-maker may have given agreement to the
concept already, subject to cost and being able to
implement without disruption. Whatever the aim is,
the sales person needs ensure that the
presentation is geared to achieving it.

The presentation can take place in widely different

circumstances, depending on what suits the
prospect.
Groups of influencers and decision-makers need to
be handled very carefully, and the sales person
must by now understand the roles and motives of
all the people present, in order to present and
respond appropriately.

The presentation must be professional and concise,

whatever the format. Adequate copies, samples,
reference material must be available for all
present.

The sales person must enlist help with the

presentation from colleagues if required and
beneficial, which will generally be so for large
complex proposals, in which case all involved must
be carefully briefed as to what is expected of them,
overall aims and fall-backs etc.

The presentation must concentrate on delivering

the already agreed strategic organizational needs.
People's time is valuable - keep it concise and
factual - don't waffle - if you don't know the answer
to something don't guess or you'll lose your
credibility and the sale for sure. Preparation is
crucial.

See the page on creating and giving presentations.

negotiate/refine/adapt/conclude the
agreement - open plan selling - step 8

In open plan selling it is common for agreement in

principle to be reached before all of the final
details, terms and prices are ironed out, and if the
opportunity arises to do this then such as
understanding should be noted and then confirmed
in writing. Moreover, in very complex situations it
is certainly advisable to try to obtain provisional
agreement ('conditional agreement' or 'approval
for the concept in principal') as soon as the
opportunity arises.

In this event the sales person must agree and

confirm the various action points necessary for the
conclusion of the agreement to the satisfaction of
the customer.

A similar process takes place when the prospect

seeks to negotiate aspects of the deal before
finally committing. Some situations develop into
negotiations, others into more of a co-operative
mutual working together to agree points of detail.
Generally the latter is more productive and by its
nature avoids the potential for confrontation.
However some prospects will want or need to
negotiate, in which case it's essential at this stage
to follow the rules of negotiating.

It's critically important at this point to establish

conditional commitment for the sale in principle,
ie., that subject to agreeing the points to be
negotiated, the deal will proceed. Do not begin to
negotiate until you have provisional or conditional
agreement for the sale.

As with the other stages of open plan selling, it's

important to adapt your responses and actions
according to what the prospect needs, especially in
meeting their specific organizational needs in the
areas of operating, communicating, processing and
implementing the decision.

Management of the introduction, change, and

communication of implications (specifically
training) are all likely to be important (and often
late-surfacing) aspects of the prospect's
requirements when agreeing any major new supply
arrangement. So be on the lookout for these issues
and react to meet these needs. The supplier's
ability to anticipate and meet these requirements
quickly become essential facets of the overall
package - often extra potential added value - and
actually contain some of the greatest potential
perceived benefits of all.

When the negotiation or agreement is concluded it

is the sales person's responsibility to confirm all
the details in writing to all concerned on both
sides. Deals often fall down in the early stage of
implementation through the sales person's failure
to do this properly. Expectations need to be clearly
understood to be the same by both sides at all
times.

The modern sales person needs to be an excellent

internal communicator these days (ie., to the
selling organization's people, as well as the
prospect's). All big deals will invariably be tailored
to suit the customers needs, and this will entail the
sales person being able to agree and confirm
requirements and deliverables with the relevant
departments of the selling organization.

This implies in turn that the sales person has a

good understanding of the selling organization's
strategy, capabilities, costs, prices and margins, so
as to know what is realistically achievable,
strategically desirable, and commercially viable.
The customer may always be right, but this does
not automatically imply that the supplier should do
everything without question just because the
prospect needs it - often there are limits, and these
need to be managed and explained. (See ways of
saying 'no' in the negotiating section.)

oversee the sale's

implementation/fulfilment/completion - open
plan selling - step 9

Even if the concluded sale is to be passed on to

another department in the selling organization for
implementation, the sales person must always
remain the guardian of that customer and sale. The
sales person will have won the sale partly by virtue
of their own credibility and personal assurances, so
it's unforgivable for a sales person to 'cut and run'
(see the derivations section if you're interested in the
origin of this expression).

The sales person must stay in touch with the

decision-maker and give regular updates on the
progress of the sale's implementation. There may
be ongoing issues to manage - in fact there will be.

If the implementation is very complex the sale

person must ensure a project plan is created and
then followed, with suitable reviews, adjustments
and reporting.

Upon implementation the sales person must check

and confirm that the prospect is satisfied at all
levels and at all points of involvement, especially
the main decision-maker and key influencers.

feedback/review/maintain ongoing
relationship - open plan selling - step 10

In many types of business, and especially major

accounts selling, the sale is never actually finally
concluded - that is to say, the relationship and
support continues, and largely customers
appreciate and need this enormously. Good sales
people build entire careers on this principle.

Arranging regular reviews are vital for all service-

type arrangements. Customers become
disillusioned very quickly when sales people and
selling organizations ceased to be interested,
communicative and proactive after the sale is
concluded or the contract has been set up.

Even for one-off outright sale transactions, with no

ongoing service element, it's essential for the sales
person to stay in touch with the customer, or
future opportunities will be hard to identify, and
the customer will likely go elsewhere.

These days, most business is on-going, so it needs

looking after and protecting. Problems need to be
anticipated and prevented. Opportunities to
amend, refine, develop and improve the supply
arrangement need to be reviewed and acted upon.
This must always ultimately be the sales person's
responsibility - and it should have been part of the
original product offer after all. Even if a whole team
of customer service people are responsible for
after sales implementation and customer care, the
sales person must keep a strategic 'weather eye'
on the situation - not to manage day to day issues,
but to ensure that the supply arrangement and
relationship remain high quality, better than the
potential competition and relevant to the
customer's needs.

selling strategically - summary of

the open plan selling process
Selling strategically, using an open plan approach
requires a lot of thought and expertise. The
rewards are well worth the effort though - the sales
person is seen more as an advisor, and the selling
process becomes more of a co-operation and
partnership, which is altogether much more of a
professional and civilised way of doing business.
Sales management methods which are aimed
at increasing a sales team's strategic business development
responsibilities, opportunities and capabilities (as entailed
within the process of selling strategically),
generally have good motivational effects on the
sales people, because they enable personal
growth, extra responsibility, and higher level
achievements.

1.research and plan - market sector,

prospect, and decide initial
approach
2.make the appointment
3.attend appointment to build
rapport and credibility, gather
information about business needs,
aims and process, and
develop/agree a
project/product/service
specification
4.agree survey/audit proposal
(normally applicable)
5.carry out survey/audit (normally
applicable)
6.write product/service proposal
7.present proposal
8.negotiate/refine/adapt/conclude
agreement
 9.oversee fulfilment/completion
10.feedback/review/maintain
ongoing relationship

collaboration, partnership selling

and Buying Facilitation®
Selling through true collaboration, partnership and
particularly Buying Facilitation® (Sharon Drew
Morgen's excellent methodology) enables and
assists the buying processes, and creates a
sustainable platform for supplier and customer to
work together. These new theories - and
particularly Shaoron Drew Morgen's concept,
represent the most advanced, effective and
sustainable selling methodology today. This
approach represents a selling philosophy, beyond
skills and techniques, that is quite different to
Seven Steps Of The Sale and other persuasive
seller-oriented models. This modern sales ideology
- particularly for large accounts and business-to-
business - extends the open plan selling or
strategically-based selling approaches, and to it
adds organizational, facilitative and relationship
elements that take selling to new heights of
sophistication and competitive advantage.

Essential components of the new collaborative

partnership selling model are:

• The sales person and selling organization

possesses huge strategic understanding
customer's business priorities, needs and
market-place, and obviously how the product or
service relates to these issues to produce or
enable significant strategic benefit for the
customer organization.

• The sales person is likely to be a specialist in,

and with huge knowledge of, a chosen market
sector, vertical or horizontal.

• The selling organization is able to offer and

manage multiple peer-to-peer relationships
 between selling organization and customer,
covering all relevant functions and levels.

• The sales person will be able to use modern

facilitative skills (notably 'Buying Facilitation®', as
developed by Sharon Drew Morgen, the leading
thinker and advocate of modern facilitative
selling methods) in order to help the customer
assess and react to the selling/buying process at
all stages.

For more details about 'Buying Facilitation®' refer

to the work of selling skills and sales training
guruSharon Drew Morgen, whose books on facilitative
selling are essential reading for all modern
professional sales people, managers and company
directors. Morgen's 'Buying Facilitation®' methods
dramatically change and improve key stages of the
open plan selling and strategically-based selling
methods, notably at qualifying stage (establishing
early whether the opportunity is a real potential fit
for customer and supplier); at rapport-building
stage (genuinely helping the customer to find vital
answers for him/herself, which becomes a massive
competitive advantage), and throughout the
questioning phase (during which the sales person
becomes a facilitator and enabler for the customer
- arguably an organizational development
consultant - helping the buying process).
Facilitative methods can also be reintroduced (as is
often necessary) at any time during the later
selling processes if the situation begins to drift
from the agreed purpose, or if communications or
understanding are interrupted or obstacles are
encountered. These techniques - pioneered by
sales guru Sharon Drew Morgen - are subtle and
yet fundamental. Learn more about Sharon Drew
Morgen and buy her new book called Buying
Facilitation® at her website. You can also see and
download three sample chapters from her Buying
Facilitation® e-book free. (Buying Facilitation® is a
trademark of Sharon Drew Morgen.)

The 'facilitative' process (notably that associated

with Sharon Drew Morgen's methodology) typically
occurs during the early stages of whatever
organisational sales process that the sales person
uses or the sales training conventionally teaches,
however the principles can be revisited and used
at any time necessary during the selling
engagement.

It must be noted however that Sharon Drew's

Morgen's Buying Facilitation® is not a
technique to add to conventional selling
methods for the purpose of 'persuading' or
'influencing' the other person.

The integration of 'facilitative' methods

within the traditional selling process must be
accompanied by the appropriate change in
philosophy and 'mind-set'.

Modern selling should not focus on

persuasion and influence. Modern selling
should focus on helping the other person
(and other people involved with the buying
decision) to identify their decision-making
criteria, and to align the relevant elements
within their organisation or system or
network, so as to assess options, actions,
outcomes, etc., so as then to decide and
implement the best way forward.

Please bear this in mind when considering the

following, which seeks to incorporate modern
'facilitative' selling ideas within traditional selling
frameworks.

The planning and preparation stage (step 1 in the

'seven steps) would then logically include planning
and preparation of the facilitative approach -
particularly the preparation of carefully
constructed 'facilitative questions', aimed mainly
at helping the buyer to assess the situation,
understand the issues, opportunities, viability of
proceeding further, internal priorities,
communications and decision-making aspects, etc.

In this way, according to Morgen (and she is

absolutely correct), the sales person is acting as a
'trusted advisor'. It's a significant change of mind-
set for the sales person, and for all those involved
in sales training: genuinely helping people, rather
than seeing the 'sale' as the priority. The sale
becomes an outcome of helping the other person,
instead of being a course of action that results
from influence or persuasion.

The 'facilitative' process can be re-introduced by

the sales-person whenever the subsequent selling
processes falters or threatens to go off track.

As such these modern ideas - of facilitation

especially - are not extra stages to be 'bolted-on'
or added to traditional earlier selling or sales
training structures; they are instead a methodology
or philosophy which can be woven into traditional
processes.

For example, the traditional 'seven steps of the sale',

updated for the 21st century, with facilitative
methodology added, might nowadays look like:

the (seven) steps of the sale

augmented with 'facilitative'
methods:
1.planning and/or
preparation including preparation
of facilitative questions (research
is also useful to avoid wasting
time asking about things that can
be researched first)
2.introduction or opening, using
facilitative questions
3.questioning (obviously using
facilitative questions - helping to
identify the buying criteria - for
the good of the buyer, not the
sales-person)
4.presentation or proposition (only
after prospect is ready for it)
5.overcoming
objections/negotiating - more
appropriately these days using
facilitative questioning and
 assistance to shape the
proposition, and the prospect's
ability (and the capability of
prospect's organisation and
systems) to assess, agree and
integrate the proposition - if you
are trying to overcome objections
and persuade and influence at
this stage then something's wrong
6.close or closing - not old style
persuasive 'closing' - this should
be modern collaborative
cooperative agreement - using
facilitative help where appropriate
- complex systems need help in
arriving at good decisions
7.after-sales follow-up - facilitating
supplier fulfilment and client
adoption of proposition or
solution - involves plenty of
internal selling and ideally good
project management skills - good
sales-people should continue to
take responsibility for checking
and ensuring proper sales follow-
through

The above sales process obviously entails a big

investment on the part of the sales person, and the
selling organisation. Deciding what opportunities
warrant such investment is therefore an important
part of the process - initially at preparation stage in
understanding the depth and breadth and
complexity and value of the opportunity, and also
at the level of sales strategy in determining
relevant prospect identification and qualification
criteria, with particular reference to likelihood of
success.

The amount of research conducted prior to contact

with prospective customer should reflect the value
of the opportunity, which is normally related to the
size of the prospect organisation, and the typical
sales or contract order value. The bigger the
opportunity and complexity, the more research is
warranted and necessary. Research should be
confined to the clear available facts and
background information and should not lead the
sales person to making assumptions, which defeats
the point of using facilitative methods.

This selling and sales training model is more

appropriate for business-to-business selling (B2B)
than consumer markets because of the higher
values and greater complexities involved with B2B
selling. However, some aspects of these ideas and
methods are certainly applicable to 'consumer'
selling (B2C) and will be more so where order
values are significant, and where buying decisions
are more complex and protracted, for example in
selling property and large financial products.

As implied in points 5 and 7 particularly, the sales

person should possess strong 'internal selling'
capabilities, since much of the facilitative process
involves shaping responses and communications
and services from the supplier organisation.
Significantly, facilitative processes and methods
can be used to excellent effect in achieving these
things - inside the sales person's organisation, as
well as in the customer's organisation. In many
situations, especially large-scale B2B selling, the
sales-person's facilitative involvement and 'reach'
must necessarily extend to partner organisations
of the customer, since these are all part of the
system that needs to be able to assimilate the
eventual solution.

The modern sales person's role is one

of coordinating and facilitating an effective
sustainable 'fit' between two very complex
systems: the supplier's and the customer's.
Sales people who can do this possess the greatest
selling ability of all. It's useful therefore to
incorporate this principle within sales training if
you are seeking to build - or help someone else
build - a truly effective and sustainable sales
organisation.
"Always the beautiful answer which asks a more
beautiful question."
(Edward Estlin Cummings, 1894-1962, poet,
written in 1938, adapted for modern times -
Cummings originally used the word 'who' instead
of 'which'.)

Again, please remember - Sharon Drew's

Morgen's Buying Facilitation® is not a
technique to add to conventional selling
methods for the purpose of 'persuading' or
'influencing' the other person. The
integration of 'facilitative' methods within
the traditional selling process must be
accompanied by the appropriate change in
philosophy and 'mind-set'.

The aim is to help people, instead of trying to

persuade and influence them.

tips for gaining selling experience

and learning sales skills(for
people new to selling or seeking
to teach themselves sales skills
for a career in selling)
If you want to learn selling skills for your own
personal purposes, especially if you want to start a
career in selling, here are some tips on how best to
acquire and teach yourself selling skills, and gain
valuable sales experience that will help you in
interviews for sales jobs, or perhaps to start your
own business.

First improve your understanding of which type(s)

of learning and communications styles that you
find most effective - look at the Gardner's Multiple
Intelligence theory, and the VAK learning styles andKolb
model to get an idea of your own preferred thinking,
communicating and learning styles. This will give
you good indications as to your most
effective selling style as well. Do you prefer to
watch (films, videos, other people demonstrating
sales and selling)? Do you prefer to experience it,
hands on? Do you prefer to read about it (books,
online learning and training like the articles
above)? Do you prefer to listen (attend talks,
lectures, listen to audio-tapes or CD/DVD sales
courses)? Do you prefer for example: system and
process, numbers and logic, people and feelings,
facts and figures, concepts and ideas? Understand
your own personality and strengths.

The understanding of thinking and learning styles

is also a very useful sales skill in its own right. In
learning about your own style, you will appreciate
that other people each have their own preferred
styles for learning and communicating and
receiving information. This relates strongly to the
style in which people prefer to receive sales
information from a sales person. By learning about
this, you have already begun to increase your
selling capability - because you are increasing your
appreciation of how and why people prefer to make
decisions and to buy.

Then consider cost and feasibility of sales training

and learning options that meet your most ideal
method(s). Research what is available. Much is free
or very low cost. Research is also a very important
part of the selling skill set.

If you like to read about selling there is a wealth of

sales training, selling techniques and related
theory information on the internet for free. Books
are actually very inexpensive given all that they
contain, especially if second-hand, borrowed from
friends or from a library. Read all you can about
behaviour and communications. Subscribe to sales
and selling newsletters, especially to the many
good free e-newsletters available from sales and
selling websites, and other websites relating to
behaviour, business, marketing and
communications.

Read the newspapers and business supplements

which contain articles about sales and selling.
Sales is not just about selling. Sales is about
people and relationships, business and marketing,
psychology and communications, self-confidence
and attitude, belief, ethics and trust, information,
quality, equipment, processes, and all of life.
Learning opportunities for improving your
understanding of selling are all around you,
everywhere, on the internet, in books, magazines
and articles.

If you like to listen and watch: observe sales

people in selling roles - in stores, at exhibitions,
and especially when they call at your door, or call
you on the phone. Give them time to show you
how they sell. Learn from the good and less good
things that you see other sales people exhibiting.
It's easy to judge whether selling is good or not:
did it result in a positive experience or a sale? Or
did it result in a negative experience and a feeling
that the prospective customer and the seller will
never speak again?

Get yourself onto the mailing lists of the sales

training organisations. Business and training
exhibitions and magazines are very useful for
identifying relevant providers and for adding your
name to their mailing lists. Look out for free
seminars which they use to promote their courses.
Attending business and training exhibitions is a
good way to meet people in the sales community,
to observe sales people a work, and to add your
name to their mailing lists.

Attend talks and lectures or courses about selling -

many are very low cost - some are free. You will
hear about them if you are on the mailings lists of
organisations providing them. Also contact your
local business chamber or local government
business support unit for information about such
events.

Observe politicians and business people being

interviewed on TV; they demonstrate good and not
so good sales techniques when they attempt to
persuade, build credibility, answer questions,
overcome objections, etc.

Join a debating society. Observe how people 'sell'

their ideas and propositions - again you will be able
to judge what is effective and what is not. Give
yourself experience in public speaking and
debating.

Offer to give presentations to local voluntary

groups, schools, anywhere that you can practice,
learn and get experience of giving presentations.
Capability to speak and give sales presentations to
groups is largely a question of experience and
confidence. This comes from having done it. So
start now.

If you like to listen and learn, especially while

driving, buy or borrow sales training and
communications audio-tapes and CDs and DVDs.
Sales and selling learning is not limited to sales
techniques - listen to anything about
communications and behaviour, personal
development and confidence, goals and aims,
relationships and psychology, ethics and
philosophy, process and systems, equipment and
ICT (information and communications technology),
marketing and business. All these areas directly
relate to and give depth to your sales and selling
capabilities.

Aside from all this there is no substitute for

experience - actually selling something..

And you do not need anyone to give you a sales

job in order to start. Do it for yourself.

This type of learning is the most valuable and well-

respected (by future potential employers) of all.
And it's free.

Start your own modest sales business - working

from home. You'll even make some money from the
activity. Start a home business and sell to local
consumers and/or business people, depending on
your chosen product service. It doesn't matter
what it is as long as you have an interest in it and
enjoy it, and preferably that it has a reasonable
demand and competitive advantage. Of
course avoid ridiculous pyramid investment
schemes - many exist that exploit people's
inexperience and people's desire to get into
selling - so be on your guard against these
outrageous scams. Do not be persuaded to
part with money for stock or the purchase of
a franchise or territory, unless you are
absolutely sure about what you are doing,
and even then, get advice from someone older and
wiser.

If you decide to start your own small sales business

- which I urge you to do if you cannot get the
experience elsewhere - think carefully about what
you want to sell, to whom, and how. Start simply
and modestly. Choice of what product/service to
sell, and what market to sell to, are also important
parts of the selling capability, and so this will also
give you valuable experience in choosing good
products or services that are worthy of your sales
efforts and personal endorsement. You must
believe in what you are selling. Look at
the marketing section to help you decide what to sell
and to whom. Perhaps become an agent for a door
to door sales organisation. Perhaps do some
telesales work. Start modestly, start learning, and
you will have started selling. You will soon develop
skills, experience, and confidence that will be
desirable to many sales employers, although you
might quickly decide that you like the feeling of
running your own sales business, and from then on
you will never need to find a sales job with an
employer, since you have created one of your own.
To be successful in selling does not necessarily
require an employed sales position. You can do it
for yourself if you want to.

Selling is after all mostly how you feel about

yourself, and making things happen for yourself. So
feel good, and go make something happen.
successful selling goes beyond
'sales training'
Selling and sales training ideas, courses,
programmes, products, etc., are just part of the
picture.

Modern selling requires understanding and

capabilities that extend way beyond traditional
'sales training' skills.

Modern selling is about life, people, business (and

increasingly ethical business and corporate responsibility),
communications, behaviour, personality and
psychology, self-awareness, attitude and belief.
Selling is about understanding how people and
systems work, and enabling good outcomes. (By
'systems' I mean organisations and processes and
relationships, not just systems in the sense of tools
and IT.)

Sales training of course addresses some of these

issues, but not all of them.

So consider and learn about other aspects of

modern business, management, and self-
development that interest you, and extend this
principle to your people if you are a sales manager
or coach.

Develop your experience and understanding of

organisations, management and business - beyond
sales training alone - and you will greatly increase
your value and effectiveness to employers and
clients, and to the organisational and business
world generally.

The more you understand about how people think,

how organisations work and how they are
managed, the more effective you will be.

Look beyond sales training and selling, and strive

to become an enabler and a facilitator of good
outcomes. This is the role of the modern sales-
person. It's a highly valuable, sought-after and
transferable capability.

selecting sales training providers

and sales training programs
There are many different ways to obtain sales
training, for yourself, for your sales team and for
sales managers.

The template below will help you create a

specification and selection process to find the right
training methods and providers, and to maximise
the agreement and commitment among your team
and others involved.

The material above provides useful explanation

about different methods of sales and selling, which
reflects the many different sales training methods,
courses, providers and programs available.

See also the theory, tips and examples for training

development, teambuilding, and motivation.

When you select your sales training methods and

providers it helps to follow a process - and ideally
to create a training specification - rather than
working purely from instinct. Here are some simple
training selection guidelines, in the form of a
checklist template, for specifying and choosing
sales training courses, sales training programs,
methods and providers.

You can of course adapt this template as a

checklist and process for selecting any other
training providers or support outside of sales
training. These principles apply for selecting any
sort of team development, training or support.
sales training specification and
selection and template
main question
1. What must your sales
training achieve?
2. Who are the stakeholders?
3. What are the timescales?
4. What is your budget?
6. How will you measure the
success of your sales
training?
issues and factors
Be able to write this down in the form of a
specification using this template.
Get input from those with an interest in
the sales training (stakeholders).
Agree this specification with your boss
and other stakeholders.
What will the sales training 'look like' and
'be like'?
What difference will it make?
How will you know if it has worked?
Who is affected by the training?
Who needs to have some input into what
it aims to achieve and how?
What do the trainees and other
stakeholders want?
For making the decision?
For communicating it?
For the training?
For the follow-up?
For the period of impact and assessment?
Per head?
Total?
Cost breakdown: venue, accommodation,
materials, design, delivery, evaluation and
assessment?
Cost of people's time and travel?
Cost as a percentage of improved
performance?
How will your boss measure it's success?
How will your people measure it?
This must be clear and truly measurable.
The Kirkpatrick model is a wonderfully
simple, easy and highly regarded method
of identifying and evaluating training
aims and effectiveness. It is especially

7. What are the preferred
learning styles of the sale
trainees?
8. What are the
characteristics that your
sales training provider or
method must possess?
9. Where can you find
suitable sales training
providers?
useful for sales training.
Preferably the cost must be understood in
terms of the extra sales and profits that are
expected to be derived from the
investment.
If expectations are vague then you will
not know that the training has been
successful, and you will not be able to
hold the provider or the sales training
program responsible for clear deliverables
and outcomes.
Don't guess - ask the trainees - involve
them in finding out.
Use the free VAK and/or multiple
intelligence tests.
In light of the above, how would you
describe your ideal sales training provider
and/or methods?
Consider the values and philosophy right
through to the materials, media, size and
scale, delivery and follow-up, and type of
service and contact you expect?
Consider also how the providers will
measure and report to you on the progress
of the training.
What flexibilities to change dates and
numbers exist?
What are your contractual commitments?
What are the payment arrangements?
What certification or accreditations must
apply to the provider, and also to the
training outcomes.
Referrals?
Networking?
Directories and listings?
Past providers who have been successful
and well-liked?
Suggestions from your team?
Universities - seek out the leading-edge?
Writers and gurus - aim high - many great
people are actually very approachable and
not as costly as you might fear.
How much can the team itself provide?
Everyone has something to teach - and
 people enjoy being given the chance to
teach and inspire others.
Other sister companies and divisions?
Your customers? Buyers and Directors of
your customers are potentially very
enthusiastic and very capable teachers of
your sales people - and this of course
helps develop great relationships too.

10. How can you assess the Referrals and recommendations?

quality and suitability of Networking?
potential sales training Case-studies?
providers? Demonstration or guarantees of return on
investment?

11. Can your shortlisted Try to achieve buy-in from your team and
providers meet your people offer involvement to them in the selection
to see what they make of and decision process?
each other? Is the provider happy to speculate time
getting to know your people, and helping
to ensure there is a good fit?

12. Other points? Ask the potential providers and your team
to suggest any other important
considerations before selecting your
methods and providers.

selling tips - suggestions welcome

Send your best sales tip - maximum 100 words.

Sales tips and techniques like these can be

powerful. Ensure you use them ethically and the
spirit of good helpful business.

"Develop empathy. Put yourself in the customer's

shoes and try to put forward a proposition that you
yourself would like to receive." (Thanks V
Karmarkar, 4 Aug 2009 - this is an often-quoted
sales tip, which we often take for granted, but
actually it is rarely practised well. True empathy
requires seriously focusing on the other person's
needs - not your own - which in today's pressurized
times takes a lot of concentration.)

"Slow moving products held in too plentiful stocks

can be 'bundled' with a fast-moving product, which
involves offering the two products together at an
attractive price. This extends value to the
customer, and helps to reduce stocks of the slow-
moving items." (Thanks A Viswanathan - 2 Jul
2009)

"Large retail outlets can increase sales resource,

product expertise and selling activity by inviting
suppliers to provide one of their own
merchandising/sales personnel to work in the store
for an agreed period, potentially on a specially
incentivised basis. Even if only for a day a month
such cooperation boosts sales capability, and can
be increased by involving numerous suppliers."
(Thanks C Viswanathan - 2 Jul 2009)

"Towards the end of sale focus on two or three

options for the customer, instead of focusing
purely on 'the sale'. I always gave the clients two
options like 'Can I then look at option A or B for
you?'. This way the customer's attention is drawn
to two positive choices, and not the 'whether or not
to buy' aspect." (Thanks S Balasubramaniam - 23
Jun 2009)

"Sellers typically see just two ways to react to

increased costs: increase the sales price to
maintain margins; or hold prices and accept lower
margins. A simple third option is often overlooked:
maintain price and reduce the pack size or net
weight of the product, which under certain
circumstances can be a useful for customers
anyway." (V Seetha - 22 Jun 2009)

(A fourth option is to reduce/spread costs by

increasing pack size, maintaining relative unit
price, thereby increasing unit value for the
customer. Much depends on the type of product
and what pack size is beneficial to the customer.
The tip above particularly reminds us of the need
to be creative in approaching pricing and value,
which is especially relevant to negotiation.)
"Recently in a menswear shop I was approached by
four separate salespeople who each asked if they
could help me. I replied 'No thank you, just
looking,' each time. When I worked in retail, I used
to approach new customers and would start telling
them where things were, or what things were.
'Hello there, men's trousers are through to the left,
shirts are straight ahead, suits are next to the
shoes, over there. Is it anything in particular you
are looking for?' This nearly always caused
customers to tell me what they were seeking and
allowed me to help them." (R Hepburn - 17 Jun
2009)

"Shops and retailers normally requiring customers

to visit personally to pay and take away goods can
significantly increase their business by advertising
and offering a telephone-ordering and delivery
service." (C Viswanathan - 17 Jun 2009)

"My suggestion is to use what I can only describe

as the best way to quickly drop down barriers and
reduce buyer's remorse which I use with all my
customers: Firstly I introduce myself by name and
occupation and explain what my job role involves
then I follow it up with this one liner: 'My job role is
not to sell you anything (customer name); my job
is to present you with financial solutions from
which you can make an informed decision.'
Surprisingly simple yet a highly effective way to
bring high customer resistance to a rapport
building level." (J Carson-Lee - 9 May 2009)

"Closing time: When it is time to create a

commitment from the interested buyer you can
either propose something, or you can ask the
customer how they want to proceed. If the
customer is indecisive, propose. If the customer
wants to take charge, ask. Either way, you make it
easy for the buyer to buy." (A Lacinai - 10 May
2009)

"I've found a really useful way to deal with a price

objection is to ask the customer; 'If we were the
same price as (insert other quote here) would you
buy from us?' When the customer says yes (which
they normally do), ask why. They will then list all
the USPs/benefits that sparked their interest in
your product and you can explain that your price is
what it is because of those benefits they just listed.
For most people this convinces them of the value
in your product." (A Hollingworth - 11 May 2009)

" 'Diagnose before you prescribe'... Sales people

should see themselves as problem solvers, and to
solve problems correctly, they must first
understand the nature of the problem they intend
to solve." (J Pearson - 12 May 2009)

"I read the definition of Marketing by Gurcharan

Das: "Marketing is a state of mind, which says, I
care for my customer." I always follow that. If you
care for your customers, then you will make them
comfortable. When you ask probing questions,
suggest right products and justify those products,
handle objections confidently, closing will be a bit
easier. During all these steps, follow-up is a key
factor, which many sales-people forget or treat too
casually. A systematic and continuous follow-up
until the order is closed, and then post purchase, is
essential." (R Kowadkar - 22 May 2009)
Incidentally, Gurcharan Das is an Indian
businessman and writer.

"When a customer says, 'I can't afford it.' I say - 'I

am glad you said that... Some of my best
customers said the same. Let me show you what I
mean...' This enables me to get back into my sales
pitch, giving examples. It is a simple and effective
(and importantly non-confrontational) way to get
back into the pitch after a price objection." (A Swan
- 23 May 2009)

"If you are dealing with changing stock - know your

inventory." (L Ouaknine - 28 Jul 2009)

And another suggestion from C S Viswanathan,

summarised as follows: "Consider making food and
refreshments available if you are selling to
customers who visit a showroom or retail premises,
especially if the buying decision can take a while
(for example in relation to weddings, homes and
home-making, holidays, vehicles, and other
substantial purchases)." (C Viswanathan - 2 Sep
2009)

"Always do what you said you were going to! This

will mark you out as different to 90% of your
competitors from the start." (T Pizii - 22 Oct 2009)

"When making the cold call - always prepare

yourself before speaking to each person, and talk
to them as if they are already a valued customer
and they know you personally.... smile before you
speak to them and imagine they have been waiting
for you to call them... In sales training try test
telephone calls to each other from a different room
and note when the caller is smiling and not
smiling... you can feel the difference!" (C Roman -
23 Nov 2009)

"There are two sales tips that will make people

rich. All you have to remember about business-
persuasion are the two key facets of human
personality that come into play when we're being
'sold' to: 1) We all place more importance on the
words that come out of our own mouths compared
to the words we hear coming out of the seller's,
and 2) We all place more importance on the the
things we ask the seller to provide compared with
the unrequested things that the seller freely offers
us. So, when we are selling, our key questioning
tactic must be aimed at getting the customer to
say what we're dying to 'tell' him. And then to get
the customer to ask us if we can provide the
solution (which we know is hidden in our bag).
Forget the above and you will be forever stuck in
'price-issue Limbo'." (Bob Etherington - Feb 2010)

Bob's points are worth repeating because they are

highly significant. Customers are certainly much
more influenced by their own words than the
seller's words. Customers also are also mucbh
more interested in what they ask the seller to
provide than what the seller offers, even if the two
things are the same. The seller's questioning
should always be attempting to help the customer
to understand and express what they need, and
this usually and naturally causes the customer to
ask the seller if the solution can be provided.
The tips above were initially prompted by a 2009
selling tips prize draw offered by, and for which the
prize was, the Sales Activator® sales development
game system. The winner of the prize draw prize
draw was Professor Vijay Karmarkar from Sagar
Institute of Research and Technology, Bhopal,
India.

Back to sales and selling index

selling books and authors

referenced on this page
Sharon Drew Morgen - Dirty Little Secrets (2009) -
builds on her previous work. A modern selling
classic.

Sharon Drew Morgen - Buying Facilitation® (ebook

- 2003) - will fundamentally change the way you
sell - and communicate with people.

Sharon Drew Morgen - Selling with Integrity (1997)

- powerful ideas for the modern age.

Sharon Drew Morgen - Sales on the Line (1993) -

the best book ever on telephone selling? Probably.

Neil Rackham - SPIN Selling® - Neil Rackham's

best-selling book on selling, SPIN® Selling, which
first announced the SPIN® Selling process. There
are different editions and prices (1988 and 1995)
and audio books.

Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence

People - Dale Carnegie's 1937 classic book How to
Win Friends and Influence People is still a best-
selling book on sales and persuasion. You'll benefit
by augmenting the thinking within it with the
modern ideas about facilitative communications
and methods.

Heiman, Sanchez, Tuleja - The New Strategic

Selling - The 1985 classic selling book (Strategic
Selling) 'introduced' the win-win concept of selling,
updated for the 21st century as The New Strategic
Selling®. Again, you'll benefit by augmenting the
thinking within it with modern facilitative ideas.

Miller, Heiman, Tuleja - Successful Large Account

Management - Miller Heiman's 1991 LAMP® large
account management and selling methodology
classic, again, updated for the modern age. Again,
you'll benefit by augmenting the thinking within it
with modern facilitative ideas.

selling books and authors

referenced on this page

Sharon Drew Morgen is regarded by many (including me) as the

greatest thinker and writer on selling in the modern age.

Published Oct 2009, Dirty Little Secrets should become a sales

classic and a must read for anyone in selling and for anyone
helping others to make decisions.

Building on Morgen's previous books Buying Facilitation® and

Selling with Integrity, Dirty Little Secrets reveals the hidden
systems and processes behind decision-making, and will teach
you how to help buyers buy and how to help others make
effective decisions of all kinds.

Written beautifully and supported by clear examples, this is not

a traditional sales book - it's a buying-decision book, which or or
exposes why the old broken selling methods don't work, and
provides a uniquely effective guide to modern ethical selling
and decision-facilitation.

Sample chapters, reviews, background, etc -

seedirtylittlesecretsbook.com
Sharon Drew Morgen's Buying Facilitation -
direct from her website. Available as an e-
book, paperback book or audio book.

It will take you 90 minutes to absorb it and

could change the way you think about sales
for ever.

amazon.co.uk amazo
Selling with Integrity.
Amazing. Read the
reviews.

Object 4 O
Sales on the Line - the
best book ever on
telephone selling?
Probably.

Object 6 O

Neil Rackham's best-

selling book on selling,
which first announced the
SPIN® Selling process.

There are different

editions and prices (1988
and 1995) and audio
books - browse when you
get to Amazon.

Object 8 O

Dale Carnegie's classic

book How to Win Friends
and Influence People -
still a best-selling book on
sales and persuasion.

Object 10 Ob
The 1985 classic selling
book 'introduced' the win-
win concept of selling,
updated for the 21st
century as The New
Strategic Selling.

Object 12 Ob

Miller Heiman Tujela's

large account
management classic
selling 'LAMP'
methodology, again,
updated for the modern
age.

Object 14 Ob

Good modern sales people tend to be more

rounded and grounded people than a generation
ago. Expectations, especially among professional
and corporate customers, demand that sales
people are mature, ethical, responsible, and have
an appreciation of business beyond the selling
process and traditional sales role. As such, if you
want to be a great sales person, then learn about
business and organisations as widely as you can.

The following articles and resources on selling and

business will help you to do this, starting with three
excellent free ebooks, kindly offered by their
authors to the Businessballs audience:

• Business Survival and Prosperity Guaranteed - by Paul

Hurst - a helpful practical encouraging guide to
business start-up and improvement (note this is
 a 15MB pdf file) - with grateful
acknowledgements to Paul Hurst

• The Game of Business by Paul Gorman - wonderful

practical guide to business success from a
leading business thinker - with grateful
acknowledgements to Paul Gorman

• Unleash the Power of Consultative Selling - by Rich

Grehalva - excellent free 200 page e-book on
modern selling methods - with grateful
acknowledgements to Rich Grehalva - your
feedback on this ebook direct to Rich would be
appreciated, thank you.

• See Sharon Drew Morgen's Buying Facilitation® - it is

probably the most advanced and effective sales
methodology for selling and business today, and
while the techniques focus on selling, the
methodology and principles transfer well to all
kinds of other relationships and communications.
More information and materials
at newsalesparadigm.com.

• See the Sales Activator® sales training games and

sales development system - a wonderfully
effective and enjoyable sales training and sales
coaching concept.

• See Ari Galper's ideas in the Cold Calling acticle.

Ari's 'Unlock The Game®' sales training programme
is based on open honest sales methodology and
integrity - especially useful in effective cold-
calling.
•

There are many more good modern ethical sales

training and development systems out there. If
you've had experience of a good modern sales
training programme or product, or a particularly
effective selling concept please let me know.

Businessballs does not receive a commission from the respective providers a

recommending the sales methods and theories featured in this sales training
commission goes towards running the website, thank you.
 see also
• business networking

• cold calling

• marketing

• buying facilitation

• assertiveness and confidence

• delegation

• presentations

• business planning and start-ups

• sales introductions letters

• running meetings

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