Jim Domanski is President of Teleconcepts Consulting, a firm that helps businesses and individuals use the telephone more effectively to generate leads and sell more product. Focusing exclusively on outbound, business to business tele-sales, Jim provides both consulting and training services to clients in the US, Canada and Europe. A dynamic speaker and presenter, he is also the author of three highly successful books on tele-sales skills and strategies. For more information visit his web site at teleconceptsconsulting.com or call 613-591-1998.
Transforming Your Sales Force for the 21st Century The book, written for sales managers and executives in the distribution industry, provides a blue print for executives to transform their sales forces into highly directable, effective, focused performers. more info
Think about this for a moment: You've spent countless hours dialing numbers, you've encountered dozens of hard nosed secretaries not to mentioned voice mail after voice mail after voice mail. But at some point you finally reach the decision maker, the person with the bucks, the one who spends. It was a tough haul but there he is, on the line.
A good deal of time and money was spent to get you that far. But here's the really sad part: The vast majority of sales reps are content with just that. They are content to make the sale or generate a lead. They leave it like that; mission accomplished.
On the surface it seems like a good scenario but what makes it regrettable is that after all the toil and trouble to reach the decision maker we do nothing more to leverage the moment. Here you are, finally, one to way, emano-emano with the decision maker and you do nothing more with it than make a sale!
The fact of the matter is this: you can do more. Virtually every call you make (or take) has added potential.It might be more revenue or it might be another opportunity such as a lead or a referral. Whatever the case, you need only to scratch the surface a bit and see what lies beneath. Over the next few issues, we are going to explore techniques on how to get more from every call you make or take.
How?
You can get more from your calls through a process called "Add On Selling." Add on selling is the process of leveraging a customer/prospect contact by generating additional revenues or by generating a marketing opportunity. That's the fancy definition. The not so fancy definition is that add on selling is a way to maximize every dialogue you have with a client; a way to grab and squeeze every single ounce of opportunity from an inbound or outbound call.
As the name implies, "add on selling" is something you ‘add' to a call or to a sale. It comes at the end of a call after the call objective has been completed. It is fast and easy to apply.
Why Bother?
If you add on sell regularly you can expect some interesting benefits. First of all, it doesn't take much time and it is easy to implement. Your learning curve is short. That makes it simple to use on a regular basis. That's a good thing. Next, expect the average value of a sale to increase. This means more revenues. You boss likes that. You might too especially if you are on commission. It means less work. If you can achieve your objectives without having to dial as much you save yourself time and hassle. This means less frustration and burnout. Add on selling typically pleases the customer when it is performed well. They see it as value added. Happy customers have a way of rewarding you. They give you referral, for example. Good referrals close at high rate: less time, more money. You get the picture. Trust me, the benefits are awesome.
Applications
You'll recognize the applications immediately so don't expect to be stunned. What is different about add on selling is that it is a systematic process that is applied in virtually every calling situation. Done correctly and professionally, it increases the value of the sale. Here are some applications:
Cross selling
Up Selling
Getting a Referral
Generating additional leads
Selling on an inquiry
Converting a cancellation
Selling on complaint
Gather market intelligence
4 Step Process
I mentioned that add on selling was a "systematic process". A system is nothing more that a step of interrelated procedures. What that means to you is that you can break down add on selling into four easy parts. Master them and you'll quickly make more in less time.
Step #1: Handle the Initial Request or Task.
Remember that add on selling comes after your initial objective has been met. Before you apply add on selling you must first handle the inquiry, get the order, close the sale, deal with the cancellation or complaint... whatever. It goes to the adage " the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Get the bird in hand first.
Step #2: Bridge to the Add On.
A bridge is merely a transition phrase that alerts the client that you are about to provide some additional information. For example, "Mr. Ford, thank you for your order. Oh by the way, while I still have you..."
Step #3: Present the Add On With a Benefit.
Nothing mystical or magic about this one. You simply state the add on. It might be a cross sell or an up sell; it might be a request for a referral or to gather some market information. State the add on and provide some sort of benefit for the listener.
Step #4: Close.
You conclude the 4-step process with a close. You do this so the client can take some action.
Summary
That's all there is to it. Almost too easy, isn't it. In fact, it is extremely easy and it works. The trouble is, most reps simply don't apply it on a regular basis. As mentioned over the next few issues, we'll look at applying the 4 - Step process with some of the applications and provide you with some real life examples. If you really want more to learn more about this amazing little technique then be sure to order Add On Selling. In the meantime, Good selling.
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Distribution companies, by their nature, should be sales-oriented companies. But, most distributors don't do sales very well. That's the premise behind this new book.
The book, written for sales managers and executives in the distribution industry, provides a blue print for executives to transform their sales forces into highly directable, effective, focused performers.
The book begins with an analysis of current conditions that pressure the distributor to revise the way he/she thinks about his sales force. Kahle then paints a picture of the distributor sales force of the future. The sales force will be:
more specialized
more directable
more flexible
more professional
more productive.
His advice begins with "See it as a system," a concept that is based on one of the key principles for the book, "When you change the structure, you change the behavior of the people who work within that structure."
