On January 21st, 2010, I went to a see a CEU Business School Master Class with Istvan Otto NAGY about Effective Selling Skills and Strategies. Below you’ll find the presentation itself, my notes and two pictures at the event.
Here’s the presentation for download. It’s also embeddable:
Presentation content:
A. Situational Knowledge;
B. Capability Knowledge;
C. People Skills;
D. Selling Skills;
– You should be fluent in a foreign language;
A. Situational Knowledge
– You should learn you client, know about him;
– You’d better match situational with the buyer;
– AIDA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_%28marketing%29
* A – Attention (Awareness): attract the attention of the customer;
* I – Interest: raise customer interest by focusing on and demonstrating advantages and benefits (instead of focusing on features, as in traditional advertising);
* D – Desire: convince customers that they want and desire the product or service and that it will satisfy their needs;
* A – Action: lead customers towards taking action and/or purchasing;
– If we are already talking about a product, we are either in A or I phase;
– Attention: listen to me, qualify me (qualify your prospect) – is it bothering you that I’m balding?
– If I have a pain, I will listen to you;
B. Capability Knowledge
– I never lie – don’t ever say you are capable of doing something if in reality you aren’t;
– Find a match;
C. People Skills;
– People buy from people (as opposed to buying from organizations);
– Sincerity => Competence => Trust;
– You should empower your buyer;
– You should create a vision;
D. Selling Skills
– “Solution” is buyer’s vision;
– Completing a sale is about moving the buyer to visualize future satisfaction with the bias of our product service in mind;
– People take action only when there is a pain;
– Latent need – ignorance (unaware that a better solution exists);
– Rationalization – tried to solve the problem before and was unsuccessful;
– If pain (need) exists, the seller can create vision;
– Latest needs – latent pain;
– Buyer is either in ignorance or in rationalization (bad prior experience, accept any bad decision as a good one);
– “You need a way to …, don’t you?” – if you say this, you will take the control from the client;
– Share the vision prior to the selling process;
– You should give your client a hope;
– A sales problem – you need to not tell your client about the features;
– If you start talking about feature, any feature invites an objection;
– Instead of selling constructively (starting from a need), people sell destructively (they start from what they have);
– Typical wording “Because of …, you can …”;
Levels of need/pain:
a. Reference pain (story);
b. Build the vision;
c. Give the solution;
– The client must remain in control;
– Diagnose before you prescribe – Don’t every say “You need …” from the start;
– Don’t be impatient – if you know everything, you are impatient to sell;
– All the times be sincere;
– Power buys from power;
– I’m buying from someone who is in control;
Words to avoid:
a. Might;
b. Possible;
c. We might be able to …;
d. Perhaps;
Phases of buying:
a. Define needs;
b. Evaluate alternatives;
c. Risk evaluation & action;
– Before being different than a competitor, try to at least be at his level;
– Don’t close the deal before it’s closeable.
Two pictures at the event made by Oliver OLSON, who also made a CEU Business School presentation:
