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The technique of active sales is the cold weapon of the seller! Stages of active sales How to get started in the work of active sales




And you still don’t know about the 8 stages of sales technique, then you should be ashamed.

It is so embarrassing that the study of this article for you should rise to the level of the prayer “Our Father”. But you may have a counter question, why should I know them, if we sold well without them and are still selling? Quite reasonable!

Indeed, why do you need to know them, because you know less - you sleep better. And it will be easier for competitors to sell their products.

What is the strength in, brother?

The power of knowledge, friends. The strength is in understanding what distinguishes first place from second place in a competition. Okay, stop! I went into philosophy.

Let's return to the topic "How to sell well and quickly." To reach a new frontier, you need to use 8 stages of sales. According to the classics, we know of them only five stages of sales (we know, does not mean we understand):

  1. Establishing contact;
  2. Identification of needs and goals;
  3. Presentation;
  4. Work with objections;
  5. Closing the deal.

For many successful transactions, these 5 main stages are enough, but we, with our clients, always recommend adding three more.

And it's not about quantity, but about quality and increasing the efficiency of transactions. By the way, these steps are very simple, most likely you even use them unconsciously in your work:

  1. Upselling;
  2. Taking contacts/recommendations.

All these eight stages of customer management are certainly classics in trading. These are the main stages of the sales process.

I did not have the task of surprising you or discovering America. With my material, I will put everything on the shelves and present the most important.

But remember, learning to sell from books is the same as learning to play football. Any theory must be put into practice within 72 hours.

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Strict rules

I remember the slogan of one computer game in the 2000s: “The main rule is no rules.” But this is not our case.

Let us work with real people and they have seven Fridays a week, anyway, in order for everything to go smoothly for you, you need to adhere to certain sales rules:

  • Strict sequence. You move from top to bottom through the stages and nothing else.
  • Don't skip steps. Each step is a lead to the next, so one does not exist without the other.
  • Customization for the client. Each sale has its own characteristics and they must be taken into account.
  • Full execution. You do each stage not for show, but for the result.

All these rules are unwritten, but in my opinion very important. Now you may not attach any value to them, but all this is due to the lack of a full understanding of each stage.

On the bones and on the shelves

We constantly see examples of how the “smartest” ones, at their discretion, throw out blocks from the sequence and believe that this will be more correct.

Naturally, the most uncomfortable or labor-intensive stages are eliminated.

But you and I know that each stage carries exorbitant value and must be performed correctly. Therefore, we analyze the description of each step separately and never again make such misunderstandings.

1. Making contact

In less advanced countries of the third world, when you enter a store or make a phone call, and you are not greeted, immediately from the threshold: “What do you need, dear?”.

I hope Russia will not slip before this (although I am sure we also have this). But still, before you begin to identify the need, you need to establish contact with the client. Here are some phrases for you:

  1. When calling:"Good afternoon. In scale company. My name is Nikita. Listen to you?"
  2. When meeting in the trading floor:"Hello. My name is Nikita. If you have any questions, please contact.”
  3. When meeting with a client:"Good morning. My name is Nikita. In scale company. Since we met, it means that, as I understand it, you have a potential interest in our proposal?”

This is a very simple and primitive step. But nevertheless, it is necessary and has its own nuances.

For example, when making an outgoing call, it is very important for us to say hello correctly, because otherwise the client will simply hang up with the words: “Next manager”.

Also, for example, in the case of sales on the trading floor, we need to show with our greeting that we will not “push” anything now, but simply greet the person.

Of course, the contact does not end there, one can even say that it is just beginning, because during the entire sale we must continue to get closer to the client every second.

But within the framework of this entire article, I will not be able to reveal all the nuances of each stage, because depending on the situation, they will differ. Therefore, also be sure to read our materials.

2. Identification of needs

“What do you need, dear?”, - let's return to this phrase and adapt it to the realities.

In fact, we want to get the answer to this question in the needs identification block, but since clients are not very talkative, or cannot explain what they need without clarifying questions, at this step we ask questions.

Since most crafters try to skip this block, I want to repeat MANY, MANY, MANY times that this is the most important.

If you correctly identify the need, then you will not have problems with further steps, everything will go like a knife through butter, like skates on ice, like a marker on a board, like ... I hope you understand me.

We ask questions in order to get enough information about the “wishlist” of the client. We ask not one, not two, not three questions, but four or more.

I also specifically focus on this, because one question cannot reveal everything. Therefore, for lovers of ready-made solutions, I recommend asking at least 4 questions from the series:

Important. In order for the client to pliantly answer you, program him with the following phrase: “Joseph Batkovich, in order for me to find the best conditions / suitable option for you, I will ask a few clarifying questions. Good?"

  • For what purposes are you choosing?
  • What is the most important thing for you when choosing?
  • Do you have any color/shape/size preference?
  • Why are you interested in this particular model?

Depending on the case of sales, your questions may prevail both open and closed.

That's right, you didn't think so. Most people think you should always ask open-ended questions.

But this is not always true. For example, at the beginning of a personal conversation (at a meeting or on the trading floor), it is better to start with closed questions (the answer is “Yes” or “No”), since the client is not yet set up for an open and full conversation.

Important. To make this stage feel alive, you need to insert your comments about the client's answer after some questions or make mini-mini presentations about the product.

3. Presentation

You will be just the perfect manager if you use the knowledge gained in the previous step in this step.

You need to show the best solution for the client based on the information received.

Depending on the occasion, you present either one product or several of the most suitable ones. But there should not be too many of them so that the client does not get confused (see the video below).

To make a truly great presentation, you need to know the product well.

If you are the owner, then this will not be a problem for you. In the case of employees, problems can come from all directions, so it is recommended to constantly evaluate product knowledge.

And by the way, where the final action will be a presentation on Elevator Pitch technology.

It would seem that such a simple stage, but it requires voluminous preparatory actions.

As I said, you need to learn information about your product, you also need to take small courses in acting and public speaking, and consolidate all this by studying books on human psychology.

To help you get started, here are three very important presentation rules:

  1. Speak the language of the client, use his words, phrases, sentences. So he will understand you better and perceive you as a “soul soul”.
  2. Name not only properties, but also . People do not always understand what properties mean and what is actually its benefit.
  3. Use the “You-approach” (You will receive / For you / To you). More mentions of the client, and not yourself (I / We / Us) will give more sense.

These rules are just three stones in the quarry. But you have seen that it is not so simple.

And yes, any presentation should be closed with a question or an appeal in order not to give the client the opportunity to retreat or seize the initiative.

Moreover, these actions can be both encouraging to close the transaction (“Let's go to the checkout”), or simply clarifying (“What do you say?”).

4. Dealing with objections

5. Up-sell / Cross-sell

Having worked out all the objections, we have two options for events: the client, after a series of doubts and choices, agrees (almost agrees) to the purchase or it is dear to him.

We do not consider the “Not suitable” option, since in this case you should have a lot, otherwise your business was not built correctly from the very beginning.

In the case when the client is “expensive”, and, moreover, this is a fact, and not a hidden objection, we offer him a more profitable option for his budget.

And when the client has made a decision to buy, we definitely need to offer him to consider a more expensive alternative, thereby making the company's profit.

It doesn’t take much to offer a cheaper alternative, and besides, it’s easier to sell.

But with (transfer to an expensive product), everything is much more complicated. And do not even think of saying that you can offer a more expensive product even at the presentation stage. This is also logical, but not always true.

If the client initially doubts, then we first need to convince him of the purchase as a whole, and only then transfer to a more expensive product.

Indeed, in some sales, especially in cold ones, it is much more important at the start to warm up the excitement for purchases, to make the client enter this state and decide that he will work with you.

And only then the “warm one”, when the level of trust has grown, you can show a more profitable solution for you.

6. Closing the deal

All doubts of the client are closed and, logically, we only need to say where to carry the money. But in reality, we see a different situation: managers are playing for time just not to get a refusal.

But in fact, the client is already ready and just waiting for you to finally pull yourself together and tell him what to do next.

This stage - the stage of completing the transaction - is the most inconspicuous, since it consists of several words and two variants of events.

We either use a closing question or a call to action.

Depending on the context and the level of trust in you as a person and professional, you will choose what is more suitable in a particular case:

  1. Call:“Take it, you will definitely be satisfied.”
  2. Call:“Give me things, I will help you bring them to the cashier.”
  3. Question:“Are you going to pick up or arrange delivery?”
  4. Question:“Do you have any other questions or can I send the contract for approval?”

In our practice, we found about 15 call options and the same number of closing questions in sales.

This is not the limit, but this list is enough in 99% of cases. And for you, this suggests that too much creativity is not needed here.

You just need to collect a list of suitable options for yourself and use as needed.

The only thing I want to emphasize at the stage of closing the sale is to avoid closing questions that make the client think.

Among the most common: “Do we design?” and “Will you take it?”. The problem with such questions is that you only make the situation worse, because the client begins to think - to take or not to take (but sometimes there are exceptions).

7. Upsell

I believe that every company should have an additional for upselling.

So employees will have a rational sense to sell even more in pieces and names.

Moreover, as you already understood, it is advisable to do this when the client has already fully agreed to purchase the main product and definitely takes it.

It was at this moment that he should be offered to buy in addition what he would certainly need.

I've seen some businesses survive on upsells. They sell the main solution for nothing, and all the money comes from additional goods and services.

In such companies, this stage is mandatory and punishable by dismissal. But for all its importance, it happens unobtrusively, in one phrase and no more than 3 times per dialogue:

  1. A lot of our customers take ____ to ____.
  2. Pay attention also to ____, maybe this will be relevant for you too.
  3. By the way, you could forget ___, I want to remind you of this.

In most cases, sellers don't resell because they forget what they can sell for (and of course, due to the lack of additional motivation).

Therefore, in this case, we always offer different solutions: from trainings to exams. For example, for one of our clients, we implemented a whole table of upsells, where you can see what can be sold for each product category.

It seems that everything, you can let the client go, but “our soldier” does not give up, he goes alone to the last and takes the client’s contacts so that in the future you can contact him and return him to him for repeat sales.

This is done at the final stage, when everything has already been agreed and even the money has been handed over.

What for? It's simple - if he did not buy now, this does not mean that he will not buy later, when we start working with him using SMS mailing, and a dozen other marketing tools.

And immediately for those who believe that he does not have repeat sales or the client will not return, I dare to disappoint you.

In any business there are repeat purchases, you just haven't realized it yet. And for those who already understand this, I recommend that you study or at least watch the video below to make sure that this is very important.

Well, if you don’t like the idea of ​​​​collecting contacts, then in addition to this, you can ask who he can recommend, who may still need your services or goods.

Thus, you can collect a potential base 3 times faster, in addition, a call on the recommendation of a client is always valued higher than just like that.

Briefly about the main

Finally, we have reached the final sales and this article, I don’t know about you, but I’m wildly tired of writing it.

But now I feel such satisfaction, exactly the same should feel the sales manager, having gone through all 8 stages of the sales technique (+1 farewell).

Since most likely the client, after passing through this one, simply will not be able to say “No” and leave.

Surely you now have a lot of questions in your head in the style of “How not to forget all this?”, “How not to miss any of the stages?”, “How to ask the right question?”, “How to resell?”, or “How to work out objections and not miss the client?

I will tell you one thing - without practice, theory will not help you. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, try and draw your own conclusions. We learn the same way and do not consider ourselves perfect in this matter.

Hello, friends! Excessively active trading, in fact, is a significant problem for many traders, especially for those who trade on low time intervals. I note that this moment appears if your trading is aimless, in other words, it is not clear how you trade, what instruments you trade, what you use the trading system and, in general, what is the motivation for trading. Today we will try to understand this issue in detail, and consider solutions, since any active trading should also be measured. A weighty aspect in this matter is the fact that you must clearly understand when your trading goes beyond the limits and becomes excessive.

I more than doubt that you have a permanent dependence on trading, therefore, it would be useful to clearly define what time is most suitable for you and at what moments you are able to lose control of yourself.

It is the determination of those moments when your actions in the market are the most rational, you will be able to fully cope with the factors when your active trading goes beyond any boundaries.

In order to fully determine when it is necessary to stop, it is advisable to choose a certain criterion for yourself when it is better to stop trading, for example, the number of transactions or trading volume can play this role.

That is, you have determined that it would be optimal to make 10 transactions per day, respectively, the 11th transaction can no longer be opened, since this will be excessively active trading. Now let's take a closer look at why traders can be extremely active in the market.

Excessive interest and emotions

This moment is remarkable in that the trader, trading in the market, is overwhelmed with various emotions, he was carried away by the process itself, and he no longer trades for profit. Exactly the same moment is typical for playing in a casino.

Roughly speaking, you must clearly understand that if trading is of purely emotional interest, then in the future you may form some kind of addiction that will resemble a game.

If you want to make money on the market, then this approach must be changed, your actions must be verified, and in this case there should be no place for unnecessary emotions.

Of course, no one forbids you to play for the sake of the game, but you need to understand here clearly that in the long run such an approach will not give success.

No trading system

If a trader does not have a clear system, then, accordingly, he does not have a plan for when to trade. In this case, every directional movement in the market causes him an irresistible desire to open a deal.

At this point, traders are overly addicted to chasing deals, and thereby open conflicting positions, that is, when the downtrend has begun, the trader will open a purchase. At such a moment, an obsessive thought may form, as if someone is following the actions of a person.

There is only one way out of this - this is the creation of your own trading system, because unsystematic active trading is a direct action to drain the deposit.

Are you bored

The market is a dynamic environment, there are moments of active movements, but there are also moments when the market can stagnate in one place.

During this period, a trader can sit at the monitor for a long time, of course, during this period he may simply become bored. Especially this moment can strain novice traders, or those who are more chasing emotions than profit.

Again, you need to clearly answer yourself why you came to the market - for emotions or money?

Urgent need for money

In my opinion, this is the most terrible situation in the market. When you constantly need money, then this is certainly a very strong emotional state, however, it is negative.

This is due to the fact that any of your actions will be due solely to the thirst for money, and not to comply with your own system. The ratio of your own financial needs and the effectiveness of the system is a priority issue, you do not need to chase profits in order to just buy some kind of trinket.

If you manage to perform actions that regulate your desire for money, then you are clearly progressing.

ardent enthusiasm

If you talk to any newcomer, you will be surprised how motivated and enthusiastic he is. You may be surprised that enthusiasm is more of a positive quality, yes, of course, but every medal has two sides.

The bottom line lies in the fact that excessive enthusiasm and motivation does not allow a sober assessment of the situation, and within the framework of the market this is extremely important. Of course, maintain your motivation, but direct it to the creative, look for something new, develop.

lack of patience

Traders with no patience will always over trade! This is due to the fact that they will seek to use those opportunities to enter the market that contradict their trading system, or are not part of it.

Again, on the face of unsystematic trading, which will only lead to losses. It must be understood that the development of patience is an extremely difficult task, which is likely to cause a lot of difficulties, but this path must be overcome, otherwise positive results should not be expected.

Desire to recoup

I think you have often seen a situation where a trader, after receiving a loss, wants to immediately earn his money by all means. Of course, the thoughts of working off your losses are correct, but the subsequent actions of traders in this aspect are irrational.

Roughly speaking, the desire to recoup will overshadow common sense, it is logical to assume that the trader will open transactions that are not within the scope of his system.

In this case, it is necessary to act differently, if during active trading you have lost a lot of money, then in this case you need to take a certain pause from the market. This break will allow you to cool down and, after a while, come back to trading with a cool head.

severe fatigue

If you have severe fatigue on your face, then you simply will not have the energy to make competent decisions, while there will be no self-control in your actions.

Again, the way out of this situation is very simple, take a short break, sleep well, pay attention to your nutrition, and when you feel a surge of energy, return to trading again.

The technique of active sales is a modern technology of sales of the modern market of goods and services. Now very often you can hear the concept of active sales. I immediately remember unexpected incoming calls on your mobile phone, with an offer to connect to HD television or use some service of an unknown company or agents who walk around offices and offer tickets to the theater or something else.

Recall your reaction to this kind of intrusion. The reaction is - "No thanks, not interested" or something like that . We began to treat such contacts as an advertising booklet in the mailbox, as a piece of paper behind the windshield wipers of our car, in a word, as something not serious - like garbage. This comes from the inept and unprofessional use of a complex tool - the technique of active sales.

Why do companies do such seemingly useless actions? This happens becauseeveryone and always lacks customers andeveryone wants to sell and earn more.

Active sales - what is it?

Sometime in 2003, I came across a report on cold calls from one company, the effectiveness of calls - plunged me into complete bewilderment. I could not imagine such an inefficient and time-consuming method of sales. Out of 50 calls on the prepared database, 7 meetings were held, of which only 1 deal was concluded, which did not even cover the costs of organizing these meetings.

But this is on the one hand, and on the other hand, think about the result - you have two new clients, in a day or a week - it doesn’t matter, they are your new clients. As a result of using regular cold calls, you can always have additional sales that will support you in a sluggish market and significantly.

Cold sales conversion

It is clear that the effectiveness is different, as are the goals. And my example is just an example that does not characterize anything, but ... Why is this being done? What is the secret of active sales technique? Because everything ingenious is simple. You hire a person with no work experience, give him a text to speak, a phone number and wait for the results - random sales. It's still better than doing nothing, isn't it?

Direct sales (do not confuse with sales in a store) are also active, since in addition to cold calls, the seller is looking for buyers “on the street”. He visits places where his potential buyers are supposed to spend time and offers to buy his goods here and now

After a while, companies began to segment their client base, introduce complex ones, select employees with certain work experience, and modern active sales techniques began to give results.

The difference between active sales and passive sales is that with active sales, there is a search for new customers who do not need anything from you yet, and with passive sales, the manager works with clients who have come to him on their own.

Many firms have a separate employee who owns the technique of active sales (active sales manager), or even a whole call-center. This is done in order to focus a particular person on a specific goal - finding new customers. Where to find clients, read One person or a group of people, day after day, perform their specific task with one specific goal - to arrange a meeting.

Cold sales, preparation

Now it often happens that you simply do not have a trading floor and your product, for example, is an intermediary service or an online store. In this case, the use of cold sales techniques is your only hope to survive in a highly competitive environment. But if this is done without preparing the client base, the result will be unsatisfactory.

Why after calling, still no sales? Because one call is not enough. After a long and laborious process - cold calls, it's time to meet with people interested in your offer. This is where the very important point of applying the active sales technique comes in.

Preparation for the meeting should include:

    • Arrangement with a potential client about a meeting with an agreement on the place and time of the meeting;
    • . You need a detailed offer for a mini-presentation, and a short one is an official commercial offer with all the details addressed to the person who makes the decision;
    • Souvenir or any material compliment with the corporate identity of your company;

At the meeting, remember that you will not have much time to make a detailed proposal to the CP, so you need to immediately think about what to say at the meeting. It is important to agree on feedback with a potential client, learn about intentions and, in cases of a negative decision, be ready to work with objections.

Conclusion

The technique of active sales is more often used in the field of B2B, but also in retail sales this practice can be used to expand the client base and additional sales.

Active sales are technically the most complex and, at the same time, the most effective type of sales. They can be applied in almost any situation and in any market. There are companies that generally prefer only this method of promotion. But it is important to know the specifics and stages of active sales.

The training of active sales specialists is complex, time-consuming, and far from certain that it will succeed. The fact is that in active sales a lot depends on the charisma and psychological stamina of the seller. To facilitate the process of training such specialists, it is customary to break the entire sales process into main stages. There are six of them. Below we will discuss each of them in detail.

Stage 1. Getting ready to sell

The preparatory stage involves, first of all, the preparation of the seller himself. The transaction must be completed, the contract must be signed, the goods shipped or the service provided, and the money from the client must be received. In order for everything to work out, you need to radiate professionalism, be confident in yourself and that the proposed product will really help your client.

In order for everything to work out, you need to radiate professionalism, be confident in yourself and that the proposed product will really help your client.

It is required to carefully study the goods and services that will be sold through active sales, it is necessary to have comprehensive knowledge, be ready to answer any of the most tricky questions of the client and give reinforced concrete counterarguments. After all, you will need to work with objections, and with criticism, and with discontent. You may even have to face undisguised aggression.

In terms of psychological readiness, you must be confident in your knowledge and in the product offered to customers. Do not forget also about the physical component of training. You shouldn't look sleepy or rumpled. Cheerfulness, a clear look, a benevolent, endearing smile - that's what a successful salesperson needs.

Stage 2. First contact with the client

General concepts of courtesy and courtesy will help you, together with the right psychological and physical attitude, to cope with the first contact with the client and win him over, set him in the right mood.

To do this, you need to implement 3 main steps:

  1. Greetings. Politely and kindly wish you a good day.
  2. Representation. Please provide your name and the name of the company you represent.
  3. Acquaintance. Find out from a future client how you can approach him.

If the client went halfway and identified himself, in fact, he subconsciously agreed to a detailed presentation of your product, and it is very likely that such contact will end in a deal. You can safely move on.

Stage 3. Identification of needs

I must say that at this stage you have to not only identify, but also independently form the customer's need. After all, he may not even know about the product that you offer. For this, the awakening of consumer motives is most often used. Absolutely every buyer has such motives. There are five in total:

  • Quality.
  • Security.
  • Convenient use.
  • Improving your own life.
  • Financial savings.

It is necessary not only to identify, but also independently form the needs of the client.

The need for novelty is also sometimes distinguished. This motive is additional, since it is not present in all consumer groups (more often among young people). A striking example of the implementation of such a motive are novelties in the world of radio electronics. Buyers literally sweep away the latest models of smartphones from the shelves of salons.

By asking questions in such a way that a potential client can tell you as much information about himself and his problems, you can form an opinion about what motive will be easiest to arouse in him. Remember that there are no wrong answers. If you are not satisfied with the answer to the question, then this question was formulated incorrectly. Listen to the client and you will hear him.

Based on the problems and needs of the client, you should start the presentation in such a way as to arouse the maximum possible number of motives. This will allow you to close the dialogue on the deal faster.

Stage 4. Product presentation

This is a relatively simple step, the essence of which is the correct presentation of information about the product. You must form it on the go, based on the data from the previous stage of the conversation.

The presentation should take place according to the classical scheme: property - benefit or property - solution to the problem. By telling the client about certain properties of the product, you simultaneously demonstrate how many of his problems will be solved.

Do not forget to focus on quality, ease of use, economic feasibility and uniqueness of your offer. Once you've given the client the details, it's time to move on to the hardest part of the sale—handling objections.

Stage 5. Dealing with objections

The wrong word at this stage can jeopardize the whole deal. Be extremely careful. Follow a strategy that includes the following sequential steps:

  1. Active listening. Listen to the client, understand the essence of his objection, use the effect of presence.
  2. Accession. To overcome the negative reaction of the client, you must first agree with him, join his point of view. Immediately after that, without stopping, continue the conversation with a counterargument. If you are told about the lack of interest, say that the offer is unique.
  3. Clarification. Don't be afraid to ask clarifying questions if you don't understand the reasons for the client's objections.
  4. Arguments. Give arguments in order to dispel the customer's doubts and uncertainty about the properties and quality of the product, as well as the company's image.

To overcome the negative reaction of the client, you must first agree with him, join his point of view.

Stage 6. Closing for sale

To sell, you need to offer to buy. This is an immutable law of sales, without which there will be no deal. Here, too, there are subtleties.

After all, you will not be satisfied with a negative answer? To get an affirmative answer, ask the question in such a way that it can only be answered with “yes” or “no”. This will dramatically increase the chances that the conversation will close on a deal. Also, the application of the rules of three "yes" often works. You must ask 3 questions in sequence, so that the client accurately answers in the affirmative to the first two. Ask the third question whether he is ready to make a purchase right now. You can also use additional incentives in the form of information about the limited supply.

And finally

We have tried to give you an idea of ​​the main stages of active sales. As can be seen from all that has been said, this process requires a high speed of thinking and a prompt response to changes in the situation in the conversation. Your manager should be 200% ready.

In active sales, every step must be measured. The client's mood may change, this must also be taken into account. Be sure to do some training. In game situations, work out all the typical situations that your managers may encounter.

Long preparation and hard work will bring you high levels of sales and good revenue, but be prepared for the fact that this path is not easy. The stages of active sales in trade are a necessary basis of knowledge that every sales manager must master.