We are starting a series of articles on The Sales Cycle. The first points of The Sales Cycle are Agenda and Rapport.
There are two parts to point number one of The Sales Cycle. The first part is the Agenda. To set the Agenda means to establish the amount of time the potential customer has given you to present yourself, your company, and your products. This can be done on the phone when you are making the appointment. However, you also need to re-confirm the allotted amount of time agreed upon at the beginning of your meeting. You don't need to be caught off guard when the potential customer tells you that you only have fifteen minutes of time, because they might have another meeting.
Remember to establish guidelines when you are using The Sales Cycle. Agenda and Rapport are the heart of the message, but after you have obtained the appointment, you need to start the confirmation all over again at your first visit. You could have missed something on the phone when you made your appointment. Also, during your appointment, you can re-establish points of agreement from your time on the phone. Both the time on the phone and the actual appointment are times when you are building a relationship with the potential new customer.
Now let's look at Rapport. Rapport is one of the main building blocks in sales. If you can't build Rapport, you will struggle with building relationships in sales. When you are visiting a new client for the first time, a sales person needs to relax and have fun. What is meant by building relationships? Every relationship had a starting point. Some of my best friends of today are people in whom I have invested my time. The next customer you visit could potentially become your next best friend. Remember, people like to buy from someone they like, so take more time to build rapport. Are you different from the average sales person? Do you want to be different? Then do this exercise for yourself. The next time you have the privilege of
visiting a prospective new customer and doing a presentation... Build Rapport Only! On your first visit, you don't need to ask the customer to buy your products. Just build a business relationship and friendship with the new person. What is a business friendship? A business friendship is a relationship where you can be honest with each other. In the event your company or you have made a mistake in the process of the order, or the service was very poor, they won't just cancel service. They will call you, because there is mutual respect and friendship between them and you. In other words, they will give you and your company a second chance. When the prospective customer is ready, they will ask you to talk about your product, so take a risk, and build rapport only. (The greatest risk is not taking one at all). I have spent 20 years of my career in sales and sales management. In sales, setting the agenda and building rapport works!
Articles Source - Free Articles
About the Author
As a business consultant, I have had the privilege of working with some companies internationally, and I really enjoy working with people from other cultures. I have learned so much from friends that we have in Japan, Australia, England, The Philippines, Korea, and Costa Rica, just to mention a few.
Presently, I am a Business Consultant for One Cup International Consulting Group.
