Marketing: personal sale

of the of the Marketing: Personal Sales Submitted Summary of Chapters 9-15 of Zig Ziglar’s & Chapters 16-20 of Stephan Schiffman’s Books Chapter 9: Zig Ziglar In Chapter 9 of the book ‘ Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know’, Zig Ziglar talks about Selling to People’s Problems, or selling based on meeting the customer’s needs and requirements. If the customer wants a simple ballpoint pen, it is useless trying to sell him a Mont Blanc, since his needs will be met quite nicely with a simple ballpoint pen. It is another matter altogether if he insists on getting the best pen available in the market. In that case maybe the hard sell is justified. Zig says that if you listen carefully to the customer and identify what products will satisfy his needs most admirably he will make it a point to visit you again and again and become a customer for life (Ziglar, 77). This is a really simple but effective idea that can be implemented easily be any salesman including myself to increase my sales output. Chapter 10: Zig Ziglar Chapter 10 of the book deals with the ABC’s of closing the sale. This, says the author, depends on needs satisfaction. In fact, many people have taken the initials ABC to read the words Always Be Closing when it comes to the sales effort. A customer may or may not have a good idea of the products available in the market which can satisfy a particular need of his. By giving him genuine advice about the different brands and their pluses and minuses, the customer will not only be impressed by your knowledge but is likely to buy from you and keep you in his mind whenever he has a new need that you can satisfy. The best way to close a sale is to give a choice between Products A, B or C so that we can assume the sale is already done- the customer only has a make a final decision as to what to buy rather than whether to buy or not. Although it may sound a bit pushy, it is a great way to end with the sale in your pocket. Chapter 11: Zig Ziglar In this chapter the author talks about handling sales objections. The customer may have a variety of reasons not to buy from you. You will have to probe into his objections and find a way to remove or mitigate them before you can close the order. Otherwise just forget it. Chapter 12: Zig Ziglar In Chapter 12 of the book, the author tells us how to move beyond customer service to customer satisfaction. While most sales people would assume that both these terms mean one and the same thing, they would be surprised to know that there is a world of difference. While customer service means dealing with just the problem at hand and nothing more, customer satisfaction is a step ahead. It means doing the job in such a way that the customer can see that the sales person made a personal effort to serve him better. This moves the salesman-customer relationship up a notch, from the professional to the personal level. It increases the salesman’s likability so that the customer is always going to recommend him to colleagues, neighbors and friends. It can do wonders for your sales network so I will make it a point to incorporate this principle in my sales and personal life. Chapter 13-15: Zig Ziglar In Chapters 13-15, Zig Ziglar talks about using the day to maximum effect, separating the time for selling from the other tasks that nevertheless relate to the sale. We should take the time to relax, make calls, follow up prospects etc. at other times than when we are concentrated with meeting our sales targets. Quite often we spend more time on other matters than making the sales and wonder why we are not so effective. Chapter 16-20: Stephan Schiffman Chapter 16 is all about showing enthusiasm for the sale. If a salesman believes in himself and that the product that he is selling gives good value, his enthusiasm will show in his sales pitch and presentation. It is then easy for the customer to also show interest and enthusiasm in buying the product, and they are more likely to buy. It is wise to treat every prospect as new and not dwell upon previous refusals or rejections. In Chapter 17, the author talks about giving oneself appropriate credit for work done. Quite often the sales manager or some other higher up takes credit for sales success- this is highly demoralizing and keeps the sales staff depressed. It is difficult to make sales in such circumstances. Therefore it is up to the salesman to motivate himself and give himself a pat on the back by relaxing, doing something one enjoys or just taking the day off once in a while. Chapter 18 is about the simple and effective habit of telling the truth. If the product has a defect, or the customer has a valid objection, admit it. Never lie about the product, its capabilities or backup service- it will give you and the company a bad reputation. Always tell the truth, it is easier to remember. In Chapter 19 of his book, The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Sales People, the author talks about selling yourself on yourself. This is a very useful exercise and a wonderful habit to cultivate and practice from time to time (Schiffman, 83). The starting point is that you should believe in yourself, your self worth, the usefulness of the product you are selling and your ability to make the sale. I don’t know about you, but I would not be able to sell a product that I had no personal belief in. I would not be able to sell you on the benefits of a product that I have never used myself. It is therefore more truthful to let the customer know that you have never tried a product personally rather than lie about its attributes just to make a sale. Chapter 20 of the book is about the simple but effective habit of starting early. It is said that the early bird catches the worm. Similarly as a salesman you will impress people by your early start to the day, because it would appear to them that you certainly enjoy your work. Adopting a good work ethic makes you stick to your job and put in the extra effort. People who stay up late nights and make a late start to the day are telling the world a lot about their self discipline and how seriously they take their sales job. It is better to be well rested and wake up enthusiastic about your job. Always plan your sales day so that you do the most important or rewarding tasks first. Once you have accomplished them it is likely that you are well on your way to meeting your daily sales target. It will be good for me to adopt this habit in my sales and personal life. Works Cited Schiffman, Stephan. The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Sales People, 2nd ed., Adams Media, USA, 2004. Ziglar, Zig. Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know, Thomas Nelson, 2003.