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Many years ago, when
I first became
involved with Sales
and Marketing, I
became aware of a
very powerful Sales
Technique. At the
time it was being
called
the “Alternative
Close
Technique”
Over the years, this
has become known
simply,
as
“The Either/or
Technique.”
It works for just
about everything,
and it is a powerful
way of getting to a
positive outcome.
I was working for 3M
at the time, in our
divisions Technical
Service and Research
Laboratories.
I had come up
with an idea for a
new product in
collaboration with
one of our clients.
The company
thought it was a
good idea, and we
set up a development
team to get the
product to market.
We needed the
product tested by a
large group of
customers. So, we
asked 10 of our
sales force across
the
U.S.A.
to select 3 of their
best customers and
ask them if they
would mind running a
“Field Test” for us.
After two weeks, we
only had 3 “Test
Accounts”…
not enough!
Interestingly, the
three test accounts
were from the same
Sales Person.
He was the
only one of the ten
that was able to
secure the three
accounts…
Jim, was in
Tulsa Oklahoma, and a good friend of mine.
I gave
Jim a call
and asked him, how
he was able to
secure these
accounts, because we
did not have any
luck with the other
9 sales people.
I asked him point
blank…
“What is your
secret, Jim?”
He laughed.
He told me he
only called three
clients, the ones
that
he felt were the
best fit
for our
criteria
of being a
test account, and
then asked them….”When
do you want me to
come in to field
test a new product
we are developing, Next week or the Week after?”
Aha! You know those
moments when
everything seems so
very clear. Both
Answers were good
for our test
program...
We
then asked
the rest of the
sales people to use
the same line of
questioning with
their clients and in
less than a week we
had all 30 of our
“Field Test
Accounts”….
If we ask most
people for a Yes or
No answer? We will
most times get an
answer which we do
not want.
However, if
we ask an
“Either/Or”
question, we will
usually get a
response that we
would like to have.
i.e. “What type
of restaurant would
you like to dine at
tonight,
A
Sea Food or
Japanese
restaurant?”
How many times do
you give your
prospects/customers
a chance to "slip"
away without a sell?
Is the way you sell
to your customers
making the most of
your
products/services?
Sometimes, prospects
and customers simply
need a
gentle
nudge in the
right direction.
-
Always speak about your products/services
with enthusiasm
-
Assume your prospect/customer wants/needs
what you have to
offer
-
Use encouraging words and phrases such as
"when you buy
this product"
versus "if you
buy this
product".
-
Use the “Either/Or” technique, to gently
move them in the
direction you
would like them
to move towards.
-
Ask for the sale! Later...ask again!
Tony Alessandra,
jokingly says,
“Ask for the
order, If they,
say NO….
Ask again!They
may have
misunderstood
the question you
were
asking them.”
I have recently
posted on my blog
an
article called the
“Five Step
Sales Process for
Success:Full Sales”,
which is well
aligned with this
CRM Tip…
It is all
about building
Rapport and Trust.
http://www.kjbarrettcrm.com/kjbarrettcrmblog/
If you follow these tips, you'll be surprised at
the number of
customers that walk
away with your
products and
services.
Also remember that
you can trial run
one of the best
software programs
for Automating Your
Marketing!!
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