Selling is like flirting in five phases. Sounds strange at first, doesn't it? Imagine the following scenario: You're in a bar and you see a great person standing at the counter. Wow, you think to yourself. I want to get to know this person better. But just walk over, bang the door, and invite them straight back to your place? Such a slam-fall principle rarely works. After all, you skip three steps in your head and the person you're talking to will overwhelmed at worst, turn away. What can you do better? Dr. Stefan Frädrich, coach and motivation expert has defined five phases that people go through when flirting, but which can also be applied to successful selling in sales.
But let's start from the beginning: In order for you to make contact with a person at all, you must first be in social proximity. You're in a bar with her. That is the first of these five phases:
You smile at the person, make eye contact. Wait for the signals. Does a yes signal come and the person smiles back? Then everything is clear. You can move on to the second phase, the phase of personal closeness. You approach the person, because your goal is, after all, personal contact. Always pay attention to the signals of your counterpart. No Smilea dismissive gesture? Then you don't need to try any further here.
But in this case, you are talking, everything is going well, an atmosphere of interest in each other. Once that's accomplished, enter phase three of intimate closeness. Get out of the boring environment! You meet for coffee or a glass of wine at the nearest Italian restaurant. The yes signals continue to be clear, why not lead the next phase?
Phase 4 of tender closeness could include kissing and touching. Things are still going great? Then it's on to the final phase. Phase 5 of intimate closeness. You've made it. The signals are crucial whether it goes further for you or not.
Flirtation, all well and good. But what does all this have to do with sales? You have probably already noticed. You can transfer the phases to the process of selling one to one. Because even in business, you can't just walk in the door.
Selling well and successfully - that is a supreme discipline. The right communication with your customer is the be-all and end-all. If this does not work, your company has little chance of success. How quickly does the image of an unpleasant and pushy salesperson appear in your mind's eye? And you certainly don't want to be that.
So how can you successfully sell your product or service? As a salesperson, sensitivity is needed, communication skills and Patience. Especially your sympathy factor can enable you to close many a deal. And this Achieve goal is actually not that difficult - if you know how to do it.
Always remember: Your customer is king. Even if you think you know exactly what is good for him - in the end, the customer determines where it goes. You are guided by his wishes. Even if that means that your favourite model stays in the closet. Your customers are people you are doing a favor for. Always keep that in mind and selling will come easy to you. The important thing is that you work your way to your goal step by step.
In the first phase, you build up perceived closeness to your customer. This phase determines whether the contact is considered pleasant. Marketing is your sales preparation. You want to address your customer and bring him closer to your product. After all, you have something good to offer and you can make a big fuss about it. Because if your potential customers don't know about you, they can't buy from you. Try to put yourself in your customers' shoes. How can you get them to buy from you?
And with the right marketing, the first customer will soon be at the door, ushering in phase 2 - the phase of personal closeness. It gets exciting. In the second phase, the customer makes the first contact. The first conversation, the first customer mail. The first information brochure that flutters through the letterbox or the first contact at a trade fair. You get to know each other, your customer now knows who you are. Here you should present yourself from your best side. Pay attention to the signals of your customer. Does he send a yes signal? Is he interested? Then you can venture into the next step.
The needs analysis: Get to know the wishes of your customers. Assess your potential customer. After all, this is a human being with their own experiences, their own views. You should ask yourself the question: Who is this person? What does your customer want? What are his expectations? The more you deal with your customer's wishes, the higher your chances of success. Prepare yourself for your customer. Maybe you can find out something about him beforehand. Is your customer sending you yes signals? Then don't hesitate and take the next step.
It's getting into the hot phase. By now you know what your customer wants from you. You know what they want. Your customer is interested and wants to buy. That sounds great, doesn't it? So that nothing else goes wrong, take another deep breath and get going. Negotiating is not that easy. That's why it's important that you prepare yourself well.
Then there is the final weighing of the customer and checking the trustworthiness. But that won't be the problem now, will it? Both sides should have a good feeling. And once that's done, you're close to the finish line. Phase 5 is ushered in. The closing itself! The act of buying, the process of signing the contract, handing over the goods and the money.
When you go through the phases, pay attention to the signals of your customers, just like in flirting. Is the atmosphere right? If you can read the signals correctly, you can build long-term customer relationships. And that's exactly what will help you succeed. This means that when a yes signal comes, use it and take the next step. Don't make the mistake of procrastinating. If you do, your customer may look to the competition, who will move faster.
On the other hand, it doesn't help you any more if you start pushing when you get a no signal. You don't want to run over your customer either. What happens if your mind is already on your close but you're not paying attention to your customer? Your customer won't want to go along. Don't focus on the close, because that will blind you.
To successful into your business, remember:
You can learn to sell! Take a look at Greator Business by. There you can dive much deeper into the subject of sales. With exciting seminars online at your home - or live with us in Cologne.
