Selling Skills What Resources Are Necessary

Writen by David Zahn

As a general rule, salespeople will want to have the following resources available to them as they work to complete sales with customers:

1. A complete understanding of the product or service. The salesperson must be intimately aware of what the product or service can do, and what is not capable of doing or should not be used to accomplish.
2. A detailed understanding of the competition. Having enough experience to know what the competition's product or service is capable of doing or providing is very often a key component in that sales people need in order to best position their own products in front of the prospect or customer.
3. A thorough understanding of the prospect's business and how the product or service would be best utilized by the prospect. Being able to talk the prospect's language or make reference to particularly thorny prospect challenges demonstrates that you understand their business and goes a long way in building trust and rapport with the prospect.
4. Examples of the product, or if it is a service, the output or result of the service being used. Having the ability to explain how the product is to be used, or what the service will provide the prospect allows the prospect to visualize the benefit much better and makes it seem a whole lot more real to them as they try to conjure up exactly how it would work. Not quite as good as the product itself is a data sheet that explains the benefits of the product and perhaps includes specifications of the product and a picture of the product.
5. References. Many prospects will want to know what other companies have used the product or made similar purchases. Being able to point to some well known customers provides a sense of relief for many prospects and minimizes the fear that they are making a potential mistake.
6. Price List. Being able to quote exact prices based on quantities ordered, specific models requested or based on customizations required is a necessity for sales people. No one wants to be close enough to closing a sale only to have to tell the prospect – "I don't know how much it costs."
7. Delivery Schedule. Once a prospect has agreed to buy, one of the next questions is usually, "how soon can I have it?" A sales person should be forearmed with when delivery of the product or service can be provided based on the unique characteristics of the order being placed.

Selling requires preparation and contrary to some popular opinions, is not conducted on the strength of a smile and a firm handshake. Be certain that you are ready to sell before you approach the prospect.

David Zahn is a two-time author addressing the issues of entrepreneurship and consulting ("How To Succeed As An Independent Consultant, 4th Ed." and "The Quntessential Guide To Using Consultants") as well as being a frequent interviewee and contributor to articles in publications like, "BusinessWeekOnline, Entrepreneur, BrandWeek, Training & Development, CTPostOnline, and others. For a free "business readiness assessment," please click on http://www.startupbuilder.com.