Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/529509
to use the "why" question because to some people it can appear impertinent, rude, or challenging. So I just stay away from it. The trick with these questions, those that will get the customer talking, is they are open-ended questions. This type of question cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." It has to be answered with a conversation. A good example of a question I use is "In what way?" The customer makes a statement about a product or a supplier, and if I don't get sufficient information I respond with "In what way?" This is also when I can start explain- ing the benefits the customer will realize by using our products or services or even just with doing more business with us. The benefits are what the customer will get from your products or services. Don't get all caught up in the mumbo jumbo of features. The features are what cause the benefit to be true. The features are for you. The benefits are for your customer. Facing objections So we are positioning our products and services, we are having a positive and fruitful discussion with the cus- tomer. There will still be reasons they have that will not allow them to buy from you. They still might have objec- tions. Now our job is to overcome each and every one of the objections. To me this is where I start to enjoy the sales process. The customer will have objections— all of them will. Otherwise they would already be buying from you. I need to understand the objection well, and I make sure I do by playing the objection back to the customer in my words. You say, "Let me see if I understand what you are saying" and then repeat their objection back to them in your words. You either understand the objection or you don't. But if you do understand it, then you can put the objection into perspective and provide compensating factors. You can overcome the objection. If you don't overcome the objection, you will not make the sale. It is as simple as that. So we have to overcome the objec- tion. We have to stay professional and calm. We have to restate the objection and then deal with it. Are you ready yet? You have done everything right and the customer has no further objections. What's left now? You have to ask for the order. This is where a lot of people get nervous. They are afraid they will get turned down if they ask for the order. Well, let me state it a different way. If they say "no" you simply have more work to do. You can ask another ques- tion. "Why don't you want to purchase now?" One short note: The most successful salesmen I have been involved with over the years rarely sell anything. Their customers simply buy from them. They do the selling job so artfully, so profes- sionally, that the customer truly believes they are buying something because the salesman has presented the materials so well—the conclusion to be drawn is self-evident. That is a successful sales- man. There you have it. Everything you wanted to know about market coverage and selling but were afraid to ask. The time is now. WWJ WWJ July 2015 63 Twitter @WaterWellJournl Ron Slee is the founder of R.J. Slee & Associ- ates in Rancho Mirage, California, a consulting firm that specializes in dealership operations. He also operates Quest, Learning Centers, which provides training services specializing in product support, and Insight (M&R) Institute, which operates "Dealer Twenty" Groups. He can be reached at ron@rjslee.com. Get Past WWJ Articles and More at Columnist's Website The website of long-time Water Well Journal columnist Ron Slee has all of the past columns he has authored for the journal and more information designed to help manufacturers and small busi- nesses run efficiently. R.J. Slee & Associates has worked with hundreds of companies from around the world in the last 30 years. He focuses on productivity, market penetration, and profitability. Along with the index of past WWJ ar- ticles, his website features details on his classes, webinars, blogs, and consulting services. Go to www.rjslee.com for more information.