4.00 Understand channel management and selling.

1. 4.03 Perform pre-sales activities to facilitate sales presentation. 4.00Understand channel management and selling.

2. 5-83 5-87 • Define the following terms: prospect, prospecting, lead, referral, endless chain, center of influence, bird dogs, cold calls. • Prospect – a potential customer • Prospecting – looking for potential customers • Lead – someone interested in your product(s), synonym for “prospect”

3. Define Cont. • Referral- a customer referred by another • Endless chain- one customer refers another who refers another who refers another… • Center of influence - a person recommending you to your target market.  Usually this person has a lot of pull over the people that you want to meet and a recommendation from them is a hugely valuable utensil in your prospecting toolbox. • Bird dogs – point out the buying customers • Cold calls – contacting leads that have not expressed any interest in your products (phonebook)

4. Prospecting • Identify sources of prospects. • Employer’s customer list • Customer contacts with the company • Online, Walk-ins, telephone calls, written letters, etc. • Purchased customer lists • Explain which salespeople should prospect. • All sales people tasked with building sales business • Describe how prospecting can help salespeople. • Increase contacts and sales

5. Prospecting • Describe methods of prospecting. • Endless chain, cold calling • Explain how to construct a prospect list. • Keep track of contacts, build a database • Describe how to use a prospect list. • Assign proper salesperson to make contact • Explain the importance of maintaining accurate prospect lists. • Increase odds of completing a sale, decrease chances of annoying potential customers • Demonstrate procedures for prospecting for customers.

6. Qualifying a lead 5-88 5-89 • Explain why salespeople need to qualify their prospects. • To know what products the customer is interested in buying • Discuss reasons that some salespeople fail to qualify prospects. • Takes time and research • Identify the criteria that prospects need to meet in order to be qualified • Interest in the product, means and willingness to buy, has the authority to buy • Discuss steps a salesperson can take to qualify prospects prior to meeting with them. • Look at previous orders, read notes on prior contacts, send information forms that the customer fills out

7. Qualifying a lead • Explain how to qualify a prospect’s need for a product. • Research and/or ask questions • Describe how to qualify a prospect’s means and willingness to buy a product • budget, time to meet with salesperson, timing of sale, where are they in making a buying decision • Discuss how to qualify a prospect’s authority to buy a product. • Ask assumptive questions, “At what level will the decision to buy our product be made?” h. Demonstrate how to qualify a prospect.

8. 5-90 5-91 • Explain why salespeople should conduct pre-visit research. • To better understand the needs and wants of the customer • Identify factors about a prospect that are useful in sales situations. • What are his/her goals • What benefits are important to him/her • Identify sources that provide company information that can be useful in sales situations. • Database, other suppliers, lower level employees of the client company

9. Pre-Approach • Describe how to use collected pre-visit research during a sale. • Prepare a presentation • Demonstrate how your product solves their problems and meets their needs • Demonstrate how to conduct pre-visit research. • Look the company up on the internet • Check the financial records (publicly traded) • Make some calls or pre-visits

10. 5-92 5-93 • Explain benefits associated with booking appointments with prospective clients. • Client has set time aside to talk with you • You have a predetermined time schedule • The client will have prepared to meet with you • Discuss the importance of the introduction when calling to set up a sales appointment. • The client must understand who you are and who you represent • Describe what to include in the introduction when calling to set up a sales appointment. • Your name, the company’s name and the products you will be presenting. • Primary and secondary dates and times • Confirm with whom you will be meeting

11. Introduction • Explain factors that influence what to say when calling to set up a sales appointment. • Familiarity with the person and company • Your company’s position in the industry • Prior experience • Identify barriers encountered when attempting to book appointments with prospective clients. • The “gate keeper” • Too busy, changing dates and times, change in whom you are meeting • Explain how voice mail can be helpful in getting an appointment with a customer. • Important information can be conveyed in the proper tone g. Demonstrate how to book appointments with prospective clients.

12. 5-94 5-95 • Identify reasons for preparing for a sales presentation. • Increase chances of successfully selling • Understand the client and their needs • Identify factors about the customer/client that should be determined prior to making a sales presentation. • Who is the decision maker? • How fast are decisions made? • Describe preparation needed for sales presentations. • Know the needs of the client • Identify factors that affect the preparation needed for sales presentations. • History with the client (Good or bad? Previous orders and satisfaction, what can the product do for them?)

13. Preapproach prep • Describe ways to prepare for a sales presentation. • Set up the information and demonstration, have ALL your materials • Practice f. Create a tentative sales presentation. g. Explain how to ask for a sales-presentation appointment. h. Demonstrate procedures for preparing for a sales presentation.

14. 5-96 5-97 • Identify characteristics of effective software sales presentations. • Color, motion, clear and concise • Key terms, not too wordy • Discuss purposes of using presentation software packages to support sales presentations. • Bring the conversation alive • Offer discussion points • “A picture is worth a 1,000 words”

15. Using software to sell • Describe ways that salespeople can use presentation software packages to support sales presentations. • Introduce the product and new ways to use it • Build discussion • Explain how salespeople can use online sales presentations. • Generate interest, offer information, promote • Demonstrate procedures for creating a software presentation to support sales presentations.