What are the sales steps you use?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

When do you start the interview step?

That all depends, how do you define interview?

Do you define interview as when you first start talking to the person?

Do you define it as when you start asking the person questions?

Or did you have something else in mind?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

That all depends, how do you define interview?

Do you define interview as when you first start talking to the person?

Do you define it as when you start asking the person questions?

Or did you have something else in mind?

I start the interview when I say, "Let's sit down and talk about it". Sometimes they just start spilling the beans and sometimes I have to start by asking questions. The time it takes from when they first walk in the door until they are sitting at the desk talking with me is less than 2 minutes.That doesn't leave much time for your rapport step.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

I start the interview when I say, "Let's sit down and talk about it". Sometimes they just start spilling the beans and sometimes I have to start by asking questions. The time it takes from when they first walk in the door until they are sitting at the desk talking with me is less than 2 minutes.That doesn't leave much time for your rapport step.

Thomas, have you read the book Blink by Malcom Gladwell?

http://www.gladwell.com/blink/

If not it says people make a judgement of you within the first two seconds of meeting you so not having much time for my rapport step I just can not agree with (although I can understand how others who develop rapport slowly could fall prey to not having enough time to develop rapport). Especially since the first step is to assume rapport, before I even meet with my clients. Also I believe rapport can be built during what you call the interview process.

You may be asking how do I develop rapport that quickly, the answer lies in another book called Instant Rapport by Michael Brooks.

Now for me the third step for me is to tell a story. My story continues to develop rapport and lets them see things through my eyes while giving them an analogy to my way of thinking.

Dale Carnegie Uses stories through out his book how to win friends and influence people to support his theories.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

Thomas, have you read the book Blink by Malcom Gladwell?

No I haven't read that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

If not it says people make a judgement of you within the first two seconds of meeting you so not having much time for my rapport step I just can not agree with...

I believe people size you up quick I just didn't know that is what you meant by building rapport. I thought building rapport was something that you did that rapport was a step.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

Now for me the third step for me is to tell a story. My story continues to develop rapport and lets them see things through my eyes while giving them an analogy to my way of thinking.

If the third step is you telling a story when do you find out if and what the people will buy?

my two cents - call rapport a step or not but, if your would be client doesn't like you their not going to buy from you.

Building rapport is merely estabishing common interest...sometimes I have clients in which don't want anything like this - that makes it super simple...make the pitch and close the sale. The majority of my clients could buy from 1000s of different people but they come to me or stay with me because I am personable and likable and because I have taken an interest in them and/or their kids or dogs or where they went to school.

Although I may not really care about the extra things, but I do make notes about these things - now, when I go back to them I can "recall" what we had talked about and what was important to them at the time.

IMHO - rapport makes or breaks a sale and building it is imperative unless the client comes in with a "let's get down to business" attitude.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

If the third step is you telling a story when do you find out if and what the people will buy?

I am only on step three and I feel you have forgotten or skipped step one. Am I wrong? Step 1: What is your intention?

Is it to find out when and if the people will buy?

Or is it to make a sale? Assume the sale! No 100% of my clients do not buy (I can not be any more honest than that). But I assume when I start that everyone of them will. It has raised my closing percentage from when I had doubts if they would buy or not. I believe you wanta higher closing percentages don't you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

I am only on step three and I feel you have forgotten or skipped step one. Am I wrong? Step 1: What is your intention?

Is it to find out when and if the people will buy?

Or is it to make a sale? Assume the sale! No 100% of my clients do not buy (I can not be any more honest than that). But I assume when I start that everyone of them will. It has raised my closing percentage from when I had doubts if they would buy or not. I believe you wanta higher closing percentages don't you?

With the best intention (step 1) and rapport (step 2) you still have to discover what and if the prospect will buy. Where is your discovery step? It looks like you skipped it and went right into a presentation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonmorris

my two cents - call rapport a step or not but, if your would be client doesn't like you their not going to buy from you.

I did not like the salesman I bought my boat from. He was not someone I could trust. He was not someone I who called me back when he said he would. He was not someone who completed the order the way it was written in the contract. However because I did not like him and because I felt like he did not have my best interest in mind I did not mind using tactics to get the lowest price for my boat as I could. And the price is the only reason I bought the boat where I did. So I can not agree with your statement that if a client likes you their not going to buy from you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonmorris

Building rapport is merely estabishing common interest...sometimes I have clients in which don't want anything like this - that makes it super simple...make the pitch and close the sale. The majority of my clients could buy from 1000s of different people but they come to me or stay with me because I am personable and likable and because I have taken an interest in them and/or their kids or dogs or where they went to school.

This is old school building rapport and I am happy to hear it works for you. If someone tries to do this to mean it screams sales person and I am totally turned off. I will then treat the salesperson like they are acting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonmorris

Although I may not really care about the extra things, but I do make notes about these things - now, when I go back to them I can "recall" what we had talked about and what was important to them at the time.

This really bothers me why do you bother to ask about their kids, dogs and school they went to if you don't actually care? To get the sale? Well if that works for you and you can sleep at night being manipulative like that, then it is no wonder so many people do not like sales people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonmorris

IMHO - rapport makes or breaks a sale and building it is imperative unless the client comes in with a "let's get down to business" attitude.

Again I point to my first example of my boat buying experience. I probably would have bought faster and not have negotiated so hard on the price had this sales person taken the time to treat a customer the way a customer wants to be treated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

With the best intention (step 1) and rapport (step 2) you still have to discover what and if the prospect will buy. Where is your discovery step? It looks like you skipped it and went right into a presentation.

Oh I have not even started my presentation yet.

Actually step 4 is give an overview of what I will be covering.

Example: Since you are considering ______ let's go over the three biggest factors That will create the biggest amount of _________ (their criteria) for you. A lot of _____ (your competitors job title) will tell you one or even two of these, but I want you to have it all. This way your decision to work together will be comfortable and obvious.

But to be a bit more direct about your discover step. As that seems that is what you are focused on. I do this at the very end, with a statement of "Is there anything else you need to hear to get started." Why would I waste any further time with them if I knew they where not interested?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

But to be a bit more direct about your discover step. As that seems that is what you are focused on. I do this at the very end, with a statement of "Is there anything else you need to hear to get started." Why would I waste any further time with them if I knew they where not interested?

Okay so discovery is step 5 for you?

What are the sales steps you use?

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