Simply Sales with Scott
Written By: Scott Koepf, Senior Vice President of Sales, Avoya Travel
Snappy Impact
This month I am going to reference two very good books on sales as we continue to look at the sales process. The first step in the sales continuum is preparation which you are doing by reading this article (bravo and thank you!) and much of that preparation should be focused on the next step which is the opening.
Whether you call it the opening or the greeting or the first impression, it is the step that influences the tone for the entire interaction with your customer. While your marketing and brand exposure may set some expectations and hopefully delivers a consistent and powerful message, it is your first personal contact that will prove your marketing or brand trustworthy.
Todd Duncan in the book High Trust Sales, uses the following acronym to determine if your opening has the IMPACT you need. I have added some thoughts and questions to each to ask yourself.
- Inspirational – Right from the start are your customers excited to hear from you? Is there a “wow” factor in your opening sentence? No matter if your first contact is by phone or email or text, you should spend time on crafting an introduction that inspires your customers.
- Motivational – Inspiration may surprise and thrill people but you also need them to be excited to hear more. Is your opening teasing up action? It is important to give customers a burning desire to spend more time with you and hear more.
- Professional – You want your personality to shine through but in the opening you need to establish that you are not just an expert but the best alternative available. In as short a time as possible it needs to be clear to all customers that you are not only professional but better choice than going direct or using any other agency.
- Applicable – Is the information you provide relevant to what they really need. Remember there is usually a significant difference between what people say they want and what they really need. Most customers will ask for price right away but is that really the primary reason for reaching out to you for help? The only way to get to the underlying needs of a customer is through asking the right questions. Spend time crafting creative and meaningful questions to build a relationship and learn all you can about your customer’s desires.
- Considerate – Sales is about building relationships and even if great information or advice is being shared the purchase decision will be based to a great extent on if the customer likes you. Being authentic and kind and caring will eventually be what will make someone buy from you and maybe more importantly, tell others about you and come back to you over and over again.
- Trustworthy – The foundation of sales is trust. It is not about the product, the price, or the information shared but instead a transaction will be completed with you only if the customer trusts you. Every aspect noted above needs to be designed to build trust between you and the customer. While it is almost cliché to say that you are in the business of building relationships, your ability to do so is based on establishing trust.
Snap Selling by Jill Konrath uses a different acronym to explain the best way to approach sales in today’s marketplace. Once again with a few extra comments added, here is a great summary to keep in mind throughout the entire sales process.
- Simple – The necessary information delivered via phone messages and emails needs to be concise, powerful and easy to understand. However, simple does not mean easy! To deliver your messages that appear simple, it takes time and effort. You need to experiment, tinker and constantly revise your communications to maximize efficiency.
- iNvaluable – Make your value known quickly. Given the access that consumers have to information and as many consumers are unaware of the value of using a travel agent, you need to tell them right up front. You can no longer wait to prove your value through customer service after the sale is made as the customer won’t buy from you in the first place if they don’t know what you will be offering them.
- Aligned – Be Ruthlessly Relevant by listening intently to your customers. Share your expertise and how that ‘insider’ knowledge will be of extraordinary help to them. Remember customers want to be involved in the planning process so your role is not to replace the enjoyment of researching their vacation but to work with them and act as both a guide and a Sherpa!
- Priority – Know your customer’s priorities through planned and well-crafted questions. Then communicate and integrate those priorities through all of your conversations. When you know that the primary purpose of the trip is romance or reconnecting with family then focus on how you will make that desire become reality for them.
Sales is about relating to and connecting to people but like all relationships, when the relationship is approached intentionally the chance of long term satisfaction skyrockets. Just like a romantic relationship, thinking of getting flowers for the apple of your eye is a great idea. Actually buying the flowers is much better. Knowing which exact flowers your intended really loves adds to the impact. And finally, the delivery of the flowers with a practiced poem of undying love will seal the deal. As compared to pulling some flowers out of the yard and delivered with a ‘here, these are for you’ the flowers may be delivered but the actual result will be quite different.
Be intentional about every aspect of the sales process and you will provide …..
Snappy Impact!