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SAVVY
SELLING - DECEMBER
16, 2005
From
the Mouths of Babes
By Michelle Nichols
EXECUTIVE
OVERVIEW
Learn
five new ways to open a sales
presentation based upon kids'
letters to Santa.
Nobody's sells
better than a kid after something
from Santa -- and with a few
minor changes, you can adapt
their techniques to your own
business
Some of the best selling going
on right now is performed by
children asking for their Christmas
booty. I recently read over
a hundred "Dear Santa"
letters, and it quickly became
obvious that there really are
natural-born salespeople. Regardless
of whether you celebrate Christmas
or not, there's a lot we can
learn from these peewee peddlers.
Remember, kids haven't been
to a Sales 101 class or even
a motivational seminar. They've
learned their craft by observing
what works for others, practicing
on their friends and family,
and developing their own selling
style. Obviously, you shouldn't
act like a child in front of
a customer -- children's ideas
need to be polished before they're
used on the over-20 crowd.
When I studied their letters,
I found five basic openings
to their sales presentations.
They are: "I deserve it,"
"How's the family,"
"Give to others first,"
"You're the greatest,"
and "Thanks for last year's
gift." Here are some ways
you can apply their pitches
to sell better to adults.
TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER. The
first kids' sales-opening strategy
sounds like, "I have been
good all year at school, home,
and church. So here's what I
want...." When adults sell,
it comes out like, "Ms.
Customer, we have exchanged
numerous voice mails and e-mails,
you agreed to have me present
to you and your committee, and
you've told me that you need
what I'm selling and that our
pricing is fair. Now let's get
started with an order for a
medium-sized system."
Assuming you've covered all
the bases that your customer
expected, this is a strong strategy.
When you start the sales process
by asking them what you would
need to do to win their business,
and you've followed through
on each step they asked for
to their satisfaction, you should
be in a strong position to get
the sale.
The second sales-opening strategy
children use is, "Dear
Santa, How are you? How's Mrs.
Claus? How are the reindeer
and the elves? How is the weather?
So here's what I want...."
When adults sell, you say it
like, "Mr. Customer, How
are you? What did you do last
weekend? How's the weather?
Did you see the recent big game
on TV?"
SHOULDER TO CRY ON. This strategy
works great in person so long
as you stop the small talk as
soon as your customer's eyes
glaze over. Remember to always
come to a full stop after "How
are you?" Many people won't
tell you how they really are
because they doubt that you
genuinely care. You should also
accept that there are some buyers
who guard their private life
intensely and they will never
tell you any more about themselves
than the fact that they are
having a fine day.
The third sales-opening strategy
we can learn from kids sounds
like, "Please bring some
boots for my dad, a necklace
for my mom, a doll for my sister,
and a chew toy for my dog. Please
bring clothes and toys for all
the people in the whole world.
Don't bring me anything, but
if you insist, here's what I
want...."
When adults use this technique,
you say something like, "I'm
not really here to sell you
anything. I just want to be
your friend. I want to answer
all your questions, perform
unlimited demonstrations, and
give you lots of free samples
and advice."
It's great to be a resource
to your clients and help them
solve their other problems.
Don't forget you're in sales
though, and remember to sell
them something every now and
then, or eventually you'll go
out of business. Then you can't
help them anymore. One good
pace you can strive for is for
every favor or two you do for
them, help them to buy something
from you, and then you can do
them a few more favors.
HONEYED WORDS. The fourth sales-opening
strategy -- flattery -- is used
by salespeople of all ages.
When kids express it, they write,
"You are the greatest in
the whole world. I like your
moustache. It looks like a cloud.
You are my best friend. I love
you very much. I love how you
say 'Ho ho ho.'" Actually,
it sounds about the same when
adults use it. We often throw
in "Have you lost weight?"
Flattery really can get you
somewhere. There's so much negativity
today that a compliment is always
a good idea -- as long as it's
sincere. There's something nice
about everyone, so find it and
compliment it. Complimenting
their jewelry or office is usually
a safe bet. Don't go overboard
on flattery, but a compliment
is like a piece of candy without
the calories or guilt.
The last sales-opening strategy
we can learn from the younger
set starts with, "Thank
you for the great toy last year.
I really like it. This year
I would like...." When
adults call on their customers
like this, you say, "Thank
you for your last order. Would
you like to order again?"
TANTRUM TIME. A good question
to ask before you request their
repeat business is whether it
worked out the way they expected.
Maybe you could ask how it could
have gone better. Sometimes
the problem isn't with the product
or service itself but with the
implementation. Perhaps the
instructions are complicated
or it's hard for a left-handed
person to use or assemble. It's
wise to flush this out before
you ask for another order.
For more ideas on selling from
a child's perspective, check
out How to Negotiate Like a
Child: Unleash the Little Monster
Within to Get Everything You
Want by Bill Adler, Jr. (Amacom
2005). It includes chapters
with titles such as "Throw
a Tantrum," "Just
Cry," "Call in Back-Up,"
"Be Nice," "Take
Your Ball and Go Home,"
"Play One Side Against
the Other," and "Change
the Subject."
You can learn a lot from sales
books and seminars. You can
also discover a lot about sales
just from watching children
as they persuade their siblings,
friends, parents - and even
Santa. Happy selling!
Michelle Nichols is a
professional sales speaker and
consultant based in Reno, NV. She welcomes your questions
and comments. You can visit
her web site at www.savvyselling.com
or contact her at michelle.nichols@savvyselling.com.
Her direct line is (281) 610-6307
and her
toll-free number is (877) 352-9684.
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