Marketing Communications

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Marketing Communications
Personified Promotion

SELLING PROCESS AND STAGES

The selling process is made up of certain basic steps taken in stages. For some products, some of the
steps are not so important or so difficult to achieve as for others. It is very important that the salesman
must cover a good ground therefore, he must check that he has successfully achieved each step before
going on to the next step. Once a salesman loses control, he loses the initiative and the customer loses
confidence in him, and the decision to buy such product will not be made by the customer.

STEPS AND STAGES OF SELLING

The steps and stages are as follows:

1) PRE-CALL OR PRE-APPROACH

•    Planning to sell

•    Identifying the customer.

2) THE SALE

STEP 1 – APPROACH OR SALES PRESENTATION

•    Opening the interview.

•    Getting information.

•    Establishing the customer’s criteria for ordering.

•    Pre-handling objectives.

•    Handling competition

STEP 2 – NEGOTIATION

•    Selling benefits

•    Overcoming objections

•    Summarizing prior to close the sale

STEP 3 – CLOSE, ORDERING AND FOLLOW-UP

•    Closing sales

•    Keeping the customer sold, through after sales follow-up

THE USE OF QUESTIONS OR PROBING IN SELLING

The ability to ask the appropriate question during sales presentation is very essential for salesman.
Without question, you can never find out what the prospective customer wants to buy, or if he has any
buying motive, question allows a retain of the initiative in the discussion. If you are asking question,
you hold the right to establish the product under discussion then conversation will continue along the
lines indicated by your questioning. Questions give you control of the discussion.

Questioning makes you appear a pleasant and interesting person, on the principle that people prefer
talking to listening.