When approaching a sales meeting, it is important to go in with a plan that establishes a foundation around focusing on the needs of the potential customer. Coach Didonato framed this process very clearly that helps conceptualize the role of a salesperson.
The first step of the sales funnel is pre-call analysis. This includes the preliminary work of researching who you’re going to be talking with. The more you know going into the conversation, the better. For this reason, it is essential to dig up as much information as possible in order to tailor the conversation towards certain topics that you know the other party can relate to. The next step is need analysis. Need analysis consists of multiple general, open-ended questions that can tell you more about who the other party is based on how they answer. In this stage of the conversation, the most important thing to establish is trust. The formula for trust combines ability and intent. Once you let the potential buyer know that you have full capability to do what you say you can as well as show that your intentions are pure, this lays a foundation for moving forward with the sale. Once you have established trust, it is important to let the buyer take you down the specific path that they care most about. The general questions can help you see the big picture of the person then they will be able to hone in on what is nonnegotiable for them on their own. As the conversation begins to go down a specific path of need, the next stage is need awareness. This is where the more specific and probing questions as the salesperson take place. The goal of this stage is to reach the “AHA” moment for both parties when there is a realization of what the specific need is. Now, the awareness can be transferred into solving the need. In the need solution phase, the features of the solution tell, and benefits sell. This indicates focus should be direct toward the benefits that the features bring to fix the problem instead of the surface level features that only tell what the solution is itself. The final stage of the sales funnel is need satisfaction. This is when the salesperson can ask for the other party’s business as a call to action in order to close the sale.
This process helps both parties establish mutual understanding, and the salesperson is able to fully grasp the needs of the potential customer by being their guide. Coach DiDonato did a great job at giving us a glimpse into what it really means to be a talented salesperson that genuinely cares about others.
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