Sales jobs, tips for making appointments

In sales jobsyou could be mistaken for thinking the critical success factor is howgood you are in front of the customer. In fact this may not be true. As a sales manager I witness some really good 'sales technicians'struggle to produce enough results, and some relatively poortechnicians really shine rather well.

I would suggestthat within reason. it's more about how many customers they get infront of to sell, than how good they are at the act of sellingitself. So in this respect it is access skills and the ability togenerate calls which actually determines the quantity of results. But, I wouldn't stop here. There some who use exceptional charismato generate access and appointments who perhaps succeed over a shorttime but burn out beyond. In practise, I believe it is those whohave a simple and robust technique for booking appointments, whichthey can deliver day in day out without faltering who ultimately winin .

So what is thekey to booking appointments? Well to answer this, let's sit on theother side of the fence for a while. Although I spent many years insales job and subsequently sales management, I've spent the last 7years running my own company and have been the subject of daily salescalls.

Even running asmall company, time demands are brutal, so juggling competing demandson time is a constant battle, that said, I rarely turn down a salescall. Not through some kind of empathy being an ex salesman, simplybecause I've learned that success in a small business is as muchabout getting the right suppliers at the right price, as it is aboutselling more product. A new product that saves time or generatesextra sales may be well worth considering. Or a straight forwardreduction in costs for the same product or service may instantlyincrease profits.

When I take asales call, what I'm looking to establish right away is 'can thisperson benefit my business'. If I can't answer 'yes' to this prettyquickly then interest is gone instantly, along with any time theperson thought they had to complete their sales job. It's amazinghow many people come on the phone with something like, 'I'm from thewidget company and I'd like to sell you a widget'! I'm afraid thiswill be a low percentage hit rate.

I am reminded ofmy very first sales course, PSS III, which describes the use of a'general benefit' statement to generate access. Quite simply this isa reason for you call which is of benefit to your customer. Itdoesn't have to be a complicated benefit, nor a detailed description,just a real benefit that they 'may' realise if they talk to you. So,for example, “I've got a product that I'm convinced will help yousell more" will certainly generate my interest and invite some moretalk. In addition, “if you give half an hour of your time I'mconvinced I can reduce your costs in ......area" will also getresults with me.

Of course, whenthe clock starts ticking, if it becomes clear you haven't really gotanything of value you'll be shown the door, but that is not thepoint. Everybody in sales jobs should be familiar with the benefitsof their products, and familiar enough with their customers to nowwhat will get their interest.

In summary, tobe successful in sales jobs, always use a 'general benefit statement'when trying to generate access. That being a 'reason for you callwhich is of genuine benefit to your customer.' If you do thisroutinely, every time you attempt to get in front of a customer, yourresults will improve dramatically.