Tips for Sales: Listen, Ask, Tell, Build

Set a goal to do at least 1 thing for your Multi-Pure business each day. "From small acorns grow mighty oak trees."

Today's blog entry comes from Kenton Jones, one of our terrific marketing managers here at Multi-Pure Corporation!

"There’s no shortage of advice. This statement is especially true for those of us in sales. Often, that advice can be chalked up to common sense, and sometimes it comes from experience. The following is an easy-to-swallow dose of both.

Some of you may have heard of Rhonda Abrams. She’s a syndicated columnist, reaching millions of readers through newspaper and online channels. Her specialty is providing business planning expertise, and let’s face it, Multi-Pure isn't just a hobby for you, but a business. I’ve had one of her columns posted up on the wall of my office for 7 years now, because I like it so much. I’m going to take that column and give it some good ol’ Multi-Pure mojo.

Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make a sale. Don’t beat yourself up about it though, sales is more of a craft than an art. It can be learned. Rhonda tells us that there are a few keys to successful sales:

Listen: No sales skill is more important than keeping your mouth shut. A great salesperson hears what customers want – their concerns and priorities. When calling on a customer, it’s tempting to start spewing out your sales pitch: “We have the most highly certified filter...blah blah blah” or “It costs pennies per gallon...blah blah blah” or “It’s the green alternative to bottled water...blah blah blah”. You get the point. By listening, you can better understand how Multi-Pure meets your customer’s needs and desires. Find out what's important to THEM.

Ask: Obviously, you can’t listen to your customer if you don’t get them talking in the first place. You need to draw them out (face it, some people just don’t like to talk). Try some of these: “What do you like about your tap water/bottled water/current filter?” or “What don’t you like about your current water source?” or “What are the most important features of your tap water/bottled water/current filter?”

Tell: Tell them what they get with a Multi-Pure, not what you do. Customers don’t want to know the ins and outs of your business (unless you’re recruiting them as a Distributor!) they want to know how you meet their needs. The old sales axiom is “sell the benefits, not the features.” Instead of saying “It’s the most highly certified filter in the galaxy,” (which it is), you may want to say, “Your children will be protected from a very wide range of harmful health contaminants.”

Appreciate: Appreciate the benefits of the Multi-Pure system! (This is my favorite). Genuine enthusiasm is contagious. If you truly believe you’re offering your customer something worthwhile, you’re likely to be an effective salesperson. This is why we have the first purchase requirement for new Distributors.

Don’t Oversell: Don’t make promises you can’t keep. This is especially true with a product such as ours which provides protection against health concerns. Don’t say “It takes everything bad out of the water” – you know better than that. It reduces and removes an awful lot of bad stuff, but more and more chemicals and pharmaceuticals are entering our water sources every day, and NSF might not even have a certification standard for them yet. It’s tempting to close a deal by telling the customer everything they want to hear, but they’ll appreciate your honesty, and they’ll be more likely to recommend Multi-Pure to others. Bottom line...be honest.

Compare, don’t criticize: This is a tough one when Multi-Pure clearly has the best product out there! However, disparaging other companies or other technologies makes you appear malicious. Instead, factually – and positively – compare our benefits and value with our competitors.

Build relationships: People do business with other people. Sounds obvious, but be likeable and trustworthy. Consider the “lifetime value” of a customer, especially if you want them to be buying replacement filters every year. You might want to give up some of your commission to begin an ongoing customer relationship. One way a single Independent Distributor can compete with big guys is by building strong customer relationships.

Sales are a natural and necessary part of business life. You don’t have to be glib or a naturally gifted salesperson to be successful. Just go out there and try. And keep trying. It gets easier the more you do it."

For the original column and other tips from Rhonda Abrams visit www.PlanningShop.com

Kenton Jones