Page 616 - Business Principles and Management

Chapter 22 • Pricing and Promotion

while explaining its features and advantages. Whenever possible, salespeople
should encourage the customer to participate. When a customer is directly in-
volved and becomes comfortable using the product, initial interest can change
to desire to own the product.
In certain selling situations, such as selling very large or bulky products or
selling services, salespeople demonstrate without having the actual product.
They use items such as photographs, charts, catalogs, videotapes, or computer
displays. Such situations make it more difficult for the customer to get a true
feeling for the use of a product, so the salesperson must rely on effective com-
munication to increase understanding and desire to purchase the product.

ANSWERING CUSTOMER QUESTIONS

A customer usually has many questions during the salesperson’s presentation
and demonstration. The salesperson should not be concerned by the questions
but should view them as an opportunity to better understand the customer’s
needs and help the customer make the best decision.
When customers are not certain the product is suitable for them, they may
raise objections. Objections are concerns or complaints expressed by the cus-
tomer. Objections may represent genuine concerns, or they may simply be an
effort to avoid making a decision to purchase. It is difficult to second-guess a
customer to determine if the objection is real or not. The salesperson should lis-
ten carefully to the objection, then help the customer make the best decision.

CLOSING THE SALE

For many salespeople, the most difficult part of the selling process is asking the
customer to buy. As you saw in Figure 22-4, a decision to purchase involves sev-
eral steps, and each customer moves through those steps in a different way and
at a different speed.
If the salesperson has involved the customer in the sales presentation and has
listened carefully to the customer’s needs, the customer’s interest in buying should
be rather apparent. Typically, effective salespeople give the customer the oppor-
tunity to buy several times during the sales presentation by asking for a decision
on a specific model, color, price, or type of payment. If the customer continues
to ask questions, the salesperson answers the questions and continues the discus-
sion until the customer appears satisfied. Then the salesperson attempts to close
the sale again.
Many sales, particularly for expensive products, take several meetings between
the salesperson and the customer. In business-to-business selling, teams of sales-
people and company specialists may meet several times with teams of buyers
from the customer’s company. Several people will likely make the final decision.
Salespeople should continue to work with the customers until it is clear that they
do not want the product or until the sale is made.

FOLLOW-UP

The selling process is not complete just because the customer agrees to purchase
a product. Selling is successful only when the customer is satisfied. Satisfied cus-
tomers lead to repeat sales that help the company remain profitable in the future.
A plan for retaining customers includes several follow-up activities after the
sale. The salesperson should check with the customer to make sure that the order
is correct, that the customer knows how to use the product, and that the product

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