08 TrainingManual ProfessionalSellingSkills PDF

sales training manual
professional
selling skills
Let's face it — Simply Amish is a product which needs to be sold by a

professional. For starters, it is a brand that attracts a more sophisticated
customer who will be talking to you about an heirloom investment. Heirloom
investments come at higher price points. And, of course, Simply Amish pieces
are usually sold as custom designs. That means building a relationship and
analyzing the customer's needs. No, representing the Simply Amish brand is
not a job for a sales clerk. It calls for professional selling skills. And that is
just what you will find in this relationship selling chapter.
MANY STYLES. ONE STANDARD.

2-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com
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TRAINING MANUAL
pre-greeting assumptions
The most successful sales professionals have learned that there are multiple steps in
a customer encounter. The first of these steps is to assume certain things about every
customer; things that have been proven to be true about almost everyone and which will
greatly enhance your understanding of customer behavior. Because we can assume these
things before we even meet our customer, we call them the Pre-Greeting Assumptions:
things we can assume about every customer and usually be correct.
PRE-GREETING ASSUMPTION #1
My next customer needs more furniture than she will ask for today.
You have probably noticed that most customers say they are looking for just a single item
or piece of furniture. It is important for you to remember that to create the beautiful
home environment the customer is seeking, he or she will need much more than the
single item or two being asked for today.
My next customer is not aware of her total furniture needs.
It is not the customer's fault that he or she is not aware of the total furniture needs
for the room. But it will be very helpful to them if you make this assumption with every
customer and to gently begin raising their awareness. The following pages will show you
how.
My next customer can spend more money than she is planning to spend.
You know this one is true, don't you? That's because it is usually true for you and all your
friends. We very often spend more than we planned on an important purchase.
It may be that we did not start our shopping with realistic expectations of what a given
product really costs.
Or, more likely, when we saw the item or items that would provide exactly the look,
comfort and excitement we were seeking, we were happy to pay more for it.
Key point: always show your customers the items that will solve their decorating problems
or meet their needs, even if those items are somewhat more than the customer said she
wanted to spend.
www.simplyamish.com 3-Professional Selling Skills

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My next customer cannot explain her total furniture needs.
Perhaps the customer has a vision of the beautiful room they would like to create. Maybe
they saw it in a magazine or a movie or in a model home. But they do not know how to
explain that look to you. They do not know the language of our profession. That's why
they need you. Don't be frustrated by customers' inability to explain their needs. It is
true for almost all of them. Be empathetic, and you will distinguish yourself from all of
your competitors.
My next customer is afraid of making a mistake.
This is perhaps the most important of all the Pre-Greeting Assumptions. Customers have
this fear because:
• They have made home furnishings mistakes in the past
• Unprofessional salespeople have sold them the wrong products
• They do not want to be taken advantage of on quality or price.
My next customer is a candidate for an in-home visit.
When you go to the customer's home:
• You can see and help make them aware of their total room needs
• They no longer have to explain their room needs; you can see them.
• Their fear of making a mistake is reduced.
The vast majority of customers can be capably assisted in the store without you going
to their home. But until you verify that through your questions and needs analysis, you
should always assume each customer is a candidate for an in-home visit.
EMBRACE THE PRE-GREETING ASSUMPTIONS

A great deal of your likely success depends upon the degree to which
you embrace the six Pre-Greeting Assumptions. It is like having a crystal
ball to know several important things about your customer.
Review them frequently.

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a relationship-building greeting
SOME BASICS
STEP 1: WELCOMING THE CUSTOMER

We are always happy that another customer had paid us a visit. And we want
them to feel welcome. So why not voice those feelings to every customer?
"Hi, welcome to our store. Thank you for coming in today."
Naturally, you can make the actual words reflect your own personality, but it is essential
that those words convey the two important sentiments: We want them to feel welcome.
And we appreciate that they chose our store.
STEP 2: SOCIAL CONVERSATION

Perhaps the most important but definitely the most neglected part of the entire sales
presentation is social conversation with the customer.
remember:
Other things being equal, we prefer to buy from people we like and from people who are
like us. Social conversation is how customers can learn if they like you and if they ARE like
you. Spend time in social conversation with each customer.
What questions or comments will get a good conversation started?

• Unless there is some weather phenomenon in progress, you will not have much of a
conversation about the weather
• Sincere compliments are always welcome by customers, but can you expand the
compliment into a way to learn more about them as individuals?
• Most people enjoy talking about their children.
• If the customer mentions a hobby or vacation or some other personal interest, take
time to expand the discussion.
• When you are at a loss for how to begin social conversation, try asking if the
customer lives nearby. You can then talk about the area, the traffic, the growth, the
schools, etc.
"Are you new to the area? Do you live nearby?"

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STEP 3: FIRST OFFER OF ASSISTANCE

Social conversation will help you earn the right to make your first offer of assistance. If
you have stayed completely away from the selling role and instead showed the customer
your interest in her as a person, she should feel very comfortable with a general question
such as:
"What brings you in today?"
Remember: ask this question after you have made social conversation.
STILL "JUST LOOKING?"

Despite your best efforts at making customers feel welcome and showing your sincere
interest in them, many of them will still say they are "just looking."
When they say they just want to look around, put them further at easy by saying:
"That's great! I'm glad you chose our store to look in."
STEP 4: OFFER HELPFUL INFORMATION

Customers will enjoy their shopping experience much more if they understand the Simply
Amish concept. You should share it with everyone.
A good time to introduce it is after your first offer of assistance is rejected. In the example
on the previous page, the customer said: "I'm just looking."
Your response, once again, is to say:
"That's great! I'm glad you chose our store to look in!"
And then you will provide some helpful information specific to your store:
"Let me just tell you some things that will help you as you browse.
"See how helpful
this information is?"
First you should not feel limited to just the things you see on display. We
specialize in custom furniture. We really want you to create a look that is
unique and special for you and the way you live. If you do not see exactly
what you want here in the showroom, we can change many pieces to meet
your needs for style and comfort. Keep that in mind while you browse."

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By now, your customer is starting to see (1) that you are a pretty helpful design consultant
who seems sincerely interested in helping and (2) this is the kind of store where perhaps
it would be nice to have some assistance.
If, however, the customer still wants to browse, encourage her to do so. And then...
STEP 5: RE-APPROACH WITH HELPFUL INFORMATION

When you feel that both you and the customer would be comfortable with a re-approach,
offer some information that the customer could probably not know from her browsing.
For example:
"This is a great look. And, of course, it is available in any of our seven wood
options"
BUILDING THE RELATIONSHIP

Greeting the customer, as described on the previous page, has been proven to be effective
at starting a relationship with most customers. Here's why:
• It makes the customer feel welcome.
• It is completely non-aggressive and not high pressure.
• It gently nudges the customer toward sharing their needs.
• It explains our unique program.
• It gives permission to browse.
• It is very unlike the greeting used (or not used) in most stores.
greeting reminders
• Work on the relationship first, sell later
• Show a sincere interest in the customer and her life
• Earn the right to make the first offer of assistance
The key to a successful Greeting is the amount of time you spend in social
conversation.

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SUMMARY
Welcome: "Hi. Welcome to our store. Thanks for coming in today."
Social Conversation: Choose a topic that you can have a real conversation about. You
want to get to know them a little (and help them get to know you).
First Offer of Assistance: "What brings you in today?"
If they say they are "just looking": "That's great! I'm glad you chose our store to look
in."
Share Helpful Information: "Let me just tell you some things that will help you as
you browse. First, you should not feel limited to just the things you see on display. We
"See how helpful specialize in custom furniture. We really want you to create a look that is unique and
this information is?"
special for you and the way you live. If you do not see exactly what you want here in the
showroom, we can change many pieces to meet your needs for style and comfort. Keep
that in mind while you browse."
Re-Approach With Helpful Information: "Most Simply Amish solid wood pieces come
in your choice of seven different woods."
Introduce Yourself: As soon as you feel it would be comfortable for you and your
customer. This may happen during the Greeting or any time later in your visit with the
customer.

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REVIEW
1. A Relationship-Building Greeting has several goals. Check next to as many of the following that are goals
of the greeting.
____Uncover a need ____Start building a relationship
____Develop "common ground" ____Show appropriate products
____Handle initial objections ____Learn the customer's name
2. Along with saying "Welcome to our store," what other thing should be said or done almost immediately?
a) "What brings you in today? b)"Thanks for stopping in today." c) "Let me tell you some things that will
help you as you browse." d) Introduce yourself.
3. Which of the following is likely to be the weakest topic for social conversation? a) The weather b) The
customer's children c) Where the customer lives d) Comments or questions about a beautiful, unique thing
the customer is wearing
4. Which of these questions—used to transition after Social Conversation—makes a good First Offer of
Assistance? a) "How are you doing today?" b)"What brings you in today?" c) "What room are you working
on?" d) "Are you familiar with Simply Amish?"
5. Which of the following is the recommended response if you say "What brings you in today?" and the customer
says: "I am just looking." a) Explain about your custom furniture options b) Ask what they are looking for
c) Ask what room they are shopping for d) Tell them it is a great store for looking around and getting ideas
6. What should you do when you re-approach a customer who has been browsing?
7. When should you introduce yourself to the customer?
Review your answers with your manager before continuing in the workbook.

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needs analysis and development
THE KEY NEEDS ANALYSIS QUESTION

One simple question can start you on the road to needs analysis success. It is a question
so useful that top performing design consultants always use it to start the needs analysis
and development process.
"Tell me about your room..."
This single question can gain you more useful information about the needs of the customer
than any other. Customers love to describe their rooms and challenges in great detail.
All you have to do is listen.
WHAT YOU WILL HEAR

Saying "Tell me about your room..."will usually prompt such a flood of information that
you cannot possibly keep track of it all or truly visualize the room being described—much
less remember it for a couple of days if the customer leaves and then returns to your store.
What you need is an organized way to make a visual representation of the room and to
note some critical things about it.
And those things can be accomplished with a simple yet thorough sketch of their room.
A sketch of the customer's room is the most helpful single thing you can do for you and
your customers. In addition, sketching helps build the relationship and sets you apart
from your competitors. Keep a simple artist's sketchpad nearby at all times.

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GETTING FROM THE QUESTION TO THE SKETCH

Once again, you should always say: "Tell me about your room..." Allow the customer to
start sharing details of the space.
After they have mentioned a few important details about the room, use a brief—and
absolutely true—statement like this:
"Excuse me, Sarah... this sounds like it is going to be a fun room to decorate,
but with all this information I find that the best thing to do is to create a
simple sketch and make some notes while we talk. I do it all the time, and
it works great. Would you mind helping me with it? When we're done, I
think we will have a common understanding of what needs to be done in the
room."
FOUR CATEGORIES OF QUESTIONS

There are four important areas you need to explore in order to truly understand a
customer's needs:
• Present Room Configuration
• Merchandise Needs
• Lifestyle
• Budget & Time Frame

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1. Present Room Configuration

This is the actual sketch of the room. Ask questions that will tell you what you need
to know about the room as it is today. Note: use this page to sketch only the present
configuration. Your ideas—if you earn the right to present them later—can be sketched
elsewhere.
Although the sketch is not to scale and can be done very quickly, getting good answers
to your questions will give you an excellent understanding of the room. Briefly note your
answers right on the sketch.
SOME ROOM CONFIGURATION QUESTIONS

Below are some typical room configuration questions. Obviously, there are many
others. Ask as many questions as you need to understand the situation.
• What is the general shape of the room?
• What are the approximate room dimensions?
• What furniture do you have in the space now? How is it arranged?
• Where are the doors? The windows?
• What is the room exposure (in terms of light)?
• What is the focal point in the room?
• What is the lighting like?
• What feeling does the room have now?
• What feeling would you like the room to have?
• What problem(s) are you trying to solve?

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2. Specific Merchandise Questions

These questions can help you understand what the customer is planning to keep, replace,
add or delete in the room.
Again, note the answers on the sketch.
3. Lifestyle Questions
Lifestyle questions tell you how the room will be used and by whom. You may ask questions
such as:
• How many people are there in your household?
• What will this room be used for?
• Who will be using this room? Kids?
• Will the pets be allowed in this room?
• Does anyone in the family have special comfort needs e.g. firm seat, high back, etc.
• How often will this room be used?
• What time of day will the room be used most?
• What kind and how many pets do you have?
• Do you entertain? For business? For pleasure?
• What are your hobbies/interests?
• What are the hobbies/interests of other members of your household?
• Do you collect things? What?
• Is there anything else I should know?

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4. Budget and Time Frame Questions

You need good answers for how much the customer is planning to spend and when they
need their new furniture in their homes. Many customers will try to hedge or give you
general answers. You need to narrow them to a specific range.
SOME HELPFUL BUDGET AND TIMING QUESTIONS

• To meet the requirements you've told me about, I can show you pieces from [bottom
of price range] to [top of price range]. Do you have a figure in mind?
• What are you planning to spend to complete your room?
• Is there a specific time by which you need this piece?
• When would you like to have the whole room completed?
Educate the customer with realistic Simply Amish delivery times and prices. Tell them
the least (or shortest), the most (or longest) and the average. This will help customers
feel comfortable selecting an answer that feels good to them. Do not accept meaningless
general answers. Say: "Help me if you would...within these ranges, what would be
acceptable for you?"

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TO GET MORE SKETCHES

• Keep your sketchpad nearby at all times. And, sketch quickly, not to scale.
TO MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL CONTROL

• Never give the client the sketch from your sketchbook. The sketch is your permanent
record of this customer's room needs.
TO GET THE HIGHEST QUALITY SKETCH

• Explain to the customer why you are sketching.
• Do your sketches while seated.
• Draw the outline of the room yourself. You may then allow the customer to add
features in the room if he or she wishes to do so.
• Make lots of notes. Complete as many of the questions on the sketchpad pages as
possible.
• Frequently mention the importance of creating a plan for the room.
TO CREATE THE BEAUTIFUL ROOM THE CUSTOMER WANTS

• Use the stated budget as a guideline only. Remember the Pre-Greeting Assumption
that says customers can always spend more than they state. When you present the
right solutions for your customers' decorating problems, they will find a way to
make the purchase.
• When you finish the sketch, review the details with the customer to make sure you
have everything correct. Your dialogue might be:
"Let me be sure I understand all of this. You want a new dining table that
will be pretty and correlate with your other furnishings, correct?
And you host several family dinners each year when you need seating for as
many as eight adults, right?
And overall, you want a classic, simple look that will be easy to take care of,
did I understand that right?"

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REVIEW
1. The recommended question to use after the customer begins talking about her needs is:
2. When the customer responds to that question with a flood of information about her room, what should you
do next to help both of you understand her needs better?
3. Suppose the customer has started telling you all about her room, sharing details of where all the furniture
is positioned, how the room is used, what colors she likes, etc. In the space below, write a brief dialogue
that would help your customer see the value of now allowing you to sketch the room.
4. What are the four different kinds of questions you should ask to complete a good sketch?
5. In addition to a sketch of the room, what else will appear on the page with your sketch?
Review your answers with your manager before doing the next review exercise.

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presenting your selections
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Needs Analysis and Sketching will usually accomplish these desired goals:
1. Make you aware of the customer's needs.
2. Bring the customers to an awareness of their needs.
3. Earn the right to present a solution to the decorating need.
NOW IS THE TIME TO USE YOUR SKETCH

As you sketched, not only did you begin to understand the customer's stated need, there
is a good chance that you learned other needs in the room.
Start with the originally-stated need. Show your customer the style, wood type, wood
finish, etc. that will best meet her needs.
As you are presenting the product and its features, you should:
• Justify your choices
• Ask for feedback

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presenting your selections
JUSTIFY YOUR CHOICES

For each significant aspect of the chosen item, reference the information gathered on the
sketch. For instance:
"You told me you did not want the wood in your new cabinet to be as light as
your maple cabinets and without a heavy grain. And, as you can see, the me-
dium finish you selected on this beautiful cherry wood will give you exactly
the look you want."
-OR-
"I think this is a good choice because you can easily insert the extra leaf to
expand the table for your frequent large gatherings."
ASK FOR FEEDBACK

Your customer will see that you are as concerned as she is about making
the perfect choice if you frequently ask for feedback about your choices. In
particular, inquire about how the customer feels about things.
"Do you feel this finish would correlate with the other wood you have in the
room?"
"How do you feel about the size of this table?"
"How do you like this?"
"Can you see how this could work in the room?"

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REVIEW
1. Assume you have done a sketch and learned many things about your customer's needs. You decide to show
her a Sophia Panel Bed in cherry wood with the autumn haze finish. Write an example of what you might say
to justify the style, wood and finish of a Simply Amish bed you are showing to your customer.
2. With the customer and situation described above, in the space below, write one or two ways you could ask
for feedback about the choices you and she made:

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handling objections
The first thing to do is welcome the opportunity to deal with the objection. Look at it this
way: Would you rather have the customer leave without telling you why they did not buy?
Or would you rather have them tell you so you could respond?
Of course you would prefer to know the customer's concern so you can address it.
That's why a recommended first response to most objections is to thank the customer for
stating it.
"We can't really wait to order something. We need it right away."
"That's important
to know. Thanks for
telling me..."

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handling objections
SOME COMMON OBJECTIONS
"This is the first

store we've been
to, and we want to
shop around."
accept the objection

" I know how you feel, wanting to be certain that this is the best store to solve your
decorating challenge."
PROVIDE HELPFUL INFORMATION
"As you continue your shopping for a new dining set, be sure to ask if other stores
have a lifetime warranty and if they use solid hardwood in their construction. And
I think we've agreed it is always better to have something custom made for your
needs rather than taking a floor sample or something from a warehouse."
SHOW THAT THEIR NEEDS ARE YOUR PRIMARY CONCERN
"I know how it goes after you shop several stores: people often end up even more
confused. But how about this: Why don't I call you in a few days to see how you did
in your shopping and to answer the additional questions that usually come up?"
TO AVOID THIS OBJECTION

Build your product knowledge and behave in such a customer-driven manner that your
customers will decide they do not want to shop anywhere but our store.

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handling objections
SOME SPECIFIC OBJECTIONS

Although careful needs analysis, sketching, and professional techniques for handling
objections will eliminate many objections, you may need specific messages for certain
objections.
The most common objections voiced at stores selling quality custom products such as
those from Simply Amish and excellent ways to deal with them are listed below and on
the following pages.
OBJECTION: "I don't want to wait for delivery."
• Find out why. Ask: "Oh, is there a particular reason why you need this
immediately?" Few customers have a good reason.
• You will enjoy it a lot longer than you will wait for it. Point out how long
they have been thinking about and shopping for new furniture. Point out how
long they have had and will have their furniture. In that light, several weeks
is really insignificant.
• Remind customers what they can be doing to prepare the room. Customer
may want to clean carpet, paint, wallpaper, get rid of old furniture, etc.
• Point out how fast time passes. Use a monthly bill or anything that happened
several weeks ago to illustrate how time flies.
• Stress benefits of buying new furniture, not a shopworn floor sample

or a dusty warehouse piece.
• Stress the pride of ownership from buying custom furniture.
• Point out that the customer may shop several more weeks and still
compromise. Say: "You're talking about a specialty item. You'll probably end
up special ordering from somebody."

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handling objections
OBJECTION: "The price is more than I want to spend."
• Use only the difference. Remember: the customer does not object to the whole
price, just to the amount that is above what they planned to pay. So first, find
what the customer planned to pay. Then re-state the objection, using only
the difference. "So it sounds like this is about $800 more than you wanted to
spend." As you continue to deal with the objection, use that figure rather than
the whole amount.
• Show the additional cost per year. Divide the above price difference by the
expected life of the purchase. "So, for an additional $80 a year, you can have
exactly what you want rather than compromise." For the price of one dinner at
a nice restaurant, they can get what they really want.
• Stress the benefits. Quality, styling, comfort and pride of ownership at a fair
price.
• Stress value. You can't buy the same or better furniture for less.
• Price and cost are not the same. The price of a $3000 table and chairs is less
than the price of Simply Amish table and chairs at $4800. But if you never
really like the $3000 pieces, the cost in personal satisfaction is tremendous—
certainly more than the $1800 price difference.
• Stress the cost of additional shopping: It costs time and money to go to other
stores and perhaps still not find something as nice as what they have selected
here.
• Remind customer how important the items are in the room. A beautiful
dining set, for instance, may be the focal point of the room. They should not
cut corners on the most important things in their room.
• Remind customer: "You owe it to yourself to get what you really want." Many
of your customers feel this way and just need your reminder.
• Offer financing to make the purchase affordable.
• Remind customer that "Quality doesn't cost, it pays."

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handling objections
OBJECTION: "I can't visualize what my custom piece will look like."
• Personal reassurance. Your customers want to hear that they are making a
good choice. Often, confidence and enthusiasm about their selection will
overcome their objection. Say:
- "I think it will look great."
- "This will really work well with your colors."
- "A classic style like this looks great in any room."
- "Looking at the sketch of your room and recalling what you've told me, I think this
is a perfect choice."
• Get a second opinion. Have another sales consultant offer more reassurance.
• Show a similar look from pictures in the Simply Amish catalog. Relate that
look to what the customer is trying to accomplish.
• Offer a house call to confirm the choices.

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handling objections
REVIEW
1. In the space below, write only the first sentence of what you would say to someone who says: "I don't want
to get into ordering something because I know it always takes longer than expected."
2. Look once again at all the objections covered on the preceding pages. In the space below, list any objections
that you hear frequently but which were not covered. Consider how the techniques in this section could be
used to handle those objections, and discuss them with your manager.

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closing the sale
BUYING SIGNALS
"Among all the books written about selling, there is one common agreement: the
reason most sales are lost is that the salesperson never actually asked for the
sale."
Why don't salespeople ask for the order? One reason is that they do not recognize and
respond to buying signals.
Buying Signals are your indication that the customer is ready to buy!
SOME COMMON BUYING SIGNALS

• Customer asks questions about delivery, options, etc.
• Customer objects to price (they want to buy, they just don't like the price).
• Customer makes repeated positive comments about items you've shown them.
• Customer returns to one particular item over and over.
• Customer holds, carries, keeps possession of a particular sample.
• Customer refers to the item as "mine" or "ours."
• Customer talks about the item as it will look or be used in their home.
• Customer who had been disagreeable or argumentative becomes friendlier.
• Couples begin to have more fun with the shopping experience, touching and
laughing more.
Seldom are buying signals overt: "I love it! I'll take it!" They are usually much
more subtle as indicated above.

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closing the sale
ASKING FOR THE ORDER

Your customer has made a special trip to your store, worked with you to find the item that
fills their needs and showed you that they want to buy it. In order for them to actually get
the bed or table or sofa that will solve their decorating problem, they must place their
order. But you are going to have to ask them to do it.
And don't worry about appearing pushy by asking for the sale:
1. Your customers expect it. The architect who designed their home. The doctor who
recommended minor surgery. All of them asked the customer to make the decision
to authorize what was needed. The customer expects you to do the same.
2. You have a right to do it! Try to imagine any other profession where the client can
take an hour of the professional's time and not be charged for it. Yet we do it all the
time: diagnosing, studying, interviewing, sketching, prescribing. No charge! And
we are not about to institute a fee for such services. But—after doing our profes-
sional best to meet their needs—we do have an absolute right to ask the customer to
buy the products we propose.
You have provided a professional service...
ASK FOR THE ORDER!

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closing the sale
HOW TO CLOSE
First, remember this: Closing is not a trick or a manipulation. It is the logical conclusion
to the process in which you have built rapport and trust, uncovered needs and furnished
solutions.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CLOSE
• The Presentation Close — Show them the items you have discussed, give them
the price and say: "What would you like to do today?" or "What would you like
to get started with today?"
• The Assumptive Close — This method of closing assumes that the customer
is going to buy and that the customer is looking to you to help make the
right decision. It works best when you have developed a high degree of trust
and a comfortable relationship with the customer. You will probably say
something like: "I'll write this up for you, and we'll get our craftsmen busy
on it immediately."
"What would you

like to get started • The Direct Question Close — Use this with customers who want more control
with today?" over the decision. Instead of saying "Let me write this up," you might say: "So
what do you think? Should I get this on order for you?"
• The Next Step Close — This method gives the customer absolute control over
the final decision. He or she hears all the benefits summarized and you simply
ask: "So, what's our next step?"
• The Experience Close — You use this method by reminding the customer of
the enhanced experience of owning the furniture. "Wouldn't it be great to
have your next Thanksgiving dinner on this beautiful table that you custom-
designed instead of the small, hand-me-down table you have now?"

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TRAINING MANUAL
closing the sale
REVIEW
1. List three or more buying signals.
2. Explain why it is not pushy or aggressive to ask the customer to buy the things you have presented.
3. Explain each of the following closing techniques.

• The Presentation Close
• The Assumptive Close
• The Direct Question Close
• The Next Step Close
• The Experience Close

© 2011 Simply Amish — All rights Reserved

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sales training manual

Let's face it — Simply Amish is a product which needs to be sold by a

MANY STYLES. ONE STANDARD.

www.simplyamish.com 3-Professional Selling Skills

EMBRACE THE PRE-GREETING ASSUMPTIONS

4-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

STEP 1: WELCOMING THE CUSTOMER

STEP 2: SOCIAL CONVERSATION

What questions or comments will get a good conversation started?

www.simplyamish.com 5-Professional Selling Skills

STEP 3: FIRST OFFER OF ASSISTANCE

STILL "JUST LOOKING?"

STEP 4: OFFER HELPFUL INFORMATION

6-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

STEP 5: RE-APPROACH WITH HELPFUL INFORMATION

BUILDING THE RELATIONSHIP

• Show a sincere interest in the customer and her life

• Earn the right to make the first offer of assistance

www.simplyamish.com 7-Professional Selling Skills

8-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

____Uncover a need ____Start building a relationship

____Develop "common ground" ____Show appropriate products

____Handle initial objections ____Learn the customer's name

7. When should you introduce yourself to the customer?

www.simplyamish.com 9-Professional Selling Skills

needs analysis and development

THE KEY NEEDS ANALYSIS QUESTION

"Tell me about your room..."

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR

10-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

needs analysis and development

GETTING FROM THE QUESTION TO THE SKETCH

FOUR CATEGORIES OF QUESTIONS

www.simplyamish.com 11-Professional Selling Skills

needs analysis and development

1. Present Room Configuration

SOME ROOM CONFIGURATION QUESTIONS

12-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

needs analysis and development

2. Specific Merchandise Questions

www.simplyamish.com 13-Professional Selling Skills

needs analysis and development

4. Budget and Time Frame Questions

SOME HELPFUL BUDGET AND TIMING QUESTIONS

14-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

needs analysis and development

TO GET MORE SKETCHES

TO MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL CONTROL

TO GET THE HIGHEST QUALITY SKETCH

TO CREATE THE BEAUTIFUL ROOM THE CUSTOMER WANTS

www.simplyamish.com 15-Professional Selling Skills

needs analysis and development

16-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

presenting your selections

2. Bring the customers to an awareness of their needs.

3. Earn the right to present a solution to the decorating need.

NOW IS THE TIME TO USE YOUR SKETCH

www.simplyamish.com 17-Professional Selling Skills

presenting your selections

JUSTIFY YOUR CHOICES

ASK FOR FEEDBACK

18-Professional Selling Skills www.simplyamish.com

needs analysis and development

Uncover a need Start building a relationship

Develop "common ground" Show appropriate products

Handle initial objections Learn the customer's name