MARY GRACE SAGON

Sales and Selling (Principles)

Almost all selling—regardless of the product that’s being sold—follows a

particular sequence of steps.

In the book “The Evolution of the Seven Steps of Selling,” Industrial Market

Management , authors William C. Moncreif and Greg W. Marshall explained that
salespeople have adapted the specifics of the process as culture and technology have
changed, but the fact that they’ve followed the same basic model has for so long
testifies to its effectiveness.

The selling process is generally divided into seven steps that, once you
understand them, will empower you to sell virtually anything you want and satisfy your
customers:

1. Prospect and qualify

2. Preapproach
3. Approach
4. Presentation
5. Overcome objections
6. Close the sale
7. Follow-up

The sales process is adaptive, which means that each situation may be different
and salespeople have to adapt and understand what is important to each customer and
whise each is in the buying process. But in order for a salesperson to use adaptive
selling, he or she must thoroughly understand the steps in the selling process and how
each works to can use them effectively.

While the basics of the selling process have remained the same over the years,
the methods of communication and the way people interact are quickly evolving with the
use of the interactive capabilities on the Internet by customers and salespeople alike.
Each step now includes much more collaboration between customers and salespeople
(and even between customers) with the use of social networking, consumer reviews,
wikis, and other community-based tools. This technology allows salespeople to learn
more about their customers at each step, and therefore provide more relevant and
powerful solutions to customers at each stage of the buying process.

The Seven steps of selling are enumerated below:

Step 1: Prospecting and Qualifying

Before planning a sale, a salesperson conducts research to identify the people or
companies that might be interested in his product. This step is called prospecting, and
it’s the foundational step for the rest of the sales process. A lead is a potential buyer.
 A prospect is a lead that is qualified or determined to be ready, willing, and able
to buy. The prospecting and qualifying step relates to the needs awareness step in the
buying process. In other words, in a perfect world, you are identifying customers who
are in the process of or have already identified a need.

To qualify a person as a prospect, one must determine whether a person has the
desire and ability to buy the product or service. Salespeople qualify their prospects so
they can focus their sales efforts on the people who are most likely to buy. After all,
spending an hour discussing the capabilities of your goods or property with a lead that
is about to go out of business would be a waste of time. It’s much more fruitful to invest
your time with a qualified prospect, one who has the desire or ability to buy the product
or service.

Step 2: Preapproach
The preapproach is the “doing your homework” part of the process. A good
salesperson researches his prospect, familiarizing himself with the customer’s needs
and learning all the relevant background info he can about the individual or business. A
salesperson must know important information about the client beforehand. He must
come prepared with a specific idea as to how his service could help the prospect and
give a tailored presentation.

Step 3: Approach
First impressions. As a professional salesperson, you would almost never make
a pitch right away; instead, you’d work to establish a rapport with the customer first. This
usually involves introductions, making some small talk, asking a few warm-up
questions, and generally explaining who you are and whom you represent. This is called
the approach.

Step 4: Presentation
There is a good deal of preparation involved before a salesperson ever makes
his pitch or presentation, but the presentation is where the research pays off and his
idea for the prospect comes alive. By the time he presents his product, he will
understand his customer’s needs well enough to be sure he’s offering a solution the
customer could use. If you’re a real estate agent selling a house and your customers
are an older, retired couple, you won’t take them to see a house with many bedrooms,
several flights of stairs to climb, and a huge yard to keep up—nor will you show them
around a trendy loft in a busy part of town. The presentation should be tailored to the
customer, explaining how the product meets that person or company’s needs. It might
involve a tour (as in this real estate example), a product demonstration, videos,
PowerPoint presentations, or letting the customer actually look at or interact with the
product. At this point, the customer is using the information that is being shared as part
of his evaluation of possible solutions.
Step 5: Handling Objections
After you’ve made your sales presentation, it’s natural for your customer to have
some hesitations or concerns called objections. Good salespeople look at objections
as opportunities to further understand and respond to customers’ needs.

Step 6: Closing the Sale

Eventually, if your customer is convinced your product will meet his needs,
you close by agreeing on the terms of the sale and finishing up the transaction. It may
turn out, even at this stage in the process, that the product doesn’t actually meet the
customer’s needs. The important—and sometimes challenging—part of closing is that
the seller has to actually ask if the potential customer is willing to make the purchase.
When the close is successful, this step clearly aligns with the purchase step in the
buying process.

Step 7: Following Up
The follow-up is an important part of assuring customer satisfaction, retaining
customers, and prospecting for new customers. This might mean sending a thank-you
note, calling the customer to make sure a product was received in satisfactory condition,
or checking in to make sure a service is meeting the customer’s expectations. Follow-up
also includes logistical details like signing contracts, setting up delivery or installation
dates, and drawing up a timeline. From the buyer’s perspective, the follow-up is the
implementation step in the buying process. Good follow-up helps ensure additional
sales, customer referrals, and positive and actually leads you back to the first step in the
selling process because it provides the opportunity to learn about new needs for this
customer or new customers through referrals.

How To Generate More Leads

According to the website of one of the accredited and well-known real-estate

companies in the Philippines, Lamudi, the following are the most effective ways to
generate leads in 2019.

1. Take advantage of referrals

According to statistics, 89 percent of real estate transactions are repeat business and
referral deals. This makes word of mouth extremely valuable in generating prospective
leads. Referrals remain the number 1 most reliable source of free leads. Build a strong
sphere of influence by organizing a list of your contacts and keeping in touch with your
previous clients via email, SMS or social media.

2. Implement a review strategy

In digital media, online reviews are the new form of word of mouth. Statistics show that
70 percent of consumers read online reviews before buying something. If you are
targeting the millennial market, plan a review strategy to start generating leads. You can
do this by adding a review page on your website, sharing testimonials, or creating
videos with customer feedback. After every transaction, make sure to encourage your
clients to leave online reviews on your website, blog or social media accounts.

3. Establish your social media presence

Social media is a great platform to advertise your brand and property listings. You can
also post your blog entries and the link to your website on social media to promote
brand awareness and increase web traffic. Paid ads will also boost your brand
recognition to those beyond your sphere of influence. Among the most worthwhile
platforms to invest in are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.  
 
4. Utilize email marketing techniques
Emailing remains to be the top online activity among internet users. Creating an email
newsletter for your firm will help disseminate information about your brand and property
listings. Email newsletters provide bits of information to prospects at a convenient time.
You can include a link to your blog or website or a preview of new properties on the
market.

5. Create a visually stunning website

In the digital age, building a website for your real estate business is paramount to
promote brand awareness. Based on statistics, websites generate 48 percent of real
estate leads and is the second most effective online channel for lead nurturing
campaigns, next only to email.  In building your website, create an engaging, creative
and unique profile of yourself or your company. Incorporate virtual reality in your web
design by adding 360-degree views of your listings through photos and videos. Not only
is your website your greatest tool to show off your listings, but it is also the best platform
where international clients (like OFWs) can appraise a potential home. Optimize your
website and blog posts by using search engine optimization techniques. This will
improve the visibility of your website on online search engines like Google and increase
your web traffic.

6. Post listings on property portals

According to experts, property seekers will continue to depend on online property
portals in the coming years. You can also include your social media accounts and a link
to your website or blog on your postings to help leads connect to you faster.

7. Create an effective video marketing strategy

Property seekers demand more than just stunning and high-quality images. Based on
statistics, videos attract three times as many visitors to a real estate website.
Surprisingly, only 4 percent of agents post their listings on YouTube.
If you’re targeting millennials or OFWs, the best way to pique their interest is to create
videos showcasing both the exteriors and interiors of your property listings. Although
using professional equipment and editing software will boost the quality of your content,
using your cell phone camera and basic video editing software will do the trick.
Donation of Real Property

Article 725. Donation is an act of liberality whereby a person disposes

gratuitously of a thing or right in favor of another, who accepts it (Civil Code of the
Philippines).

As clearly defined by the above-cited law, donation is a legally recognized act of

voluntarily transferring ownership over a property by the owner to his intended recipient
who in turn accepts the donated property.

Almost anyone may accept donations, with the exception of those specifically
disqualified by law (Articles 738 and 739). Donees need not be related by blood or be
compulsory heirs of the donor, although it must be kept in mind that a donation made to a
non-relative may become void if it is discovered that the donor should have legitimate,
legitimated, or illegitimate children, have a child that turns out to be still alive, or adopts
minor.

Should there be no such concerns, a donor must simply keep the following in mind in
order to legally facilitate their intent to transfer property via donation:

 He or she must duly own the property, and must have the capacity to donate, as
defined by law. He or she must also have donative intent. There must be delivery
to the donee, who subsequently must accept (Articles 735–747).
 If the property is movable and is valued at more than Php5,000, the donation
must be documented in a public or private writing. If valued at less than
Php5,000, conveying the donation orally will suffice. (Article 748)
 Donating immovable properties (like real estate) must be done through a public
instrument specifying the property donated, the responsibilities to be assumed by
the donee, and any conditions he or she is required to fulfill. Acceptance of the
donation by the donee can be made in the same instrument. If made separately,
the donor must be notified in authentic form, and will be noted in both
instruments. Such a separate instrument must be executed within the lifetime of
the donor. (Article 749)

The donation may comprehend all the present property of the donor, or part
thereof, provided he reserves, in full ownership or in usufruct, sufficient means for the
support of himself, and of all relatives who, at the time of the acceptance of the
donation, are by law entitled to be supported by the donor. (Art. 750, NCC) Donations
cannot, however, comprehend future properties.

Under the law, there are grounds to revoke donation that can be invoked by the
donor of the property. These are the following:

1. Under Art. 760 a. Birth of a donor’s child or children (legitimate, legitimated, or

illegitimate) after the donation, even though born after his death; b. Appearance of a
donor’s child who is missing and thought to be dead by the donor; and c. Subsequent
adoption by the donor of a minor child.

2. Under Art. 764 When the donee fails to comply with any of the conditions which
the donor imposed upon the donee.

3. Under Art. 765 – by reason of ingratitude

a. If the donee should commit some offense against the person, the honor or the
property of the donor, or of his wife or children under his parental authority
b. If the donee imputes to the donor any criminal offense, or any act involving
moral turpitude, even though he should prove it, unless the crime or act has been
committed against the donee himself, his wife or children under his authority

The formalities for donation of real or immovable property are as follows:

a. Must be in a public instrument specifying:

i. the property donated and
ii. the burdens assumed by the donee
b. Acceptance of the donation by the donee may be made:
i. In the same instrument or
ii. In another public instrument, notified to the donor in authentic form, and
noted in both deeds. Otherwise, donation is void.

Under the old tax law, donations to a non-relative were taxed at 30% and the
P100,000 exemption was not allowed. Thus, during estate planning, properties that
were intended to be given to non-relatives were better left in the estate. Under the
TRAIN Law, the donor’s tax is fixed at 6% based on annual total gifts exceeding
P250,000 in a calendar year, regardless of whether the donee is a relative or not.

The DST rate for donations of real property is the same on sales and
dispositions of real property under Section 196 of the Tax Code, as amended – PhP15.
00 for every PhP1,000.00 of consideration or value, or factional part thereof. This is
about 1.5%, PhP15 divided by PhP1,000.00.
Sources:

Sales
“The Evolution of the Seven Steps of Selling,” Industrial Market Management , authors
William C. Moncreif and Greg W. Marshall
https://beyondbusinessgroups.com.au/the-7-step-selling-process/
https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_the-power-of-selling/s10-01-it-s-a-process-seven-
steps-to-.html

Generating Leads
https://www.lamudi.com.ph/journal/effective-real-estate-lead-generation-tips-for-2019/
Donation
https://www.manilatimes.net/2014/11/22/legal-advice/dearpao/formal-requirements-donating-
property/143487/#:~:text=Donation%20is%20an%20act%20of,Civil%20Code%20of%20the
%20Philippines).&text=For%20immovable%20properties%20such%20as,Article%20749.
https://batasnatin.com/law-library/civil-law/property/2333-laws-on-deed-of-donation.html
https://batasnatin.com/law-library/civil-law/property/1316-donation.html