SALES MODELS

We have no recognized standards in sales, but we have

plenty of sales models to choose from.
Many sales forces use all of them, some of them, or some
hybrid of them. Unfortunately, allowing the sales force to
follow their own model creates a considerable disparity of
which model is working best.
Let’s examine some of the models that have been
developed along the way and that sales trainers have been
delivering. Which ones are you using?
SALES SCRIPTS MODEL
This model contains instructions on not only what
salespeople should say, but also what they should do while
saying it. For example: the salesman points to the item that
he is referring to.
The sales script is divided into four steps:
APPROACH
▼
DEMONSTRATION
▼
PROPOSITION
▼
CLOSE
1. APPROACH
In the approach, the salesperson makes no mention
of the product. Instead, he explains that he wants
to help the business person find ways to increase
profit; he wants, in effect, to act as a consultant.
2. DEMONSTRATION
In the demonstration, the salesperson carefully leads
the customer up to the point of a purchase.
3. PROPOSITION
In the proposition, the salesperson describes the
product for the first time and explains how it would
help the customer solve business problems. The
goal of this stage is to schedule a demonstration of
the product. Once the proposition is clear, and the
salesperson feels sure the prospect realizes the value
of the product and the moment seems right, he
attempts to close.
4. CLOSE
This is the toughest part of the sale. The sales script
offers a number of techniques for closing, including
the following:
■ Do not ask for an order. Take for granted that
the customer will buy.
■ Say to him “Mr. Blank, what color shall I make
it?” or “How soon do you want delivery?”
■ Take out your order blank; fill it out and hand
him your pen saying, “Just sign where I have
made the cross.”
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■ If he objects, find out why.

■ Respond to his objections and again prepare
him for a signature.
■ Make the prospect feel that he is buying
because of his own good judgment.
■ Find out the real reason why he resisted and,
chances are, it is the very reason why he
should buy.
■ Concentrate your whole force on one good,
strong point.
■ Appeal to judgment; get him to acknowledge
that what you say is true, then;
■ Hand the pen to him in a matter-of-fact way
and keep on with what you were saying.
This will make signing the logical and obvious
thing to do.
The sales script requires exerting pressure in a forceful,
yet subliminal, manner. The key is to prevent a prospect
from feeling manipulated.
Avoid giving the impression to the merchant that
you are trying to force him to buy....
No person likes to feel he is being sold.

At the same time, it is important for the salesperson to

exude confidence and honesty.
Over the years, the sales script underwent frequent
revisions. Not long after the method was introduced, a Book
of Arguments, containing a catalog of answers to frequently
asked questions, supplemented it.
Companies also produced a more formal Sales Manual
that combined the two. The Manual reached its maximum
size at nearly 200 pages. Eventually, it was condensed, so it
would be become easier for sales representatives to master.
A later edition was a booklet of 56 pages.
Changes to the sales manual were regarded like alterations in the product—both part
of an effort to constantly
improve and keep up with shifting customer needs.
E. St. Elmo Lewis, an employee at Burroughs, who later
became head of advertising, called the sales manual, “one
of the fruits of the scientific attitude towards the problem of
gaining greatest efficiency in selling goods.”
John Patterson, a past President of NCR, developed the
“Sales Script” model in 1887 and also introduced the sales
primer for selling cash registers. This is not a typo – 1887!
Patterson has been given credit for pioneering professional
sales representatives.