SELLING SKILLS

Who is a successful seller?

One of the prominent myths in selling is the idea that
successful salespersons are born, and it is difficult to
acquire skills that can turn an average salesperson into
a successful one.

Selling skills are a set of characteristics that are

necessary for a salesperson to possess, failing which he
may not be successful in selling. It is not correct to
assume that successful salespersons are born. The
essential skills for successful selling are:
 Effective
Problem
communication
solving skills
skills

Selling Skills

Listening Skills

Negotiation and
bargaining skills

Conflict managementand
resolution skills
3
 Communication Skills
• The ability and expertise to communicate is necessary
in selling function.
• The sales person should posses a good vocabulary and
express themselves intelligently to the customer.
• A salesperson needs to understand the
communication process before he develops his own
strategies for successful selling.
• Sales communication can be both personal and non-
personal.
• Personal communication is sure to take customers
from one level to the next level of the decision process
 Communication Process
Feedback
Intended Perceived
Message Message

Encoding Decoding
Noise

Received
Sent Message Message
Channel
Sender Receiver
Let us take an example..
Example - Chandrakant Sen is the sales manager at USHA
Corporation and he was giving a presentation that a new product
would deliver higher profit to the customer.
When he was quizzed to display how the organization will be
befitted, he touched a couple of keys in his laptop and ran a
graphic program to show diagrams to the customer during the
presentation that illustrated his idea and proposition.

This shows effective communication will help people in realizing

a sale and handling objections successfully if the salespeople
have done their homework properly.
 Managing body language - NVC
• Personal appearance
• Posture
• Gestures
• Facial expressions
• Eye contact
• Space distancing
 Listening Skills
• The sales manager has to be very good listener and use his
listening skills to lead towards sales.
• Good listening also enhances the impact of what the
salesperson speaks to the customer, and increases the ability
to negotiate with customers.
• Effective listening can be explained by the example of a doctor
who is attending a patient.

Research suggests that people are only 25% efficient in their

ability to listen. An average person remembers only about half of
what is being told to him after 10 minutes, and forgets half of
that within 48 hours.
Process of listening
Attendance/attention

Interpretation

Remembrance

Evaluations

ResponseAction
 Conflict Management Skills
Conflict in sales organisation is more evident than in any other
organisation. This is due to the fact that there is always conflict
of interest among people at different levels as the goals are
different at each level of the org.

Example - A sales manager wants his salespeople to cover his

territory as thoroughly as they can, whereas salesperson are
interested in realizing the desired sales through a few loyal
customers. The vice president is interested in getting better
results from the same cost to show the board that resources are
being used efficiently.
 Conflict Management Skills
• Competing - Each party pursues its own interests,
regardless of the impact on the other party.
• Collaborating - Both parties in a conflict try to satisfy
fully the concerns of both parties.
• Avoiding - One party withdraws from or suppresses
the conflict.
• Accommodating - One party agrees to place the
opponent’s interests above its own.
• Compromising - Both parties agree to give up
something.
 Negotiation Skills
• Negotiation occurs when someone else has what you
want, and you are prepared to bargain for it and the
vice versa.
• Successful negotiation is an attempt by two parties
to achieve mutually acceptable solutions. (win-win)
• Negotiation is very important in selling because
majority of selling is done without a list price.
• In B2B selling and services selling, the success of
selling largely depends on how a good negotiator the
salesperson is.
Negotiation tactics

• Acting crazy
• The good guy – bad guy routine
• Big pot
• Get a prestigious ally
• The well is dry
• Wet face
• Play the devil’s advocate
 Problem-Solving Skills
• Besides the negotiation skills, one also needs
problem solving skills for effective selling.
• The consultative selling approach suggests
that a salesperson should not be a mere order
taker; he should rather act as a problem solver
and a consultant to the customer.
• These roles are more significant for high-tech
selling and B2B selling.
Characteristics of Ineffective/Effective Problem-Solver
Characteristics Ineffective problem-solver
Attitude Thinks nothing can be done;
Gives up easily
Actions Lies back and expects that a
solution will come naturally; Jumps
to conclusion very fast
Accuracy Does not check
Does not break the problem, lets it
Solution be as it is, Not know where to start,
Procedures fails to identify key concepts, relies
on guess, no proper plan, quits and
withdraws easily
Effective problem-solver
Believes the problem can be
solved
Re-evaluates the problem,
Re-describe the problem,
draw sketches and write
equations
Checks and Recheck
Breaking into smaller
problems, starts at a point
where he understands
better, uses fundamental
concepts, use qualitative &
quantitative equations,
keeps a track of changes
and progress
 Problem Solving Skills
• Habit I - Be proactive
• Habit 2 - Begin with an end in mind
• Habit 3 - Put first things first
• Habit 4 - Think win–win
• Habit 5 - Seek first to understand, then to be
understood
• Habit 6 - Synergize
• Habit 7 - Renewal
Selling Is Essentially A Transfer Of Feelings
– ZIG ZIGLER

THANK YOU