FUNDAMENTALS OF SELLING

Customers For Life Through Service

13th Edition

Charles M. Futrell

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Chapter
5
Communication for
Relationship Building: It’s
Not All Talk
5-2
Chapter
5-3
5
The Tree of Business Life:
Communication
T

Se
al

T T Guided by The Golden

hic

T T TT rvi Rule,
Rule effectively
ce
Et

T T T T communicate using:
Builds  Words
 Body language
True

 Visual Aids
 Listening
 Unselfishness to help a person
make the correct buying decision
Relationships
T C
I
5-4
 Communication: It Takes Two
 In a sales context, communication is the act of
transmitting verbal and nonverbal information
and understanding between the seller and
buyer

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Exhibit 5.1: What Did You Say?
What Did I Hear?

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Salesperson-Buyer Communication
Process Requires Feedback
 Major communication elements
 Source
 Encoding process
 Message
 Medium
 Decoding process
 Receiver
 Feedback
 Noise

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Exhibit 5.2: The Basic Communication
Model Has Eight Elements

5-8
Nonverbal Communication: Watch
For It
 Concept of space
 Territorial space
 Intimate space – 2 feet
 Personal space – 2 to 4 feet
 Social space – 4 to 6 feet
 Public space – + 12 feet
 Space threats – too close
 Space invasion – OK to be close

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Exhibit 5.3: Office Arrangements and
Territorial Space

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Communication Through
Appearance and the Handshake
 Style hair carefully
 Dress as a professional
 Shake hands firmly and look people in the
eye

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Body Language Gives You
Clues
 Nonverbal signals come from:
 Body angle
 Face
 Hands
 Arms
 Legs

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A Light Signal for Vehicles has a
Green, Yellow, and Red Light
 A person also sends three types of
messages using body
communication signals

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You Have the Green Light

 Acceptance signals – a green light

gives the “go ahead.”
 It indicates the buyer is willing to
listen, and
 The buyer may like what is being
said

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You Have the Yellow Light

 Caution signals - a yellow light

gives a neutral or skeptical sign
indicating the buyer maybe
uncertain about what you are
saying
 Handle the signal properly, or it
may change from yellow to red

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You Have the Red Light

 Disagreement signals – a red light

indicates the person may not be
interested in your product

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Recognizing Body Signals
 Knowing body signal guidelines can improve
your communication ability by allowing the
salesperson to:
 Be able to recognize nonverbal signals
 Be able to interpret them correctly
 Be prepared to alter a selling strategy
 Respond positively both nonverbally and
verbally to a buyer’s nonverbal signals

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What Would You Do?
 You arrive at the industrial purchasing agent’s office
on time. This is your first meeting. After you have
waited five minutes, the agent’s secretary says, “She
will see you.” After the initial greeting, she asks you
to sit down.
 For each of the following three situations determine:
 Whatnonverbal signals is she communicating?
 How would you respond nonverbally?

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 What Would You Do? Situation #1
 She sits down behind her desk. She sits up
straight in her chair. She clasps her hands
together and with little expression on her face
says,
“What can I do for you?”
 How would you respond nonverbally?
 Yellow (caution) nonverbal signal
 Green (acceptance) nonverbal signal
 What nonverbal signal is she communicating?
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What Would You Do? Situation #2
 As you begin the main part of your
presentation, the buyer reaches for the
telephone and says, “Keep going; I need to
tell my secretary something.”

 What nonverbal signal is she communicating?

 Green (acceptance) nonverbal signal
 How would you respond nonverbally?
 Yellow (caution) or red (disagreement)
nonverbal signal 5-20
What Would You Do? Situation #3

 In the middle of your presentation, you

notice the buyer slowly lean back in her
chair. As you continue to talk, a puzzled
looks comes over her face.
 What nonverbal signal is she
communicating?
 How would you respond nonverbally?
 Green (acceptance) nonverbal signal
 Yellow (caution) nonverbal signal 5-21
Barriers To Communication
 Differences in perception
 Buyer does not recognize a need for product
 Selling pressure
 Information overload
 Distractions
 Poor listening
 How and what you say
 Not adapting to buyer’s style

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Exhibit 5.8: Barriers To Communication
Which May Kill a Sale

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Master Persuasive Communication
To Maintain Control
 Persuasion is the ability to change a person’s
belief, position, or course of action
 Feedback guides your presentation
 Probing – asking questions
 Remember to use trial closes
 Empathy puts you in your customer’s shoes
 Keep it Simple Salesperson (KISS)
 Creating mutual trust develops friendship

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Master Persuasive Communication
To Maintain Control, cont…
 Listening clues you in
 Hearing
 Listening
 Listento words, feelings, and thoughts
 Three levels of listening
 Marginal listening
 Evaluative listening

 Active listening

 Technology helps to remember

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Your Attitude Makes the Difference
 9 Factors of a Great Sales Attitude
 Caring
 Joy
 Harmony
 Patience
 Kindness
 Moral Ethics
 Faithfulness
 Self Control

 Enthusiasm
 Show your excitement towards the customer

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Proof Statements Make You
Believable
 Credibility through:
 Empathy
 Listening
 Enthusiasm
 Proof statements
substantiate claims

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Summary of Major Selling Issues
 Communication is the transmission of verbal and
nonverbal information and understanding
between a salesperson and prospect
 Modes of communication – words, gestures,
visual aids
 Communication process model
 Barriers may hinder or prevent constructive
communication during a sales presentation

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Summary of Major Selling Issues,
cont…
 Barriers must be recognized and overcome or
eliminated
 Nonverbal communication is a critical component of
the overall communication process
 Territorial space, handshake, eye contact, body language
 Enhancing overall persuasive power through
development of several key characteristics
 Empathy, more listening and less talking, positive attitude,
enthusiastic manner

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