Need a Copywriter For Face to Face Selling Guide.

I'm not an "expert" when it comes to this but I'll still give my thoughts, who knows maybe they'll help!

When it comes to face to face selling one thing you've gotta pay attention to is body language, both your own and the person your selling to.

The first few things I'd mention to your sales team are:

-Smile at eye contact as genuinely as possible.
-Talk with open palm gestures to signify honesty and good nature
-Refrain from squaring up with the person as that's a defensive position. Rather take a position to the side in order to build rapport.

After that I'd move into the concept of rapport a bit more in depth. Building positive rapport is crucial for face to face sales...

Teach them to slightly mirror the other person in posture and movements.

Another good point is this: the person who asks the questions is in control. If you can train your sales team to move the interaction forward using questions, not only are they gaining valuable information to tailor the sales pitch around, they're also making the person enjoy their company since people love to talk.

As for approaching the customer... I would recommend against swarming as soon as they walk in. Rather give the customer just a second to actually NEED help... unless they're totally lost of course which then someone should hurry to help them

To establish as an expert is done through successful questioning and answering the questions with recommendations that suit well.

As far as getting contact information, they'd have to perceive some sort of benefit for doing so. Maybe future discounts or something? I'm unsure of your business set up so I can't offer much help in this department!

The best ways to hype up certain products are to have products that are purposefully jacked up in price and then have a more reasonable version that does practically the same thing.

Sears does this with many of their products... one that comes to mind is Craftsmen tools. They carry another brand that's REALLY expensive, so when customers start inquiring, it makes selling the Craftsman a walk in the park.

The mistakes I see in face to face sales are these:

-Losing composure... if the person throws you for a loop, do your best not to physically show it and don't feel like you need to be in a hurry to respond. Take a second to gather your thoughts and lead back into the conversation with a question in order to regain control... a relevant question that is

-Not knowing their stuff... make sure they really know the products they are selling. Nothing worse than trying to help someone, asking a question as to what the person needs, then can't actually answer the question!

-Teach them to show confident posture. Stand up straight, walk around as if they KNOW they're experts, don't cross arms (defensive posture). Most confident posture is hands behind the back grasped... If they're standing in one place they should stand this way. If they're walking around they should be making eye contact with customers. If they are talking to someone their hands should be actively engaged with the conversation using open gestures.

As for phrases... I'd have to know more about your sales environment really, each environment has different "lingo" so to speak.

Hope this information helps you and if you have any more questions I'll do my best to help!!

Chris

This isn't a copywriting topic...it's a sales training topic. A sales process is what you're missing.

I think most established copywriters are pretty good at one-on-one selling - they have to be to "close" clients.

Also, check out "You Can't Teach A Kid How To Ride A Bike At A Seminar" by Sandler - one of the best books on selling I've ever come across.

-Daniel

It's important to have your sales rep smile and immediately welcome the new customer as they walk in the door.

It depends on what you sell and the layout of your store, but you can have them say,

"Hi, Welcome to ______ My name is ________.

What can I help you find today?

(If they have a specific item they are looking for,
instruct your sales rep to show them the product
in that category with the highest ticket and profit margin.)

Have your sales rep pick up the item as if to demonstrate it
while telling the benefits of that item.

They should present it as if they are simply "explaining" the
features but focus on relaying the benefits as they relate
to the customer.

***Important

Have your sales rep place the item in your customer's hands.

If it's a clothing item, have them try it on to see how it fits and looks in the mirror.

This is key in transferring the feeling of "ownership" on the subconscious level
as your customer now takes ownership in their mind.

Now is the perfect time to have your sales rep casually and very conversationally
suggest where they may be using your product in the future and enjoying it.

This further solidifies the "vision" of owning the item in the future and enjoying
a better quality lifestyle as the result. A lifestyle upgrade they'll lose if they don't
buy now. Enter---fear of loss.

So now you have several techniques working for you.

Don't forget other items your sales rep needs to suggest to your customer
which are complementary to the original product and helps them get the most
out of it.

If it were a leather jacket, then leather moisturizer to soften the leather, open
the pores to release the rich natural oils...and protectant spray to close those pores
to protect against the rain.

Mention how this extends the life and value of the product.

Using this as a system for each customer who walks through the door will empower
each member of your sales force to increase overall sales, highest average dollar amount per sale and units per transaction.

Now what if they do *not* have a particular item they are looking for when they walk through the door or say something like, "No thanks, I'm just looking, just browsing, etc."

That's when your sales rep says, "Okay, well men's is on your right, women's on your left and clearance in the back. My name is ______. Just let me know when I can help you with something."

At this point, your customer has been greeted. If they came for something specific, they've now had the opportunity to find it and purchase it.

If they were just looking, they've been greeted, given the layout of the store to help
them shop and know who to ask for when they need help which gives your sales rep
another opportunity to close.

When they have greeted the customer who is only looking, given the layout of the store and left them with their name when needed,

that sales rep now goes to greet the next customer who walks in or assists any other customer who doesn't have a sales rep helping them.

If there are no other customers, that sales rep then restocks inventory, makes sure
items and prices are correctly displayed and/or cleans the showroom.

This simple system should provide a way to make sure each customer is welcomed
in a way that allows the customer to shop at their own pace while your sales force still remains in control of the selling situation the whole time.

If you look at the script suggestion I provided here again, you'll notice each question
is open requiring a specific answer from the customer that takes them closer to the close of the sale for your rep.

I hope you find this useful. (It's the same system I used to set company records in all three sales categories and then again the next sales period. It also had higher ups requesting my system and prepared me for my role as corporate sales trainer for a marketing and advertising company later. Many of the techniques were combined with techniques found in advanced sales closing techniques by Brian Tracy which I highly recommend.)