Who are your potential customers and how to find them. Where are your potential customers? There are potential buyers as well.

Sales Generator

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In the theory and practice of sales, communication with potential customers is one of the very important and often raised topics. However, few people understand why an ordinary businessman should define them at all.

Knowing your potential customers, you will be able to accurately determine the needs of your target audience, predict their questions and objections, offer the most optimal conditions cooperation and promotional offers. As a result: the number of customers will grow, sales figures will increase.

In this article, you will learn:

1. Criteria indicating who the potential customers are
2. What methods can be used to search for potential customers
3. How to make calls to potential customers correctly
4. How to work with potential clients
5. The Role of Internet Marketing in Communicating with a Potential Client

4 criteria indicating who potential customers are

Criterion 1. The customer must need your product

If you want a potential buyer to one day leave this category and turn into a real one, it is important for him to fit this condition. It makes no sense to spend your energy, nerves, time on a person who does not have and may not have a need for your product. So why put up a cigarette stand in a kid's cafe? Or offering the vegetarian the freshest tenderloin?

But there is also another situation. When a potential client does not yet know about his own need for a service. Then it is important for the seller to politely prompt him.

Suppose it never occurred to a bank executive how much the performance of his lending staff would rise if they learned the blind ten-finger typing method. Imagine how, in this case, the share of nervous clients who get tired of one kind of girl slowly typing documents with two fingers will decrease.

However, if we are trying to sell a product in which a person definitely cannot be interested, we are faced with pure imposition. And it is imperative for the salesperson to remain persistent without becoming intrusive when negotiating with potential customers.

Criterion 2. He must have a desire to buy your product

Do you think only one need can become the foundation for a deal? If you think about it, almost every one of us strives to ignore many of our needs throughout our lives. And desires seriously contribute to this.

A simple situation: it's time to change the winter jacket, but a person wants to go to Turkey, and he spends all the remaining money on his desire.

The firm requires new technique, but a brand new Lexus is bought to the chief accountant.

Or even more absurd: the staff does not receive a salary, begins to demand it, but the owners of the company lost money on the roulette wheel.

All of the above occurs on an impulsive level, which is well known to all young parents. So up to four years old, many children shout: "I want!" - and it is difficult to stop them.

But back to our serious conversation. When should a direct sale take place, who should be the initiator of the interest? You go to someone you think fits the prospect's image and you want them to buy your product. The desire to receive this thing should be in him from the very beginning, or will you be causing this feeling?

Criterion 3. The customer must have the funds to buy your product

The most modern, functional, beautiful Apple laptops would certainly look great in the premises of any company. But offering such a product to the editor of a regional newspaper is absurd. And not for the reason that he himself would not like to sit at this, and journalists cannot work on such a keyboard. Everything is much simpler - there are no funds for such things.

If you are going to a business meeting with a person, several people who fit the first two indicators, consider if these potential customers are wealthy enough to pay for your offer. But, here it is necessary to make a reservation, it has been checked more than once: if there is a strong desire, a person in almost any situation will find an opportunity to realize it.

Criterion 4. The customer must have the authority to make the purchase decision for your product

A very ambiguous situation may well develop in which you will long and stubbornly build a dialogue with a potential client, and later you will find out that he cannot make a decision on this issue at all. Where the deputy chief of security has several assistants and his own deputies, this is quite possible.

Typically, such situations arise when working with corporate clients. You communicate with people, organize truly impressive presentations, and they only promise to call you back, think, consult. This means that these persons do not have all the necessary powers to give you an answer regarding the purchase of your services / products. But how can you admit this to a simple sales manager?

How to compose a portrait of a potential client

The portrait of the client is a figurative description of the consumer. In marketing, the concept of "ideal client portrait" hides behind itself target audience interested in your offer. In deriving this image, a large amount of demand information is used.

By analyzing the portrait of potential customers, you can attract visitors. Without such a tool, all your actions in the field of marketing will be ineffective.

The portrait you need should display: goals, problems, interests, demographic characteristics, desires of a small group of people.

Before composing such a portrait, it is important to know who your target audience is. Here is a good example of buyers of a cognitive site:

• Age. 18 - 42 years old; 43 - 65 years old. The second group includes the most motivated consumers, they have already realized that it is time to get their income, and not work for someone else. In the first - people for whom it is important personal growth who want to learn more, earn extra money to support the family.
• Floor... Men and women - almost the same number.
• Position in society- social. The class is average, or slightly higher.
• Financial position... Family income is average, but preferably more.
• Family situation. 65% are married couples, the remaining 35% are single, single or unmarried.
• Education. Secondary vocational, higher - 80%.
• Place of residence. Urban residents - 85%, rural - 15%.
• Customer problem. Low wages, delays or desire to earn more.
• Client fears... Self-doubt. However, in any case, it is important to understand that everyone has a desire to develop and grow. To overcome fear, we have pride, a desire for knowledge.

When assessing a potential client, one can consider not only behavioral, socio-demographic, but also sociological, psychological indicators, religious views, ethnicity, etc. The more detailed the data in the portrait of a potential client, the easier and more productive the subsequent PR campaign will be.

Start by analyzing information, identifying ideas, making a list of the needs of a potential buyer.

There are sources where you can take data to describe the portrait:

• expert survey;
• research of current clients;
• research of search queries from Yandex.Wordstat;
• study of existing statistics in areas;
• studying the behavior of visitors to your resource on the Web based on Yandex.Metrica;
• consideration of the social sphere.

As you shape your prospect, ask yourself four questions:

• What “problem” does the product solve when buying?

Example: when buying a hammer drill, people want to get not the device as such, but holes in the wall. Then the hole is the solution and the punch is the service. Thus, it is necessary to offer a specific solution, not a service. The name of the product is usually not so important to the consumer; he needs to understand which of the problems you will save him.

• Who is the buyer of your product, service?

Let's say a novice IP manager needs accounting services. In order not to spend money on the salary of a permanent accountant, tax payments, furniture for a person's workplace, he goes to a contractor. In case of incorrect reporting, the businessman can file a claim.

Submit your application

• Where is the client located?

In order for the advertisements placed to be specific trading floor generate income, it is important to choose a suitable location for them. For example, through such advertising platforms as Yandex.Direct, targeted advertising on VKontakte, you will be able to promote your info product.

• What problematic issues does the client face more often?

Usually this is the question: "Where to buy?" Of course, it is possible to sell "head-on" directly through the selling site. But the best way is another way: it is more comfortable for a person to buy by reading useful content, going to the article page, to the site with a link to the selling page.

The most simplified method of forming an image of a group of potential customers consists of three points:

• Define the customer category... Let's say we take those who want to learn how to make money online. Evaluate this in terms of the achieved economic effect. To do this, answer the following questions: "Are there enough customers able to pay for your offers?", "Can you satisfy their needs?" In the first phase of e-mail marketing, work on one consumer group and then add others.
• Collect available customer information.
• In the map of needs, describe the portrait of the consumer... Let us dwell on this point in more detail.

Steps to Mapping a Potential Buyer:

1. We describe the client(its location, economic situation, behavior, etc.).
2. We consider his tasks, aspirations - internal factors... Take an entrepreneur client as an example. Such a person has the following goals: increasing profitability and developing his company. Then it is important to consider how many competitors he has, what their actions are, what are the difficulties with consumers, suppliers and others.
3. Incentives, goals - external factors... The businessman's goal is to increase sales by 15% in a year, by 20% in two years, and after 5 years to sell the business in order to delve into a more promising direction. Here, a person's own aspirations act as an incentive to achieve their goals.
4. His feelings, knowledge... What problems does the client face in their work? What options are you willing to give him to get rid of them? How will the consumer feel when they achieve their goals? What information should he have in order to opt for your offer, and not go to competitors?

Where to get leads data

First, let's take a look at where to get information from to form a database of potential customers:

1. List of sites given by search engines(Yandex, Google, Rambler). The TOP-30 search engines for various queries include those resources where information is frequently updated.

2. Advertising. Think over the list of advertising media that potential customers of the company use for their own promotion, as this will help us answer the question "How to find potential customers." The easiest way is to work with contextual advertising, various catalogs, advertising, industry newspapers and magazines. Also radio, television, outdoor advertising will help you.

3. Electronic trading platforms. They are universal (diversified), industry, product. Here firms post their real requests, but to see them, you have to register or pay for access.

Here are several options for such resources: UseTender.com, Tender.su (universal), www.tradecable.ru (cable, electrical products), www.nge.ru (petroleum products), www.lke.ru (paints and varnishes), www. polypipe.ru (polymer pipes), www.cislink.ru (food and other consumer goods), eMatrix.ru (computer equipment, components), b2b-energo.ru (electric power industry).

4. Informational business directories. We should be most interested in reference books containing data for the whole country and in all areas. Namely:

• Yellow Pages;
• Business address;
• Business Card;
• Allinform.ru;
• Compass Russia;
• Biz-Info.Ru;

5. Regional Internet resources... Examples include the information and business portal of the city of Izhevsk, the server "ALL-BIZ.INFO: Russia", the advertising center "Internet Capital". This list is almost endless, because our country is not small!

6. Bulletin boards. For example, "Avito", "From hand to hand", "Yula", etc.

What other methods can you use to search for potential customers?

Once you've created an image of your prospect, it becomes clear who to look for. Below we will talk about the methods by which the search for consumers is possible.

There are several ways to identify potential customers that can help you to reduce the amount of time spent. Note, however, that one method alone will not provide you with a large number of potential buyers. Only their combination will be effective. Try to implement each of the presented methods into work, then you will find a suitable combination.

• Cold selection

This method is the most widely applicable and effective. Its use suggests that you have very little data. Some salespeople refuse cold culling because they are afraid to appear intrusive and see it as a waste of time. Therefore, you need to look for real masters.

Let's say you sell an advertising space and come to a large business center for a meeting. Just think, there are many companies you don't know work in this building. Why not stop by some and offer your services? You can kill two birds with one stone: identify the need, and if you're lucky, negotiate a deal.

But don't tell the consumer that you just passed by and decided to get to know each other. Then you will receive an answer from the interlocutor that he is busy, cannot communicate with you now and will be right. He has all day scheduled, and you intrude into his plans, why should he want to work with you?

The task of "cold selection" is to make it clear to a potential client that his business is very important to you, that is, you came here only for his sake. You can say that you have heard only the best reviews about his company and you will be glad to cooperate.

• Word of mouth

A trusted way. You just need to ask buyers if there are other potential customers in the market. Just ask if anyone else would like to buy your product. So you will be able to increase the number of potential customers exponentially.

Remember that word of mouth is more productive if you focus your efforts on finding new options with the help of your customers. And only then turn to the category that is not yet familiar with your proposal so closely.

If the client was satisfied with what he received from you, he will easily list his friends and acquaintances for you. Although there are those who refuse to share such information, since their behavior can be assessed by acquaintances as intrusion. When you hear: “But do not say that I gave you the phone number,” you should know that the person does not trust you. If his friends are not happy, he will feel guilty.

• Public opinion

This method is also called the "center of influence". Public opinion is built by specialists, people with authority. They themselves do not invest in your offer, but they are able to advise you, your company to their friends. Let's say you trade in computers, then a good programmer can tell those whom he serves about you, and with his help, a real increase in the number of potential customers is possible.

Thus, potential customers will learn about your product, even though they are not personally acquainted with you. Trust in you will arise as a person of authority spoke well of you. True, such people are not easy to find, but if you succeeded, do not miss your chance! Tell us about the benefits and advantages of your product, be sure to keep in touch in the future.

• Direct mail

This option has a low level of effectiveness and is not suitable for everyone. Perhaps the main plus here is that it is possible to convey information about yourself to such a number of potential customers, which is impossible with personal communication.

Another advantage of the method is that direct mailing does not interfere with the recipient at an inconvenient time. In addition, it is many times more affordable than cold calls or PR. If you get an answer, it means that you managed to interest your potential client. But, unfortunately, many are annoyed by such advertising, and not everyone responds.

• Search for potential clients by phone

This method has many advantages. For example, communication on the phone gives you the opportunity to act flexibly, responses to objections can be tailored to the specific interlocutor. Moreover, at the end of the telephone conversation, the transaction can be completed, which will save you a lot of time.

• Former and current clients

“People are interesting to us when we see that they are interested in us,” said Publius Cyr. Based on this opinion, remember that it is important to keep in touch with former customers from time to time, even if they are this moment your offer is not claimed by them. While you are thinking about how to attract new leads, your competitors are processing your past and present.

With just one phone call, you can find out about the needs of your old customer, let him know that you remember him, and, of course, remind about yourself. Since if a consumer feels that he has been forgotten, he easily leaves for another company, which, in his opinion, is more attentive to him.

It doesn't matter what kind of product you offer. In any case, it is necessary to keep detailed records of information for each buyer. Write down when the person bought the product, how much. All the data collected is necessary to represent when a current customer will need your services again and when you should call him.

• Search for clients on the Internet

It is easy to find new customers and information about potential customers on the web. After all, they, like you, have platforms on the Internet (official website, pages on social networks), so you only need to type a key phrase in a search engine. Then feel free to send your offer to the client's e-mail, but even better, call in person.

• Seminars

Conducting a seminar is an opportunity to tell those present about your product. But remember that such an event is not for bargaining. After completing it, distribute a short questionnaire to visitors (for you this will be a questionnaire of a potential client), where they let them describe how they benefitted from discussing your proposal. Having received such data, you will be able to identify a group of potential buyers and build further communication with them.

• news

Funds mass media- an excellent option for finding potential buyers, you just need to learn how to use this resource. This is where you get the data that allows you to reach your future client. Thanks to the media, it will be easier for you to communicate with him, because you are already indirectly familiar from articles in newspapers, interviews on local TV channels.

• Business connections

This technology works according to a very simple scheme: "My friend's friend is my friend." In the process of looking for potential buyers, try to remember all your friends and acquaintances. They will share reliable data about your potential customers with you.

How a potential customer base is created

Now let's talk about how to collect the obtained data directly into the database of potential customers.

Create a table shape for your customer base

First you need to understand what kind of information about a potential client you need in the database. Usually, everything starts with a sequential number ("n / a"). Further columns under the name of the company, full name of the head, his contacts. After that, there are columns with marks about paid orders / completed projects, preliminary orders (at the stage of discussion).

Make a “Comments” field to mark the name of the person responsible for the interaction and the difficulties of working with a particular client: what should be paid attention to, how to communicate better with him. That is, the table can contain all the columns that you find useful.

Give a task to managers

So, you have found all the data you need. Now all the information needs to be brought into a single form. To make things easier for yourself, hand out the spreadsheet form to the managers and tell them how to fill it out.

Combine documents received from managers into a single database

In this case, a very simple copy-paste operation is waiting for you, after which you will receive ready base data of all potential customers of your company. It is necessary to lay out the resulting table on the server, open access to all managers, so that changes are made without delay. So you will be able to monitor the quality of your subordinates all the time.

How is the attraction of potential customers

• Direct mail.

We emphasize that do not flatter yourself, this is not the most reliable method for finding potential customers. Although with a certain diligence, he is able to be useful. The best strategy is to send about 10 emails a day and call the same people in a couple of days.

• Through advertising.

Advertising in your area will be useful to attract potential customers, but it is important to present it correctly. To do this, first of all, find out what problems are bothering your potential buyer, and offer him a way out. Do not forget to include your company's contact details in these ads.

• Exhibitions, conferences, fairs.

Such events allow you to collect a whole database of potential customers in a day and work productively on attracting. In fact, it is not necessary to become a participant in the events, you can go in the role of a guest.

• Classic interaction.

There are several steps you will have to follow here. First, sales managers form a list of potential customers and pay all of them visits to establish communication and persuade them to sign contracts. This method can be called very productive, it is only important that work on it is carried out systematically.

How to write your first letter to a potential client

The first e-mail to your potential consumer should be short, while in a light form leading to subsequent communication. Remember that sales e-mails are necessary to build communication with potential customers, they are not like a regular mailing list. The bottom line is that the relationship with the addressee has not yet been built, which means that you cannot demand undivided attention from him.

Leaders often complain that letters go unanswered. This is not unusual, because more often than not, such messages are unnecessarily complicated and incomprehensible. Experience shows that almost any e-mail is built on the following topic:

• topic: ABC (as we will designate the company for example);
• appeal: greeting + name + classic question about how are you doing;
• merits paragraph ABC company;
• description of goods and offers ABC company;
• clients ABC company (list of famous names);
• attempt at interaction under the pretext of a 20-minute phone call: “We would like to talk to you to tell you more about our services”;
• Contact details:“If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer this number (tel.) + Link to the site;
• Best regards + contact information.

Now let's take a look at why such emails are usually sent as spam. To do this, we will try to consider the mailing through the eyes of a potential client:

1. The subject line doesn’t tell me anything - why should I open it?
2. We do not know each other, so the concern about my condition seems feigned.
3. I am not interested in your company, why should I read this?
4. Which of the above should strike me as interesting?
5. If you work with such serious organizations, you will treat me with disdain.
6. Do you really think I have time to listen to you for a full 20 minutes?
7. You seem to think that I am an idiot, unable to find your phone number and website at the end of the letter if necessary. And you really believe that I dream of meeting you, having already spent three minutes of my free time on this letter.
8. The latter is a lie. What is respectable in your letter?

In general, the fact that sometimes sales managers get at least some answer is surprising. Such a letter is akin to a request to be added to the blacklist.

Now let's talk about a sales e-mail scheme that you are more likely to receive a response to and which can lead to a meeting with potential customers:

• topic: something that can interest a potential consumer;
• appeal: Dear + name;
• enumeration of benefits:"I am writing to you because ..." (name everything useful that you can offer the client);
• “Here is a list of companies similar to yours (list) that we have already helped” (add figures for potential benefits);
• “As soon as you respond to this letter, I will send you all the details you need so you can decide if our offer is worth your time”;
• your name, contacts.

Now let's explain why the modified canvas works much better:

1. The subject line prompts the recipient to open it. A good way to start communication may be to mention recent changes in the field of activity of a potential client of your service, etc.
2. Of course, most companies today use an informal style of communication, but it is still better to start the letter respectfully... Formality offends very few people.
3. People always appreciate if you can get to the point quickly enough.... For a potential client, the essence is the benefit that he can derive from working with you. So let him find out about her.
4. This is your sales letter that starts with profit for the buyer. The listed firms must match the level of the potential consumer's company. But it happens that there is no such list, then start with the phrase: "our clients hired us to ...".
5. It is foolish to expect that the first e-mail will force the client to agree on an appointment with you. Therefore, you bring him to the next step, he will be an indicator of a person's interest in communication.
6. The prospect is smart enough to call you or visit your website, if he needs it.

How to make the first call to a potential client

If you are just deciding to call potential customers, remember: the first call is made only according to a clear plan. Structured, unobtrusive communication will allow you to immediately win over the other person. The main goal is to say why it is better to cooperate with you. What's so hard about that? Just in case, remember a few basic principles of working during cold calls:

1. You need to learn to instantly reincarnate.

Many sales managers will say, "But I'm not an artist!" If selling is important to you, you have to become one! Turn on the TV, where most of the show cannot find real heroes, so they use the services of professional actors, and the viewer believes them. Tricks like these increase ratings at an incredible rate. Always remember this, because your customers are the same people.

2. Be able to fully capture the attention of your interlocutor.

Learn to use the right (rhetorical) questions. Work hard on the correct wording that can guide the client in a certain direction. Get him to say the first "Yes". Ease, ease - the key to your success in communicating with potential clients.

3. Explain the purpose of your cold call.

Let the person know why you typed that person. Briefly but succinctly introduce your organization. It is important to dwell on the key points, there is no need to "pour water", as a person is tired and can hang up.

4. Do your best and get your first business meeting (acquaintance).

• It is important to learn how to formulate comprehensive answers to all questions voiced during negotiations with potential clients. You are limited in time, and you need to manage to convey a large amount of information. In this case, strategic business planning will become your lifesaver, that is, you need to think over a conversation plan with a potential client in advance.
• If you want to convince the interlocutor, create such an emotional environment in which he feels complete confidence in how important it is for him to resort to your help.
• Most often, refusals are explained in a banal way: the question was constructed incorrectly, so a negative answer was the most logical. Let's say you are an insurance agent. You say to a stranger: “Hello! Would you like to insure your life against unforeseen situations? " Be sure that in 90% of cases you will hear: "No, I would not want to." The reason is that your categorical question begs an equally categorical answer.

The correct version of a business conversation: “ Hello! We offer you to insure your own life against all kinds of accidents by obtaining an insurance policy from our insurance company (hereinafter short description your advantages) ".

• The next question of a specialist depends on the reaction of a potential client to a service offer. If you suddenly come across complete denial, you should not be intrusive - this can become a reason for forming an opinion about the low level of professionalism among the employees of your company. Remember, hardly anyone will remember the name of the caller, and the brand will remain heard.
• Everything that you tell your potential consumers should be as truthful and realistic as possible. The client should have a picture of who he has to deal with. Your brilliant reputation is a guarantee of the company's success!
• Do not forget about the simple rule: everything ingenious is simple. A person can feel disposed towards you when he hears his name: "Hello, Irina Nikolaevna (Irina)!" In this case, a psychological mechanism operates, suggesting the fact of acquaintance, a positive attitude, despite the fact that you hear each other for the first time.
• Maintaining a friendly tone during a conversation is an additional opportunity to avoid rudeness on the part of the interlocutor. It is unlikely that a person will hang up the phone without listening to you. But even if he did so, there is no reason to despair: such a reaction is also a reaction.
• The result of all the work will depend on how you present yourself while communicating with a potential client on the phone. Just imagine, a complete stranger calls you and talks about nothing for more than half an hour. How do you react? Most likely, hang up, and if you listen to the end, you will not fully understand what the essence of his words is. Don't want to be in this speaker's situation? Then learn to represent yourself:

"Hello Irina! I am a representative of X corporation. Our company is located in the city "U" and is the leader ... ". This will at least give the prospect an opportunity to understand what your firm is doing. Thanks to such a simple move, the rest of the communication will be easier.

• Another important condition for success is a well-defined subject of discussion. It should be featured throughout your entire conversation with the prospect, so that you can trace the connection with the first call on the phone.
• Keep in mind that with every phone call you get one step closer to completing the deal. Constantly focus on the observance of all agreements and compromises reached in the negotiation process.

5 methods of how to properly call potential customers

Method # 1. We know you, dear client.

The point is very simple: show the person that you are familiar with him, his brand, type of activity. If you have experience using his products, please tell us about it, let him know that you are happy with the purchase. Such a description will be pleasant to any potential client! In this case, it is highly likely that with this person everything will happen the way you want. No wonder they say: "The cuckoo praises the rooster for praising the cuckoo!" Do you agree?

Your job is to focus on the positive and your awareness. What is needed for this? That's right, prepare for communication, find out about his activities and its features.

Let's give an example from real life- a call to an elite women's cosmetics store:

The manager promised to visit the store and then call back. This ended the dialogue.

The conclusion is simple: the manager must know the basics of his clients' activities, otherwise he will not be able to help them in any way.

Having gone to this store, we call back and build a conversation a little differently:

- Nadezhda Ivanovna?

- Greetings! This is Marina calling from the Courier agency. Remember me?

- Yes, Marina. I'm hearing you.

- I visited your store!

- And what is your impression?

- Impression? Yes, just a sea of ​​emotions! You just know, I couldn't decide which perfume to choose: Dolche and Cabbana or Marina de Burbon. They both have such a smell that it was difficult for me to settle on any one. What would you recommend to me?

After that, a discussion began on perfumes, manufacturers, preferences.

- Have you thought about my proposal?

- Oh, could you remind me?

- Nadezhda Ivanovna! Let me not bore you with lengthy explanations. Maybe we will meet, I will tell you everything in detail and show you !? When are you free?

The result of this communication was a meeting and (don't be surprised!) The signing of a long-term contract. In addition, the manager was given a discount card of the boutique. Nice bonus, isn't it?

Method number 2. And I know that you have news for me!

The very name of the technology suggests that the essence here is constant monitoring happening. Is your client offering a seasonal discount? Call him urgently! Does he sponsor the exhibition? Run and don't miss the moment! You need to always be aware of the changes, requirements, tastes of your client.

That is, before you call, try to find all the available information about the person and the company. Where? To do this, you do not need to conduct a survey of a potential client. Start with a website, see how your client is being advertised, and you will understand a lot.

You probably thought: “To create an author's idea, you need to work for some time. How can we talk about this at the first call to a person ?! ”. But you are only partly right. To make it clear, let's give an example again - a call to a dental clinic:

- Good afternoon, Ella Petrovna! My name is Marina, I represent the Courier agency.

- Hello!

- Are these leaflets in the mailboxes?

- Well ... yes, partly.

- Yes, they are always thrown out, they are not even carried to the apartment.

The manager was in a difficult situation because she was not ready for such a scenario.

- But not everyone throws them away!

- Sorry, it doesn't suit us.

- It's a pity, goodbye, Ella Petrovna!

The manager thought for a long time how to fix the situation, and this is what happened in the end:

- Hello, Ella Petrovna! This is Marina again, the Courier agency. Remember me? We are in the mailing list.

- Yes, Marina, of course, I remember.

- I have an exclusive offer for you, I am sure you will like it! Let's meet?

- Well, I'm here until six, drive up!

The idea was accepted with pleasure, and the one-on-one communication with the potential client ended with the signing of the contract.

Method # 4. You are tough peppers, but we are peppers too.

Sounds funny? The technique itself is much more serious. The point is this: to make the consumer understand the importance of their company. Let's go straight to the examples:

– Good morning, Victor Alexandrovich! My name is Oksana, I represent the Peking company, we are the largest supplier of Chinese tea in the city.

- Hello, Petr Mikhailovich! My name is Aleksey. Our company has been on the chemical industry market for eight years. We would like to offer you a joint commercial project.

As soon as the client realizes how important you are, his attitude towards you, the representative of the organization, will be more respectful, that is, you have more chances that they will listen to you and agree to consider the project.

Method number 5. Do you know? Of course you know!

Here, you need to present in a conversation with a potential client the self-evident facts with which the person will agree. After that, you lead to an equally obvious statement that he simply cannot do without your services. For example:

This way you can connect with people who are not yet among your clients.

How to work with potential clients on the Internet

In some cases, aggressive product promotion ruins conversion, or the reason may be the seller's excessive obsession. People can drop in to “just see”, and they are immediately offered to register / buy right now.

It so happened that not every client is psychologically ready to spend money right away, while the owners of Internet resources do not always understand how to act correctly in this case. The more expensive and complex your proposal is, the longer it will take a person to mentally prepare for the investment.

In the case of software products of different specifics, prices, functionality, do not try to sell a "pig in a poke" at all. Create a limited trial so users can see the real value of the offer.

It is not necessary to enter a long registration here, a pair is enough simple steps... Otherwise, the potential client can get confused and lose the remnants of loyalty to the service and company. After all, she sells what she can't even try before buying.

For this reason, you need to intelligently approach the sales funnel, work not only on conversion, but also stimulate user loyalty in order to ensure the continuation of your communication.

Let's say we are selling an information product, which is popular now, concerning DIY repair. This is how work with a potential client should be structured:

1. What does a person want? - Learn all about home renovation.

2. What do you want? - Get a client.

3. How to do it?

• Suggest free consultation, and as a bonus to your product, add an original video, make free reports, provide official papers.
• Your goal is to make sure that the user sees you as a wise advisor, whose opinion is worth relying on.
• Give your consumers some compelling reasons to subscribe to your newsletter.
• Offer a free “trial” video course on one type of repair.

There is an opinion among professional marketers that a user needs to contact a resource 10 times to agree to a purchase. True, these figures are not supported by research results. Nevertheless, the named indicator underlines the fact that the longer and deeper the communication with a potential customer is built, the higher the probability of a purchase.

At the same time, there are always tools for establishing warm and trusting relationships. You just need to find ways to influence a specific group of users and start working with them.

What role does internet marketing play in communicating with a potential client?

Internet marketing (online marketing) is a set of actions, the task of which is to promote a resource, a product on the Web, as well as in interaction with potential customers. This kind of PR, like offline marketing, can increase the popularity of the company, the loyalty of customers to its activities and proposals.

What is the meaning and benefits of this type of marketing? Like other types, it includes the following main components:

• Product / service promoted on the Internet by means of certain tools.
• Offer- a unique characteristic of your product, a promotion, a discount, a bonus, a free service - everything that may be of interest to a group of potential customers.
• - the people to whom you offer your product. The bottom line is that they all search the web for information about your product. First of all, you will have to attract them to your site, only after that they will be able to become your clients.
• Conversion- converting site visitors into real customers.
• Promotion- those techniques that you use to attract the target audience, to get the maximum possible result.

This work with potential clients lends itself to very precise measurement. It is easy to check statistics of impressions, clicks on links or banners, purchases. The latest tools for maintaining statistical data make it possible to see which links are from the search, contextual, display advertising bring more people to the site. That is, you can track all the processes of your advertising campaign.

The main feature is the specificity of the audience on the Internet. It is radically different from the offline one, therefore it requires a separate approach. This is where you come across active, engaged users. They purposefully search for specific information and can protect themselves from annoying advertisements at any time.

A glance at an ad can last no more than a second. For such short term you need to express your proposal as clearly as possible, to interest, to induce a group of potential customers to continue their acquaintance with the site. You just need to communicate with such an audience directly: encourage them to click on banners, links, take part in surveys, comment, give ratings, and then place an order or contact you.

What online marketing tools can be used to build communication with potential customers:

Search Engine Optimization and Promotion (SEO)

An example of the search engine promotion of our client company "De Jure De Facto"

This is a set of measures aimed at promoting a resource in search engines for specific queries. First of all, this is site optimization - changing the structure, HTML-code, navigation, content, which will allow the resource to become more convenient, carry more information for potential customers, and be indexed well by search engines.

The promotion itself consists in increasing the external link mass, constant analysis, revision of key queries, with the help of which the optimization is carried out. Thus, SEO is financially inexpensive, provides a long, stable positive result, although it requires serious time and effort.

A special type of ads that appear near or above the search results if the corresponding keyword has been entered. All impressions are customizable by a number of characteristics: keywords, region, time, days of the week. This type of advertising is a win-win when you need to attract the attention of a specific group of potential customers for a set period of time.

Compared to SEO, contextual advertising starts very quickly, is easy to control, but stops working immediately after it is turned off. It is best to try to distribute the available funds evenly between this option and the search engine promotion.

It can be displayed on any sites, looks like banners, teasers, informers, etc. The main goal is the primary information about an existing product, the creation of a favorable image of the product or company. Clickable banners can lure potential customers to your resource, page containing certain commodity, which further stimulates the purchase.

The launch of "media" will bring the best result during the period of the highest level of demand or during discounts and promotions. But this type of online promotion is quite expensive.

Email newsletter

These are a variety of e-mail newsletters that include an appeal to a specific person or company on any informational occasion. So you can tell potential and real customers about a promotion, a new product, an offer, or the opening of a new store. Here you will need a developed client base and contacts of people who have subscribed to the site's newsletter.

PR campaign

This is the only one free option, which involves the placement of articles, releases on news, entertainment sites. The best result is possible if you do not pay for it, but agree on free placement, providing an interesting informational occasion.

Ice Bucket Challenge example

We are talking about posting video clips, flash games, applications, photos, stories on social networks that do not show open advertising, but there is an indirect mention of your product or company. It must be something really attractive. Viral marketing works thanks to mass reach: readers themselves are ready to like / repost a video, photo, application.

An example in the photo is Zhdun's meme, which blew up the Internet in 2017.

The choice of an Internet marketing tool should be related to the type of product being promoted and the tasks that you set for yourself. It happens that 1-2 channels are enough, but most often the best result is achieved with their complex use. And we suggest starting work on the comprehensive promotion of your site with the main thing - a professional audit.

Searching for and attracting new customers is an urgent task for any company. How do you find potential customers, and most importantly, make them real?

How to find potential clients

There are many ways to attract customers today. One of the most obvious is the distribution of various types of advertising. You can place your company's offer in specialized printed publications, on radio and TV programs, conduct an Internet campaign, or all together. The main thing is to inform future buyers about the key advantages and the need for your offer, to arouse their maximum interest.

All potential clients at a glance!
Manage customer relationships, lead productive work with leads!

After the emergence of interest, it is important to correctly build further actions. It is necessary to fully satisfy the request of a potential client, answer all incoming questions, be sure to find out his contact details to continue communication and invite you to a personal meeting.

Another surefire way to actively search for clients is cold calling or, more simply, calling those who do not know you yet. You need to prepare carefully for a cold call. Identify at least five arguments that will be meaningful to the customer. It must be remembered that in a few minutes of communication, your potential client should understand exactly that he wants to cooperate with your company.

But before talking about the benefits of your products, make sure that the person you are talking to is responsible for making the decisions that interest you. It will also be pertinent to ask what does not suit you in working with current suppliers of goods and services. Even if the potential client did not become real immediately, you should not despair, since a lot of time can pass between the interest and the purchase. In this case, it is necessary to periodically remind about your company, send mailings about changes in the offer. Then, if necessary, the client can easily contact you.

How to remind potential customers of the company

For regular reminders about yourself, you need to maintain a database of potential customers, where the following information should be indicated:

• name of the client's organization
• Full name of the contact person
• email, postal address phone
• significant dates for the client
• other important data (identified needs, interests, priorities in choosing a supplier, etc.).

This list needs to be updated and supplemented after each conversation with the client. Practice shows that the so-called "keep in touch" system allows you to significantly increase sales and works well in any business. According to this system, the client agrees to make a purchase not after two or three contacts, but for the seventh or eighth time. In some cases, to achieve success, you need to make up to 20-30 "touches". Touches can be any interactions with a customer: calls, presentations, emails, etc. Just stay available and be in touch at all times.

Automation of work with clients

The new Klass365 system, designed to work effectively with both potential and existing customers, will help you keep in touch with your customers. Class365 has a built-in module for email and SMS-mailings, which makes it possible to effectively carry out marketing influences on customers without uploading the database to third-party sites.

In the CRM module of the program, you can view all created documents, order history, last activity, correspondence, additional manager comments on transactions with a client right in the counterparty card. This is convenient not only from the point of view of storing and retrieving information, but also when transferring cases to a new employee. With this approach, the staff will not need to be put into work for weeks. Everything you need to work with clients is in one system and any information of interest is very easy to find.

In order for a potential client to become a permanent one, you need to make a lot of effort, but the foundation of all work is attention. Be attentive to your clients, record every detail of negotiations in the Class365 program and you will see how easy it is to work with a client base.

Potential buyer

Introduction to the concept of "potential buyer"

A potential buyer is someone who wants to buy something from you.

Potential buyers are people who may know about your business or you, but have never bought anything from you before. How do you include them in the orbit of your business?

It's not easy at all. Many small businesses fail to truly scale up precisely because they fail to attract the attention of potential buyers and convert them into visitors.

For many years, businessmen believed that the main way to withstand competition was to increase the range and keep prices lower than those of competitors. With a certain amount of irony, we can say that too large a range and low prices are the two main reasons for the collapse of companies!

Let us clarify this idea.

A too large assortment can lead to the appearance of large material stocks, which will affect the profitability. Think about where the niche market is for you and what you will actually be selling.

Too low prices for many small and even large firms can be a harbinger of collapse. If you cannot compete with Wal-Mart in terms of efficiency, then you cannot compete with it in terms of prices. Emphasize your positive aspects: specialization, customer service, staff competence, warranty service, home delivery, repair services, gift wrapping, etc. compete with them.

Let's take a closer look at the assortment.

Every day the average person comes across hundreds of commercial offers: on television, radio, from newspapers, sees them on advertising stands, in taxis and even, for example, in Sydney, Australia, in hotel room showers.

More than 15,000 new products appear on the market every year, and attempts to sell 90% of them end in failure!

Think about this: Personal computer owners can choose from over 30,000 programs on offer;

Car buyers can choose from 572 types and models;

If you have a credit card, you receive over 300 catalogs between September and Christmas;

There are 13 8 varieties of toothpaste (this is not trade marks, namely varieties: in tubes, in single packs, of various colors, for smokers, nonsmokers, for people with aching teeth, for tea or coffee lovers, for people with yellowing teeth ...).

In Consumer Reports, David Pittl writes, "Time and time again we hear about people having difficulty deciding what to buy."

And yet, in some areas of business, a wide assortment works. Charles Lazarus, founder of the renowned toy company Toys I Us, says: "When parents have no idea what to buy for their child, they go to the department store, which has the widest choice." This is, of course, good for a company like Toys I Us, but not very good for a small shop on the corner. Naturally, he will lose in the range of large firms.

What can you do in this case to lure a potential buyer?

For a small entrepreneur, a large assortment can rarely be profitable due to the high cost of inventories.

Let's take a look at another reason small entrepreneurs fail. They are trying to compete with the big firms on prices.

Large businesses are likely to offer better prices. They have higher purchasing power and less overhead in relation to sales volume and therefore can be successful at very low trade margins. They have already pumped billions of dollars out of the American consumer, saying, "No one can match our prices!" or something like that. In 1993, for the first time, such price knockers sold more ready-to-wear than specialty stores. For the first time in its 116-year history, Budweiser has reduced beer prices. To maintain its place in the tobacco market, Philip Morris cut the prices of Marlboro cigarettes by 40%.

Could this work? Maybe - but for large firms! Even for giants like Philip Morris, the outcome can be very different. The short-term effect will be an increase in sales, but a decrease in profits. On the day when the Marlboro cigarette price cut was announced, the company's stock price fell on the stock exchange. Investors did not consider that the increase in the number of potential buyers of Marlboro will lead to an increase in the lower limit of the share price. Even more than a year later, financial analysts are trying to find an explanation for what is now called Marlboro's Black Friday. The market share of this firm has increased, but competitors are not retreating, in turn reducing the price of cigarettes. As a result, smokers rejoice at lower prices, but overall the cigarette industry is becoming less profitable.

Take American Airlines, for example. Year after year, this airline has taken the lead in the polls of air passengers. At some point, she decided to increase traffic volumes by lowering ticket prices. This idea seemed quite timely. After all, different airlines have very different fares depending on the time of year (and sometimes even depending on the time of day). Why not replace the puzzle like "at what price should I fly?" by introducing easy-to-understand rules? The problem turned out to be that other airlines followed American Airlines' lead. Some small companies like Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines have been successful because they did not have the federal tax and markup issues that American Airlines had to take into account. She was soon to return to the well-mastered old methods and tariffs.

Today's consumers know perfectly well who is doing what. They will place your company on their mental "scale", on which they "marked" where to buy something. Prominent authors Jack Trout and Ol Reis call this "positioning" - the process by which consumers provide a "place" for your product in their minds.

As the well-known forecaster Laurel Cutler says, “The consumer of the nineties is the smartest and smartest consumer. We taught people to think. "

The problem with lower prices is that they can lead to a "price war". Soon you will find yourself in the position of owners of Kroger supermarkets in Cincinnati, who brought their discounts on new foods to the point that pig farmers came to them to buy milk for piglets at five cents a quart, so it was cheaper. than regular piglet feed.

Therefore, the desire to lower prices and increase the assortment may not be the best way to attract a potential buyer.

What to do?

Below we will provide some examples of using specific techniques to attract the attention of a potential buyer to your business. To make it easier for you to figure out what to do, we will tell you a story about how we first got into business.

We were quite competitive in terms of prices and assortment, but in our store we limited this competition to a certain category of goods,

When we started, our small baby store had an annual turnover of about $ 25,000. What would make a potential buyer come to us, passing by a huge department store and a number of large specialty stores? My father-in-law came up with the idea: "Let you have inexpensive goods, but in the widest assortment in the city!"

It was in the fall, and we wondered what a person might need for the winter, and not very expensive at that?

What if you try to sell small things that keep children warm - mittens, scarves, muffs? It turned out what we needed - inexpensive, and we could offer the widest range of these goods in the city!

We decorated the windows ourselves:

"THE BEST RANGE OF CHILDREN'S GLOVES, COUPLINGS AND SCARVES IN OUR TOWN!"

Soon people started coming in and wondering what the best assortment of muffs and gloves was. While they were in the store, we were able to offer them overalls (we had, perhaps, the poorest assortment) - after all, the sale of one overalls was equal in money to the cost of three dozen pairs of gloves.

Sometimes we managed to sell either a jumpsuit, or a suit, or a girl's dress - all this because we had what a particular customer wanted, and in the widest assortment.

So, although we did not have the widest range of all products, we managed to achieve it in something that our customers wanted.

What have we achieved? We have transferred our Potential Buyer to the rank of Visitor.

You need to give the Visitor a first favorable impression, and this is achieved by a calm, warm, caring atmosphere. If you succeed, then by doing so you will win future buyers. If you ignore or, even worse, annoy these Visitors, then you will lose them forever. And sometimes, worst of all, they'll tell their story of a failed visit to your store to a dozen or more of their friends and acquaintances.

Not long ago, a supermarket lost our family in this way ... perhaps forever. And since we spent about $ 10 each week in their grocery department (which means about $ 5,000 a year, or about $ 100,000 over the next twenty years), the loss is quite significant even for a large enterprise.

Here is how it was. We went to the counter to buy some little things. The seller looked up and said:

Take the number!

What? we asked.

Take the number! - repeated the seller, directing us to a typewriter like a cash register, issuing tear-off paper numbers. “So I'll know whose turn it is.

But excuse me, there is no one in the hall but us!

If you want to be served, then you must have a number! These are our rules! the seller repeated once more, in an irritated tone.

We went to the machine and tore off the number - sixty-first,

The salesman glanced at the wall board and shouted, “Next! Sixty-first!"

This is us, - we had to respond, and only then we were served.

What happened? People who tried to take care of us, who tried to create an impression of professionalism and competence, forgot about the human factor. All they remembered was that everyone had to "pay by their numbers." This is how robots act, not people. In any case, people should not act like that if they want their potential buyer to climb the next step and become a Visitor,

How much do you collect per hectare?

Stan Golomb develops marketing programs for dry cleaners, restaurants, dentists, medical services, pizzerias and many more. When he accepts new clients, he always asks them to think seriously and answer one key question for the business, namely "how much do you collect per hectare?"

“Farmers always count yields per hectare of land,” Stan explains. If the average yield is, say, 50 centners per hectare, then a harvest of 30 centners immediately tells him that something is wrong. "

Therefore, why does not an entrepreneur compare the results of his activities with the "yield per hectare"? In business, this "yield" is calculated in comparison with the rest of the market. "Area in hectares" in this case can be the number of transactions in a given market segment, which were concluded and executed by one enterprise. Do you want to know how you are doing? Pay attention to your "yield".

Start by defining your market. Your primary market is where eighty percent of your Potential Buyers live. Find out the addresses of 300 of your current clients. From this data, you can estimate where the vast majority of your customers live. If you are a typical small business, over 80% of your clients live within three to five miles of your business.

Then calculate how many families live in your area of ​​the market. Go to the post office - there is data on the number of postmen and how many houses each of them serves. Let's say you have 5,000 houses on your lot. You do business with 1000 clients. This gives a "yield" of 20%, that is, you serve 20% of your potential market, your task is to find a way to increase the "yield"!

There are two ways to increase it:

1. Increase the number of families served by your business.

2. Convince those families who already do business with you to spend with you more money.

Once you have an idea of ​​your market share, you can begin to systematically increase it. Even if all customers in your market are already reached, you still have the opportunity to dramatically increase sales by applying appropriate incentives so that each of them spends 50% more.

Your sales volume will depend on a number of factors:

1. The geographical location of your part of the market,

2. Population density.

3. The level of income of the population in this part of the market.

4. The type of activity that the population is engaged in.

5. The lifestyle and lifestyle adopted here.

6. Ethnic characteristics of the population.

7. Middle-aged population.

8. Typical weather conditions in the area,

9. The number of competitors in a given market.

10. The type of competition.

11. The nature of your activities to improve your competitiveness.

The combination of these factors determines why one company has a turnover of $ 5,000 per week, while another, similar, barely manages to reach two thousand. Whatever factors you have to deal with, you can always increase your "yield".

Think about how farmers increase yields per hectare? Someone increases watering, someone adds fertilizer, someone starts using pesticides to control pests, someone develops hybrid varieties. They sow, cultivate, fertilize their fields, try to do everything so that the yield per hectare would maximally recoup their costs. What can you do within your business?

Life forces you to reckon with some unchanging factors. We will consider them for granted. You cannot change the economy of your area of ​​the market, the density of the population, its geographical boundaries. You cannot significantly change the location of an enterprise or influence a competitor's methods of work in the area of ​​prices and discounts for goods or services.

However, much can be done for a more successful conduct of your business, and this can only be done by you, through your own actions. You can do nothing, and then you will reap the fruits of doing nothing - nothing will change, except perhaps external factors affecting your business.

Take the automatic dry cleaning industry, for example. Their annual turnover can be very different - from 50,000 to 1,000,000 dollars (most dry cleaners operate within these limits).

But whatever this turnover may be, it can be increased by 20, 50 and even more percent. And this is done by analyzing the local market for services and appropriate actions.

For example, there is a highway to the north of you. You don't have any clients on one side of him. There is a railway in the south, because of it there are few customers from the south. In the west there is a golf course, there are also few clients there. To the east, it looks like the border of your market runs along Feaview Avenue. If your business is located in the center of this site on Ogden Avenue, you have to reckon with the specified boundaries. The only way to attract buyers is by sending them flyers and phone calls. At the same time, pay special attention to the appearance of your store: showcases, signboards, interiors, the rumor about which will be transmitted from visitor to visitor. In a recent survey, four out of ten potential buyers choose to do business with you because of the looks of your business.

Once you get an idea of ​​your area of ​​the market, similar to the one a farmer has regarding the yield in his field, you can start thinking about how to cultivate that “his field” to increase yields and, accordingly, profits.

Interview with Sid Friedman

If something doesn't want to change, change that “something”!

Sid is one of the world's leading insurance agents. When we want to understand how to find Potential buyers, we call Sid. He runs thirty insurance agents, but still personally distributes insurance policies. In his lectures and seminars, the most frequently repeated phrase is “if something doesn't want to change, change that“ something ”!”

What does Sid mean by that?

Nothing more than the following: “It is not enough just to do what everyone does. More importantly, it’s not enough to just repeat what worked before. ” Peter Draker writes that "every business must be ready for change ... in everything!"

The fact that some idea, concept, theory worked for many years in business does not mean that it will continue to work. This is a kind of part of the philosophy expressed in the words "the only permanent essence is change!"

Sid Friedman's drive for change extends to his vision of the future. We spoke with him trying to figure out how he became one of the leading insurance agents.

Question: How do you define the contingent of people who may need your services?

Answer: I do targeted marketing. I find people who are somewhat similar to each other. I cannot say that my market is all people around me. I live in the vicinity of Philadelphia, but this is not my market. Neither New York nor Atlantic City is.

My market is people who have something in common with each other. So if I want to bring in funeral directors, I go wherever they go. I go to their meetings, speak there. I write articles for their special magazine. When I manage to understand their life and work, and they - me, then a certain relationship is established between us.

As soon as I manage to get one funeral director as a client, I can already go to the next. I go to my so far only client with a list of funeral directors and say, "Joe, do you know anyone else on this list that I could talk to and offer my services?" I go to those people who trust each other and use their connections with each other.

I am very careful about who I work with and whom I offer my services to.

My market is not all people. You can, of course, act at random and achieve a certain success, but in this case you can be compared to the only sperm from a billion like him, which fertilizes an egg, and this happens purely by chance. I don't want to be like that. It's pointless. I prefer to know in advance which sperm will work and use only that sperm.

Question: What can you say about those who have already used your services once? Are you doing something special to encourage them to come back to you?

Answer: Of course, we mutually sell services to each other. I am not just an outsider, you become an important person to me. Now I am trying to keep you - this is the number one task. How exactly am I trying to keep you? I send birthday greetings, letters, using phrases like: "I saw one article here and, in my opinion, it may be of interest to you." By informing you about any events that may be of interest to you,

Since you bought A, and, in my opinion, B, C, D or E may also be useful to you, then I am trying to see you and inform you about it. For example, if you bought group insurance from me, then I can talk to you about supplementary pension contributions, annuity insurance, monthly contributions to the pension fund - you will know that I also do this. I do not expect that you will buy my services every time I call, but by doing so I am leading to the fact that when you decide to buy something, you may well contact me.

Question: Are you excluding from consideration some of the segments of the potential market to find those who really need your services?

Answer: It all starts with planning, right? How can I pull the trigger without knowing what I'm aiming at? Everything happens not according to the principle: “Attention! Fire! Hit! " If I know what I want to achieve, then I must consider whether the client can afford my services, does he have enough income, is his business profitable? If profitable, is the client the type of person who cares about the future? Will they buy my services when I visit them? I’m not going to deal with engineers for the world — I just don’t know how to work with them.

Personal characteristics, biographies, place of residence, environment - all have to do with the process of determining the area of ​​the market with which I would like to work.

Question: Many are not at all eager to disclose the details of their financial situation. How do you overcome this barrier in order to assess whether a potential client can use your services?

Answer: I do not think that the reason for their reluctance to share information of this kind with me lies in the presence or absence of any desire, It's just that this is the audience. I know that the owners of dry cleaning businesses throughout America, as well as around the world, make a lot of money. The owners of several dry cleaners make even more money. If I wanted to get these Potential customers into clients, I would be targeting the dry cleaning industry as a whole. I would find where they gather for their meetings, I would find the opportunity to be there as an invitee, in general, somehow I would be introduced into their environment. I would tell them that I would like to participate in their business, I would reveal what they like and what - not. I would start writing articles for their professional magazine, I would speak at their events for free. I would strive to become necessary for them, then they could become necessary for me.

I always have an operation plan. I don’t know how you can win battles without such a plan. Although this is not a war, strategic planning is necessary before moving on to drawing up a concrete action plan.

Question: How do you behave with unhappy customers who is having problems because of you?

Answer: Whoever has a problem, I give my home phone number. This is the responsibility of the president of the firm. He is the main person when complaints and claims arise. Two things must be brought to the attention of the president: one is when someone from the staff acts in a dubious way, and the manager must know about it, and the second is when the client has a serious problem, and the only person who can do something is the president of the firm.

Q: Are your employees doing the same marketing as you?

Answer: Not all. I would like them to conduct it, as it could make their life much easier and help them earn more. It seems to me that much more can be earned on services than directly on sales. At stations Maintenance more cars are sold than in car dealerships.

Question: What special efforts are you making to close the deal?

Answer: One client told me that he would not be able to meet with me, as he was leaving for Chicago. I asked him:

What time are you leaving tomorrow morning?

By plane at 7 am, flight 1260 Philadelphia-Chicago.

Then I asked if I could fly with him, to which the answer was yes, of course. I called the airline, booked a ticket and ended up in the seat next to the person I wanted. Thus, we got two hours to business negotiations... I got off the plane with a signed contract and the client's gratitude for his willingness to meet his circumstances. I flew home on the next flight.

I have done this many times. I even had to fly to Los Angeles. So I got a client for myself - two hours to Chicago and six hours to Los Angeles. After all, this is my client. It belongs to me. He has nowhere to hide, he cannot get rid of me, he cannot evaporate. He has no choice but to sit in a chair next to him.

Finishing the conversation with Sid Friedman, we present fifteen of his secrets on how to win the client's trust.

1. Promise less, do more. Otherwise, the following may happen,

The average customer buys five insurance policies during their lifetime from four different insurance agents. This is because:

3 percent move to another place of residence;

5 percent have a change in marital status:

9 percent refuse your services because someone offered a better price:

14 percent were disappointed with the product or service they bought:

68 percent refuse your services because of inattention and indifference to the needs of the client,

2. Always give a 100 percent guarantee. If we were forced to live with a guarantee of 99.9%, then every month we would drink unsafe water for an hour, every day there would be two risky aircraft landings at Chicago airport, every hour would be lost 16,000 letters, and every week there would be 5 0 0 incorrect surgical operations.

3. Always be a professional in everything. Professionalism is visible in the actions and knowledge that

how to achieve your goal. A professional is always trying to achieve the best re

result, the Professional is always dissatisfied with himself.

4. Always carry with you notebook... If you've heard or read something and liked it, write down the idea or phrase.

5. See your life as an exciting journey. Track your business growth. Become who you want to be. First, identify your destination. What's your goal? Second, are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses? Third, plan your trip.

6. Have the courage to dream big things. See colored dreams. Imagine what you are striving for, Consider it in detail. Draw, And the most ordinary people are capable of extraordinary deeds.

7. First of all, be yourself. You should not strive to "become me." In this case, you will be a second-rate copy of me. You are the original. Borrow some traits from those you admire. Replay the events in your mind like a tape. What does not suit you, simply erase from this tape. 8. Control your time - this way you can control your life. This is done as follows:

Draw three columns on a piece of paper, In the head of the first column write “URGENT”, in the heading of the second “IMPORTANT”, and in the third column, write “OTHER”. Always carry this sheet with you.

9. Remember the four rules of controlling your time (the principle of GPA *). Collect all the documents from your desk into one pile. Now take the top one - you won't put it aside until

Execute it, or

Set it aside for later (but put a date on when you will complete it), or

Give it to someone else for execution, or

Destroy it.

10. Find out what everyone else is doing, and don't. Stop competing. Start creating.

11. So form your image, image, so that others associate it with all the best. So work on yourself so that people start to follow your example. Work to eliminate negative traits in your character and behavior.

12. Learn to recognize the behavior of losers. Some of the known behavioral characteristics of losers are:

They are too busy with themselves, they have no time for anyone else;

They cannot be held liable in any way;

They are characterized by inflexible behavior:

They do not perceive the whole picture, do not dare to invade an unknown area;

They refuse to obey, would rather lose than follow instructions and win;

They are lazy, they will not waste a drop of their talent and time without demanding an increase;

They only criticize and shame others, constantly look for excuses for themselves and say that these problems are insoluble.

13. In contrast, the characteristics of the winners are: they have a sense of humor; they do not give up until they do their job: they do whatever is required to be successful; their lives are well balanced. In life, besides work, there are many other things;

They are goal-oriented;

They perfectly understand how you feel, sincerely give you all their attention;

They have the correct idea of ​​themselves, a good psychological state.

14. Don't take yourself too seriously, but take your business seriously.

15. Whatever happens, I can do it. Just eight words that will provide you with a guideline for life.

Media: newspapers

Attracting Potential Buyers Through Newspaper Ads

Throughout this book, we will be giving you tips on how to use different media to gradually transform Potential Buyers into Adherents of your business. Let's start with newspapers, as they are a fairly simple way to grab the attention of Potential buyers.

FACT: More than 1-13 million adults get their hands on newspapers every day in the United States. On average, six out of every ten people claim to read them cover to cover. Nine out of ten read only the most important news. If your business is looking for clients based on gender, remember that nine out of ten men read sports pages, and eight out of ten women read pages about leisure, gossip and entertainment.

The majority of newspaper readers are subscribers (seven out of ten), which means guaranteed delivery of newspapers at home to your Potential buyers, as opposed to radio or television, which reaches their ears and eyes only if the viewer or listener turns on the TV or radio. ...

Newspapers are a very important medium of information about your business, as more money is spent on advertising in newspapers than on advertising in any other media - approximately $ 34 billion a year.

Due to the fact that newspapers are read by such a large number of people every day, newspaper advertising can be an excellent means of introducing Potential buyers to your product or service.

Nationwide, newspapers consume about a quarter of all advertising money, but if we talk about local advertising, then newspapers account for about half of all advertising money (followed by television and the so-called "yellow pages" - a special type telephone directories, each of which accounts for 13%).

Below we will give some recommendations on how to compose titles, text and illustrations for advertisements, that is, we will share the experience of attracting the attention of Potential buyers to your business, which we have acquired over the years.

Heading

Before turning a newspaper page, the reader's attention lingers on it for an average of four seconds. During these four seconds, he first scans the headlines of the articles. Therefore, the heading is best composed in such a way that the reader has a desire to read it to the end,

The average woman reads only four advertisements in the newspaper, so the very essence needs to be put in the headline - what's new, the latest, the only, the most important, using keywords that can get a potential buyer to read your ad.

1. Promise a benefit or arouse curiosity. Remember that people buy only two things in the world: solving their problems and feeling good. Think about these two criteria the next time you sit down to write an advertisement for your products and services. Emphasize the benefits that the person will receive by purchasing your product, rather than the properties of the product itself. If the shoe you sell has a cushioned insole (product property), say it is “shock absorbing” (benefit). If the suits you sell are made from a blend of synthetics and wool (property), say they are “year round” (benefit). Ads with headlines that promise benefits are read by four times more people than those with headlines that do not promise benefits. Charles Mills, Vice President of O. M. Scott, the world's largest lawn grower, says, “People are interested in their lawns, not our seeds.”

2. If possible, include the name of the product in the title. It is the name of the product, not the name of the company. Put your name somewhere else in the ad, but not in the headline, unless it has some special meaning. “ONLY IN (store name). YOU WILL FIND (product name) ". Most people like to see their company name in a cap. advertisements, although the lower part is no worse for this. Do not forget to include your address, phone number and the name of the person you can contact for more information.

3. Good (and often better than short) readings for a long headline. Headlines longer than ten words read much better than short headlines.

4. Don't try to appear smarter just for show. One recent ad offering catalytic converter vehicles was headlined "DO YOU HAVE ANY CAT ALLERGY?"

5. Be guided by some "basic idea". The great advertising specialist David Ogilvy said: "Until your advertising campaign is built around a basic idea, it will wander in the dark like a ship in the night." You have to find that special that is in the product you advertise. The more of these "twists" you put in the ad text, the easier it will be to sell the product.

6. Sell only one idea at a time. Otherwise, you will only confuse the reader.

7. Appreciate the word "novelty". The product is a "novelty". The "novelty" solution. Ads with the words "new", "new" in the title work 20% better,

8. Use special words in your ad title because they work. These words include (but are not limited to): new, free, amazing, new, warranty, you, now. If your ad is directed to a specific audience, then its name should also be included in the headline (asthmatics, patients with rheumatism). Here's an example of a “working” headline: “TWO MONTHS AGO I HAVE BEEN CALLED BY A PEDESH”. You can be sure that bald men will pay attention to such a headline,

9. Include an indication of the local origin of your item. Supermarkets touting the sale of local products are reporting sharp increases in turnover. People like to identify with the local product. They are proud to buy "theirs." It is for this reason that Senator Mondale won elections in Minnesota, and Dukakis won elections in Massachusetts, although they lost elections in almost every other state.

10. "Don't show off." Double meanings, puns, headlines written specifically to attract attention, but not meaningful in essence, do not work. There was an advertisement on cable TV in which famous people said something like "Murphy Brown is 60 minutes on." Each of these ads began with the template "Okay, although this is not true, but if it were really ..." Most people immediately stop paying attention to such ads. We once made the headline of an advertisement for winter overalls that were purchased in Finland, like this: "TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THESE OVERALLS WE WERE IN HELSINKI AND BACK." It’s funny, but she didn’t contribute to the sale of overalls.

A week later, we ran the same ad again, but the headline was changed: IN THIRTY YEARS OF OUR FIRM EXISTENCE, WE HAVE NEVER SOLD SO MANY OVERALLS IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. This headline helped us sell sixty-three jumpsuits. People read this headline and said, "These jumpsuits must be amazing!"

11. Place the title below the illustration. Why? Because people read that way. Take a look at any newspaper or magazine. If your ad is like an editorial, then your readership will immediately increase.

12. Don't capitalize your titles. If you type the title of your ad in lower case, INSTEAD OF CHARGING IT THIS, you will also increase your readership. This happens because a person is used to reading exactly the lowercase letters with which this sentence is typed. Yes, of course, the title will be typed in large size, but still in lower case.

13. The title must be clear. John Caples, headline writer and former vice president of advertising agency BBD & 0, said, "When people see your ad, they think of completely different things." Don't make them think. Get them to act.

14. The headline must be believed. I will believe the headline "HOW TO LOSE 5 KILOS IN TWO WEEKS" and I will not believe "HOW TO LOSE 5 KILOS IN A DAY". That makes all the difference.

15. The headline should have been designed for your contingent. For young mothers and grandmothers in their sixties, ad headlines should be different.

16. Tell a story. People love to read different stories, and if your story is interesting, then the headline can make them read the entire text. Here is the headline we used to advertise men's workwear: "WE SEEN THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE CRILLON IN THE PLACE DE LA CONCORD IN PARIS." And so it was in fact. The first time we saw these thick, rough overalls on a hanger was in a hotel closet. Back home we ordered them for our store and our headline helped us sell them!

17. Solving the problem. It dawned on us that children’s raincoats could be monogrammed with the child’s initials. Most children's raincoats are predominantly yellow and cannot be distinguished from each other in the school locker room. Therefore, your child often returns home in someone else's raincoat. Our headline read: THIS CAPE CANNOT BE MIXED WITH ANOTHER, BECAUSE YOUR NAME IS STANDING ON IT. They were sold out in three days!

18. Dream fulfillment. John Caples wrote the classic: "THEY Laughed WHEN I SITTED AT THE PIANO." The ad helped sell a piano training course that was mailed out.

20. Last but not least, don't forget the headlines! If you think this is just ridiculous and doesn't work, take a look at the car and food advertisements in your local newspaper. They either have no headlines (just the name of the company at the top), or they are full of meaningless phrases like "MIDWINTER CLEARANCE", which means absolutely nothing.

In conclusion. Try different headlines for the same product. John Caples said that when he tried different options, one of them could be twenty times more effective than the others.

For many years, sets of four notebooks were successfully sold thanks to the advertising “BUY THESE FOUR NOTEBOOKS FOR ONLY 99 CENTS”, until someone offered the same product, but with an advertisement that worked much better: “BUY THREE NOTEBOOKS FOR 99 CENTS - THEN ONE. ADDITIONAL, YOU WILL GET FOR FREE! "

Only one in ten readers will read your ad text. All the art is to grab attention and keep the headline reading the first few paragraphs. If you succeeded while he reads the first 50 words you wrote, then most likely he will read the next 250. Do not underestimate the power of the impact of words, even one single one. Here are some examples.

Shampoo sales doubled in one single word. The instructions said, "Wet hair, apply shampoo and rinse thoroughly." And the clever copywriter added one word: "Repeat."

The famous businessman Elmer Wheeler was famous for his invention of various phrases that increased turnover. One diner wanted to increase its sales of milkshakes. In those days, some customers wanted to add an egg to a milkshake, which naturally increased its price and, accordingly, the company's profit. Wheeler suggested something that tripled sales: when a customer ordered a milkshake, the cashier asked, "Do you have one egg or two?" - to which almost everyone replied: "with one" (and some - "with two"),

Helen Rubinstein, a cosmetics firm, couldn’t understand why the big department stores were rejecting the free shopping apps the firm offered them. We analyzed the problem and gave the answer:

You have used two incorrect expressions. First, the headline read: "GIFT FROM ELENE RUBINSTEIN." It shouldn't be that way. The gift must come from the particular department store where it was offered.

Second, if your store high level do not offer "free coupons" to customers. Such coupons are given in supermarkets. You are giving "gift certificates". The same product, but the words are different. With these simple changes, Helen Rubinstein made sure that almost every department store took part in the advertising campaign for the company's products.

When you visit Disneyland, you are not a customer or a customer - you are a guest. One simple word dramatically changes the level of treatment - after all, people are much more kind to guests than to customers.

I love that our British relatives refer to life insurance companies as "life insurance". In this sense, it seems to me that I pay money to "hedge" and stay alive, while the name of American similar firms suggests that I will only win if I die.

Thus, when taking on the text of your ad, remember the importance of each word.

Here are twenty tips to help you make great advertisements.

1. Get Started With The Most Important ... ASAP! Most advertising educators can teach you this. It is necessary to “load” the first three paragraphs as much as possible. The beginning of your text should emphasize the benefits reported in the title.

2. Write in short sentences. No more than twelve to fifteen words. The paragraphs should not be very long, consist of two or three sentences. This will allow you to have enough free space on the area of ​​your ad and make it more accessible for perception. Remember that the reader is not "reading" but rather "skimming over."

3. Do not type text wider than three inches (about 10 cm). This is due to the fact that just such a space is covered with one glance. This is especially true for regular newspaper type (11.5 points).

4. Don't exaggerate. Don't try to prove that your product is "sweeter than sugar." Promise less, do more.

5. Be specific. Kipling's "six faithful servants" are still working - What, Where, When, Who, How and Why *:

I have six servants

Agile, daring

And all that I see around me

I know everything from them.

They are at my sign

Are in need.

Their names are: How and Why,

Who, What, When and Where.

6. Speak as if you are talking to someone at home in a simple, fluent, understandable way.

7. Type your text in a serif font. This is how this text is typed. It has a special "serif" at the end of each letter, which makes the text more convenient for visual perception. AND THIS TEXT is typed in sans serif. You can see for yourself how much more difficult it is to perceive.

9. Write in the present tense. Never use the past tense. The present tense implies that everything is happening right now, while the past symbolizes something outdated, unnecessary to anyone.

10. Use understandable words and famous names. I once wrote an ad for a new song that said, "... this is the best music I've heard since Glenn Miller died." I showed this text to different people, and almost everyone under thirty asked, "Who is this Glenn Miller?"

11. Use the recommendations of those who actually buy your product. Neighboring clients are far less expensive to advertise than celebrity names and are nearly as effective as them. ("Look, here's a photo of Mary Simpson! I know her ...")

12. List the price. Once we prepared an advertisement for children's muton coats. They were very expensive, and the advertiser did not advise us to quote a price. We convinced her: "Why then did you buy them if you are not sure that you can sell these coats?" Nine out of ten newspaper readers say price influences purchasing decisions and product choices. If you do not indicate the price, then you will not be able to influence Potential buyers.

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The phrase “potential customer” is used in sales as often as “Armageddon” is used at conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses. But who can really be called that? Let's try to figure it out so that this phrase does not turn into a common, meaningless cliché.

After all, a potential client is not any person who, passing by a plumbing store, looks at the toilet in the window. To be considered a potential client any specific person (or organization), it must meet four requirements.

Requirement 1. He must have a need for the proposed product

Your potential consumer must certainly meet this condition, if only you want him to “grow up” from a possible into a real client sometime. There is no need to waste your own efforts, nerves and precious time on a subject who does not feel and may never feel the need to purchase your service / product. For example, why offer a cigarette stand to a children's cafe? Or fresh beef for a vegetarian?

It also happens a little differently. When the client himself does not know about some of his needs, until the seller tactfully points him out. For example, a bank director may not think about how productivity will increase and labor efficiency credit managers by teaching them the blind ten-finger typing method.

How much will the percentage of angry visitors who simply cannot stand the spectacle decrease, how the creditor knocks out a leisurely roll with two manicured fingers and drags out the agonizing wait.

But when we try to sell a product in which he is obviously not interested, then it can be called in one word: imposition. And the salesman ... he's like Casanova - it's important to be persistent, but not intrusive.

Requirement 2. He must want to buy your product.

Do you think that needs alone can be used to build a deal?

If you think about it, the vast majority of us throughout our life are forced to learn to ignore our needs. And desires in this case play an important role.

You need to buy a winter jacket - but a person spends his last money on a trip to Turkey.

The company needs to buy new equipment - but a brand new Range Rover is being purchased for the chief accountant.

Employees demand their wages - but the corporation's owners lost it at poker ...

All of these things are due to impulses that are immediately recognized by all moms (and many dads) who held out until the fourth birthday of their child, and they look like this: "Hachchu!"

Seriously now. If we are talking about a personal, direct sale, then who, in your opinion, should initiate the interest? You come to a person and want him to buy something from you. Should there be a desire to take possession of your product from the very beginning, or does it still fall on your shoulders to generate this desire?

Of course, yours. The near-potential client has never heard of you, and therefore may not have any interest in you. But you called and sold this interest to him. It remains only to competently prepare for and show him how he wants to have what you offer.

If speak about retail, then everything is even simpler: since a potential buyer has wandered into your salon / store, then some kind of no, tiny and ghostly, but he already has an interest. All that remains is to take the bull by the horns ... and sell this bull to the client.

Requirement 3. He must be financially able to purchase your product

Surely Apple laptops of the latest model, which are so functional that perhaps they do not fry eggs, would fit well into the interior of any office. But if you come to the waiting room of a "fading" rag and offer them a similar solution, you are unlikely to become good friends. Not at all because the editor-in-chief has no desire or the correspondents have no needs. Simply because they have no money for it.

Before you go with any offer to a new person or group of people who meet the above two requirements, make sure that they are wealthy enough to pay for your services or goods.

True, there is a small exception to the rule, which borders on fantasy, but has been repeatedly proven: if a person has a strong enough desire, in almost all cases he finds the means as if by magic.

Requirement 4: He must have decision-making authority

You may find yourself in an extremely awkward situation if you “courting” your potential client for an extended period, but then find out that he is not at all competent in matters of decision making. In a world where even the deputy chief of security has five assistants and three deputies, this happens.

Most often, the situation described above occurs when "cooperation" with corporate clients. You run after people, arrange brilliant colorful presentations, but they always promise to call you back, or think, or “confer” ... this "somehow".

Now you can definitely give an answer to the question of who your potential client is, and who can be called that, and who can not. It remains only to figure out how to define the role of this or that person in the organization in order to assess the effectiveness of your strategy when working with them. If you are not tired and ready to spend a few more minutes, then you

Chapter 4. IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL BUYERS AND PREPARATION FOR ESTABLISHING CONTACT

Sources of information and methods for identifying potential buyers

The personal selling process begins with identifying potential buyers. A potential buyer is a physical or entity that has the potential to purchase a product. Such customers correspond to three parameters: they are aware of the need for a product, they have the financial resources, they have the authority to make a purchase decision.

Sources of information about potential customers very diverse. These may include: a company database; company personnel; national, regional specialized publications, press articles, news bulletins, Internet, promotional materials, reports, financial reports; catalogs and reference books (commodity, industry); professional organizations those engaged in research and working with information (marketing and sociological research centers, industry institutes, etc.); government agencies, local authorities, national committees (committee on statistics), which publish, along with their materials, the names and addresses of organizations with which you can contact; exhibitions and trade fairs; customers (buyer's staff) and customer customers; sometimes competitors; business partners (resellers and suppliers), etc.

Methods for selecting potential buyers differ depending on the type of sales. Let's name the most common methods.

1. Blind search method based on the law of averages. For example, if the seller's past experience indicates that one person in 10 purchases the product, then 50 calls to potential customers should result in 5 concluded deals. Based on this, the seller should connect with as many potential customers as possible, knowing that a certain percentage of them will make a purchase. As a rule, there is no preparatory work and the seller does not know anything about the person or organization with whom he is trying to establish contact. This form of clientele identification is based solely on phone calls or blind visits to potential clients at home (in the office).

2. Method of the infinite chain is that the seller asks the client (or any person interviewed) to tell him the names of people and organizations that are interested in purchasing this product. After contacting them, the sales agent also asks for the names of acquaintances who could become potential customers. This method is common when selling consumer goods.

3. Method of the source (center) of influence involves finding and enlisting support from individuals who have a certain influence on potential customers and access to information about them. Such persons can be presidents of clubs, representatives of public associations, heads of organizations, doctors, teachers who can recommend potential clients.

4. The method of trade presentations and exhibitions. Expositions and demonstrations at exhibitions and other specialized events allow you to identify potential customers, since such events attract people interested in purchasing goods.

5. Request method is to register phone calls and mail from stakeholders and organizations following promotions or campaigns. After people have contacted the company for more information, sellers contact them.

6. Method of observation. The seller can find a potential buyer by observing the state and development of the situation in his sales area. For example, sellers of office and commercial equipment, computers and furniture should pay attention to office buildings under construction and the opening of stores on their territory.

7. Agent network method involves the establishment of relationships with people who can provide addresses of potential customers for a certain reward (discounts on purchase or% of the completed transaction).

The identified potential customers differ in their financial resources, the size of the possible deal, special requirements, location and the likelihood of long-term cooperation. Therefore, it is advisable to divide them into three categories - A (with high potential), B (with medium potential) and C (low potential). Moreover, customers who fall into the first category (A), the sales agent should contact immediately.

Preliminary preparation for contact – the second stage of the personal selling process. It includes planning a meeting with a potential buyer and agreeing on its terms.

Planning a meeting with a potential buyer

Planning a contact with a potential customer is the basis for a successful contact. There are usually 4 reasons for planning a conversation with a client:

Planning helps the salesperson feel more confident. When it comes to speaking in front of a large audience or in front of authoritative experts, many become nervous. Nervousness can be suppressed if you plan your speech (introduction, arguments for the product, answers to possible objections) and rehearse the presentation of the product. Thus, the seller gives himself confidence in his own abilities and professional abilities;

Promotes the formation of friendly, benevolent relationships with customers. A seller who has prepared in advance for the meeting, understands the needs of the client and is ready to discuss with him how the proposed product can help the buyer in solving the problem, of course, is respected by the buyer. Respect gradually develops into confidence that the seller's arguments and promises can be trusted;

Saves the seller and his clients from wasting time and prevents unpleasant surprises;

Promotes increased sales. A well-trained salesperson, who knows the needs of the customers, is prepared to talk about how the valuable qualities of his product can help the customer meet his needs, always achieves better results than an untrained salesperson. Planning helps to think through the entire presentation process and conduct it at the appropriate level.

When scheduling a meeting the seller must:

Determine the goals of contact with the client;

Collect as much detailed information as possible about him;

Develop a product presentation plan.

Contact purpose formulation with a potential client may be as follows: receiving additional information about the client, assessment of the client's prospects, immediate conclusion of the transaction, increasing the purchase batch to a certain volume, etc. Experts recommend defining a maximum goal and a minimum goal for each meeting with a client. In any case, the purpose of the visit should be specific, measurable, understandable and beneficial to the buyer.

The requirements for specificity of purpose are associated with the fact that they allow the seller to accurately formulate his proposal. For example, to sell an additional batch of goods taking into account a discount that is valid during the promotion, or to offer the buyer to update the assortment of the purchase by purchasing an additional batch of goods in a new package.

The measurability of the goal makes it possible to compare the results of the meeting with the set goal and determine whether it has been achieved. For example, the goal can be considered measurable - to increase the number of new customers by 8 people.

The goal should also be clear and beneficial to the buyer. When he does not understand what benefits he will receive if he accepts the seller's offer, then it is almost impossible to sell him the goods.

The next step after defining contact goals is collection of information about the client and his needs... This operation includes obtaining information:

a) general nature, such as the size of the firm or the composition of the family; assortment of produced (sold goods); market share, reputation; competitors and their products (advantages and disadvantages), financial position; desired conditions of purchase (type of delivery, terms of payment, service); the qualifications of the intended users of the product;

b) o personal qualities buyer such as name, education, age, gender; anticipated needs, purchase motives and expectations from the conclusion of the transaction; status in a company or family; Criterias of choice; position, beliefs, experience, prejudices, hobbies, fears; what he is proud of - successes, awards, publications, anniversaries, family;

d) about the type of trading situation in which the decision to buy is made.

In addition to the specified information, the seller also needs a deep knowledge of the goods being sold, i.e. understanding its characteristics, advantages of use, differences from competitors' products and possible benefits for the buyer.

Development of a presentation plan consists in choosing an introduction and type of presentation; in determining the questions that will be used to identify needs, convincing arguments in favor of your proposal. At this stage, methods for removing objections and closing the transaction are also developed. In order to increase the degree of impact on the client, the seller needs to take care of various visual aids (product samples, diagrams, price lists, promotional materials, souvenirs, etc.). The planning process ends with a rehearsal of the presentation.