Traditional Selling Process Vs. Modern Selling Process
There are mainly two approaches to the selling process, they are the traditional selling approach (process) and the modern selling approach (process).
Traditional Selling
Selling is, without a doubt, a process, but the technique of this process can involve a single salesman or a group of salespeople (the company, agencies, co-sellers, etc.).
Whoever is involved in this process strives to assist and encourage potential buyers to purchase a product or service, rather than being overwhelmed by the consumers’ initial negative attitude. Finally, a percentage of the earnings is distributed to the seller. The steps in the traditional selling approach generally include these.
1. Develop A Warm Relationship
The seller and buyer must establish a cordial relationship as the first step in the traditional selling process. This can be accomplished in a variety of methods, including a warm handshake, pleasant smile, the use of a visiting/reference card, friendly small conversation, and so on.
2. Determine Customer Needs and Wants
In the second step, the vendor tries to figure out what requirements or desires the consumer is looking to fulfill. He or she also tries to figure out if the consumer is having trouble choosing the right product or service.
In addition, he/she strives to overcome particular and genuine objections voiced by the consumer regarding certain product characteristics, price, and so on.
3. Determine Sales Strategies
In the third step, the seller determines the sales strategy to employ in order to close the deal. Before deciding on a sales strategy, the seller determines whether the sales presentation will be focused on a single product or a selection of items, whether to stress specific product qualities, and whether to gloss over particular product attributes.
Sales techniques, on the other hand, should always be centered on the benefits that users would receive from the product in issue.
4. Launch Sales Presentation Techniques and Methods
The salesperson launches into a sales presentation in the fourth step, utilizing one or a combination of the following techniques: memorized presentation, outlined presentation, program presentation, dramatized presentation, and so on.
This is the most important step in the selling process since it is at this point that the seller attempts everything he or she can to satisfy the client, turning the buyer’s initial negative attitude into a positive one.
5. Close the Sale
Finally in the last stage of the traditional selling process, when the customer is pleased, he or she agrees to the purchase terms and conditions, such as what discounts and allowances he or she will receive, as well as service and delivery options, and what net price the seller will receive. The sale is completed when both the seller and the buyer have fulfilled their obligations.
As buying and selling is a mutual exchange of things and services for a price, there is the possibility of adjustment in each and every step of the process. In other words, an adjustment can be made through mutual understanding between the buyer and the seller.
Modern Selling
Modern or current advanced selling process (approach) contains the 10 different steps.
- Prospecting: In this step, sellers search, evaluate and qualify expected customers.
- Pre-approach: In this step, sellers do pre-approach activities to determine their needs to satisfy.
- Approach: In this step, the salesperson prepares bases for deciding the types of presentation and demonstration before the prospects.
- Presentation and Demonstration: In this step, sellers show the products, tell about them, and even make prospects involved in the demonstration.
- Trial Close: Coming to this step, sellers ask customers for making close of sales (but may or may not be)
- Determine Objectives: If the sale is not closed in provious step, salespersons try to determine specific objections of the prospects.
- Meet Objectives: In this step, the sellers use specific sales strategy to meet customer objections.
- Trial Close: In this step, the seller again tries to close the sale focusing on customer’s need satisfaction.
- Close the Sale: This is the most important step where the actual sale is made possible by using different methods and watching time and opportunity of closing.
- Follow-Up: In this last step of the modern selling process, sellers try to get feedback whether the customer is satisfied or not.