Clues to Cool Deals of Lesser Magnitude

(Project 1 from Persuasive Speaking,Advanced Communication Manual--Selling a low cost product to a customer in a store.This 3-4 min speech was by 3-5 min roleplay wherein I tried to sell a book to a customer in a bookstore)

We have two ears and one mouth because we are supposed to listen twice as we speak. Let it be known that God made no mistake in the case of salespersons, too.
Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening.

I shall bring here today a 3 step approach that can be successful in a store selling not so expensive products.
1:Building rapport with customer
2.Understanding customer needs
3.Radiating credibility

Building rapport: The clichéd golden rule in rapport building, a warm smile, remains omnipotent till date. The effect is enormous and you should welcome the customer with a customary smile. In rapport building, another essential thing is matching the customer in behavior. For instance, you should not speak loudly to a customer who speaks softly. You can even engage in small talk. Of course it should not look plastic-Like you should not straightaway ask a customer who comes into a bookstore “Hey, how is the weather”

Once the rapport is created you should focus on understanding the customer need. Surely, you need to ask questions. Here too brevity is a must.Nobody would want to tell their entire family history and office stories just to buy a book. Ask relevant question and value the customer’s time. The questions asked should elicit detailed answers and not in monosyllables. Questions formed by what, why, how are ideal to get detailed answers.

Having understood the buyer’s need, focus should be in solving buyer’s problem. This where your knowledge on the multitude of products available and the special features of each product come into picture. More or less you are making a decision for you customer. It’s a challenge for a salesperson to live up to the ethical standards. If you feel that, a product does not suit a customer don’t try to convince him otherwise. You may lose a sale but you will win your buyer’s trust, confidence and who knows may be his daughter as well. You would be able to radiate your credibility only if you have thorough knowledge of the product and its counterpart. Also the communication skills you hone at toastmasters also come into play. If the customer is agreeable to your suggestion you should not hesitate to push the deal. If you don’t ask for a commitment, you may not get it. Once the deal is done you can reinforce your credibility and customer’s belief by assuring him that he made a good choice.

Hence, a successful deal is a result of a 3-step approach:
1:Building rapport with customer
2.Understanding customer needs
3.Radiating credibility

In all these steps, we should not be so talkative like an overzealous football player dribbling with the ball. We should be intensively listening. Remember, God has made no mistake in the case of salespersons too in giving two ears and one mouth.

[In this project, this speech is followed by a 3-5-role play (spontaneous) in which I play a salesperson selling Roget’s Thesaurus and prospective buyer is called from the audience. This role-play is followed by a 2-3 minutes discussion with audience on how the role-play went]

So, salespersons, if you follow this simple 3-step approach, your customer will say weeping to you “Its such a great deal. I don’t think I am worthy of it”.

Over to you toastmaster.