A planned presentation, that's what a walkaround should be. Not cannedplanned. A salesperson should know where they are going all the time. When I teach new salespeople, I say it is not just a presentation but a "Six-position, Feature Benefit Presentation."
Before we can ever attempt to do a good presentation we must first understand what a feature is and what a benefit is. Remember, a feature is what it is, a benefit is what it does. A seat belt is a feature. Holding you in the seat during a collision is the benefit. A lot of salespeople are good at reciting the features on a car but not at explaining why the customer needs them.
When a salesperson says, "Yes sir, this car has everything you're looking for air conditioning, AM/FM stereo radio, power windows and door locks and anti-lock brakes," the customer looks at this salesperson like a deer caught in the headlights on a highway at nightblank, nothing, zippo. They don't know what they are supposed to do or say. It wasn't a question so it doesn't move the sale forward. They're basically just repeating what the customer told them they wanted.
The customer's only response is, "Yes, Mr. Salesperson, I can see it has everything I asked for. How much?"
Not much of a presentation. In order to do a confident walkaround, your salespeople need to remember the one thing the customer wants to know, "What will it do for me?" Until you tell a customer that, they are not listening. Plus, the biggest enemy of a walkaround is silence. When there is silence, there is pressure and in the selling process, we want NO pressure. The only common ground a customer has is the price. After you stop talking is the easiest place for them to say, "How much?"
How long did it take to recite the five options above? Thirty seconds maybe? What do I do now? I'm out of things to say. Obviously, there are lots of options and I could probably go on for awhile but even if I could memorize all of the options on every model, the customer would be yawning. Why? He wants to know, "What will it do for me?" If your salespeople are only going to recite options, just give the customer a brochure and send them on their way. The brochure even has head and leg room specifics and more! When you come right down to it, does the customer even care that there are 28 inches of leg room? No. But he will be interested to know that, "because of the transverse mounted engine Mr. Customer, when you take that trip to Colorado this summer, you can really stretch out your legs!" This is a better way to sell the leg room.
Without good qualifying I would never have been able to make that statement, would I? But here's the good newsI can make that statement even more powerful in two ways. One by moving the sale forward and two, by asking for the order.
Moving the Sale Forward. There are a lot of different ways to move the sale forward. Some are very simple phrases that will keep the customer following you. Some examples are:
"Let me show you this""Let me show you one more thing""Great, follow me"
Asking For the Order. Suggest options to the customer. The way to ask is quite simple: "That's a feature I'm sure you'd like, wouldn't you" The customer answers, "Yes!" Follow that up with, "Great, come with me," or "Great, now let me show you one more thing."
The question above is one that I use because I already know the answer. I really don't think a customer will ever say "no" to seat belts. I will always use it with a feature I know he wants. Seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, etc.
Don't let your salespeople forget the "ABC's of Selling (Always Be Closing)." When I was new to this business, I heard a story about the time someone tape recorded a very successful salesman during a 20 minute presentation. He asked the customer to buy the car 17 times! ALWAYS BE CLOSING!
One of the best closing techniques during a sale is what I refer to as a "tie-down." Some people call them trial closes. They are simply a question at the end of a statement that demands a response. Instead of saying, "Those seat belts are a great feature," which in the eyes of a customer is simply an opinion, add the words, "aren't they?" This forces the customer to respond, hopefully in a positive way.
These few tips will build the foundation for a confident walkaround. If your salespeople remember the tips above, they can take full advantage of their product expertise when doing a walkaround presentation. Good Luck and Good Selling!