Grow Your Training Business

Selling is Like a Box of Chocolates

<p><a = href=3D"http://frontlinelearning.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551860e7588330120a54= 8e0d5970c-pi" style=3D"FLOAT: left"><img alt=3D"Chocolates" = class=3D"at-xid-6a00e551860e7588330120a548e0d5970c " = src=3D"http://frontlinelearning.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551860e7588330120a548= e0d5970c-120pi" style=3D"MARGIN: 8px" title=3D"Chocolates" = /></a>A scientific expeiment has revealed the power of choice, = and how we are affected by our own perception of control.<a = href=3D"http://frontlinelearning.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551860e7588330120a54= 8e0d5970c-pi" style=3D"FLOAT: right"></a> </p> <p>Two groups of people&#0160;were asked to rate the taste of = a selection of chocolates. The first group was shown a platter = containing what appeared to be a wide variety of chocolate truffles. = However, all of them were made from the exact same recipe so their taste = was identical. Each member of the first group was allowed to select one = truffle from the&#0160;platter, then after tasting it they completed = a survey. They were to rate the taste of the chocolate on a scale of 1 = to 10.</p> <p>The second group completed the exact same process, except they = were not allowed to select their own&#0160;chocolate. Instead, after = being shown the entire paltter featuring what appeared to be a wide = variety of truffles, each member of the second group was handed a single = chocolate and asked to rate its taste ona scale of 1 to 10.</p> <p>On average, those who were allowed to select their own = chocolate truffle rated the taste 2.3 points higher than those who had a = truffle selected for them. This experiement was repeated over and over = again, and consistently the individuals who were allowed to make their = own decision actually felt that the chocolate tasted better.</p> <p>How is this possible? Obviously the chocoalte didn&#39;t = really taste better. But just as clearly, having&#0160;the power to = make a choice created a different perception - and that perception was = so strong that it seemed as if the chocolate actually tasted = better.</p> <p>So what is the lesson that salespeople can draw from this = experiment? When customerrs or prospects are given the power to make = decisions (or even just the perception they are making choices) thye = will not onlyfeel better about the decision - they will actually like = the product or service more. Their &quot;chocolate&quot; will = taste better.</p> <p>Think about this the next time you are trying to push a = particular &quot;chocolate&quot; intot he hands of a prospect. = Maybe you&#39;ll have better luck if you adjust your sales approach = to help them make choices for themselves. ALl you have to do is hold the = platter.</p>

Good Articles - Needs Assessment

If you are building a corporate training business or professional coaching practice, even if "needs assessment" isn't one of your natural areas of expertise, you can't afford to not be familiar with the principles of consultative selling and needs analysis. The articles listed below will give you great tips and insight to help you grow your business and also have a better understanding of the needs analysis processes that many of your client organizations are using.

... the customer seriously considers whether to buy your products. This means that you need to sell yourself to the customer—by building rapport while conducting a good needs assessment—before you begin to sell your company and its capabilities. ... Read  The Sales Training Series: Sell Yourself Before You Sell Your Company

... an entrepreneur is totally devastated because all of his/her time and money just went down the drain and there is nothing to show for it. With consultative selling, you are looking far beyond the end of the month profits or losses; you ... Read How to Successfully Practice Consultative Selling

... ready point, they will be more receptive to such offers as longer, in-depth seminars, needs assessments or meetings with and getting proposals or quotations from your sales and marketing department. If you use effective and efficient ... Read  Sales Leads: Maximize Your Sales With Longer-Term Sales Leads

... close larger sales to existing customers. Sales organizations that have both product and service expertise and consultative selling skills can be successful; however those two skill sets alone will not deliver industry leadership. Industry ... Read  Moving Beyond Consultative Selling to Deliver Industry Leading Sales Results

... one for every person who is in front of them. They may also have to determine whether the prospect is the right one, long-term, for their organization. Consultative Selling Requires Sales Professionals to Focus Every Ounce of Attention ... Read  Sales Training: Stop Traditional Based Selling & Focus on Consultative Selling Now

... sales, need to reposition their brand, need to prop their company up for a sale? Then I come up with a solution that does the most for them, if they're willing to buy. This is called a needs assessment. Have a list of questions and try to ... Read  Creating a World-class Sales Campaign

... that results in closing the sale or an elaborate presentation designed to moved the prospect to the next step in the process - like an "exploration meeting" with the purchasing committee or an "in-depth needs assessment". This is obviously ... Read  Win More Sales With a 5-step Sales Process

Consultative selling sales training courses are becoming increasingly popular. Even other sales training classes and sales coaching classes are offering consultative selling as a part of the curriculum. So, what is consultative selling? As any of these sales training courses will tell you consultative selling is a type of selling in which the selling is based on customer needs rather. Read  What is Consultative Selling?

Although we would recommend tailoring training based on the results of your training needs analysis (TNA), there are a number of common modules that can be used as the basis of the training program. Here are some we have developed in the past:  Read  Types Of Sales Training

Chances are you are not closing as much business as you would like. Rarely do you need more leads. What you need is to become more efficient and more effective in closing the prospects you have already made contact with. In this training article, we will uncover a simple way to close more sales effectively. Read  The Simple Way to Close More Sales Effectively

... to be willing to answer a phone call from a customer or to make phone calls to key customers. For successful consultative selling, nothing sends a stronger signal to a sales organization than seeing their senior executives on the front- ... Read  Selling a Higher Price in a B-b Environment

... " kit that has a variety of items for this weeks menu.  They could even provide yummy recipes for the different items.  Consultative selling for produce.  Perfect. Of course, they can grow organic products and charge a higher price, which ... Read  Selling Secrets From The Farmer's Market