Page 75 - Lighting Magazine May 2018

readers of this column with limited sales experi- ence, I want to introduce you to the “TO.” The “T” in “TO” does not stand for Team; it means Turnover.
Think about the typical process of buying a new car. When a salesperson was unable to close the sale, or if there was a demand the salesperson was unable to authorize, the client was ‘turned over” to a manager who was be er at making the sale.
As you can imagine, this insensitive activity cre- ates an uncomfortable, or even an adversarial, engagement for the client. Team selling is always a be er solution because this synergy creates more options for the client.
The “TO” process was the beginning of team selling: two or more people working in conjunction with a client to make a sale. Today there is a spin to this method that makes engagement a bene t to the client and not an area of pressure. The change happens when we substitute the word “harmony” for the word “conjunction.” While the ultimate goal is to sell the customer lighting and associated items, we also want to foster our personal and business image while we build a client for life.
Team seLLInG, noT “To”
In every sales scenario, you want to build rap- port and use discovery questions to nd out the customer’s real needs. One of the di erentiating factors in lighting showroom sales that separates it from other types of selling is the breadth of knowledge required to do the best job for the cli- ent. Team selling is the learning solution. It builds the working knowledge of the sales force while presenting to the customer that this showroom cares enough to provide the proper human-to- human assistance.
The goal of team selling is to help the customer make smart choices, not make them start the sales process from the beginning with a di erent person or introduce a hard closer. When the “TO” technique was done, the original salesperson would exit immediately a er introducing the next salesperson and a hard sell would begin.
THe Power of Team
Today, team selling is not turning over the sale to another, but adding to it. When you want to bring a second team member into the sales conversation, the rst salesperson asks the client for permission to do so.
spoke about dimming controls, and Jane recently returned from a seminar on the best controls. Can I bring her over to make sure we have the latest information to select the correct product for your application?”
A er introducing the next person as an addi- tional expert in any area that supports or adds on to the purchase, the original team member stays there. The bene ts are twofold: The client gets the best information that will assist them, and the rst salesperson receives either assistance in clos- ing or a learning experience.
The introduction from the rst salesperson in- cludes questions, concerns, or asks the second for clari cation on a product category. Don’t overdo it, keep it to a maximum of three inquiries.
While this appears that the original salesperson is the subordinate of the second, this process is most potwent when the team members are all on the same product knowledge level and use team selling to make the client experience be er, lead- ing to more closed sales.
The second salesperson introduces themselves to the client with a “We can do this together” temperament. This approach will instill a level of comfort with the customer.
The critical client response comes a er you have exclaimed the expert status of the person you will introduce and that response is in the option of them saying “Yes” or “No.” It is not in any- one’s best interest if we create an uncomfortable feeling in the client. If the customer says “Yes,” go to the next step and get the second person. If they
“Team selling is not turning over the sale to another, but adding to it.”
“The chandelier you selected is beautiful. We
on the mArK
May 2018 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 71