Training Tuesday– Sales Questions

Asking questions that turn into sales is an extremely important part of the sales business. You must pay attention to the needs of your client, spot subtle buying signals, know when to foster an open dialogue, and know what questions to ask.

One of the most critical elements to a successful sales call is asking good sales questions. Prior to every sales call or customer meeting, it’s a good idea to think through and write down a list of twelve to fifteen sales questions you want to ask a potential customer during the meeting. You may not get the opportunity to ask all of them, but you must be prepared to get as much information as possible.

Below is a list of generic, consultative sales questions to get you started. Building greater levels of prospect trust, more quickly, is the best way to increase your selling success. Asking your prospects well-thought-out questions is one of the key ways to build prospect trust.

These sales questions are not in any specific order – choose the questions that best fit your sales situation.

1.How do you manage your transportation needs today?

2.What are the disadvantages of the way you’re handling this process now?

3.What are the key deadlines?

4.What are the most important elements that keep your organization functioning?

5.What are your greatest challenges?

6.What benefits might result if we tried the following approach?

7.What can I do at this point to better serve you?

8.What concerns do you have?

9.What could get in the way of getting an agreement made?

10.What criteria would you use to choose a replacement transportation provider?

11.What details do you want explained?

12.What do you see as the greatest risks in making this decision?

13.What do you see as the primary benefits of our solutions? Do you see any other potential benefits?

14.What do you want to happen that isn’t happening now?

15.What does it take to be successful in your position?

16.What else do we need to discuss?

17.What expectations do you have for me in returning your phone calls, emails, etc? how quickly would you typically expect me to respond?

18.What is important to you about making a change at this time? Have you considered or tried to make a change in the past? What stopped you from considering a new transportation solution last time?

19.What is your company’s annual sales volume?

20.What is your expected outcome for our meeting today?

Hopefully these investigative questions will help you solve the mystery of sales success.

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Training Tuesday:Initial Approach

A good initial approach to a prospective customer is a crucial part of the sales presentation. All the selling skills in the world won’t matter if you don’t get your foot in the door.

Up front you should state your name, the company you represent, and the particular transportation services you’re there to sell. Unlike a lot of salesmen and saleswomen, you shouldn’t beat around the bush. You should work on concept selling, tell the prospect, “I’d like to share an idea with you. I’m in the transportation business. I’m assuming that you’re always looking for ideas that will help your company ship or receive goods in a way that will make your company more efficient, improve customer service, and increase profitability. I’d like to run some ideas by you.”

This statement opens the door and informs the customer that you’re there to add value. It’s intended to create interest, but of course, you have to substantiate your statement in your presentation.

The first moments of your sales call should create initial interest by making a statement. “My company is in the business of providing solutions for a variety of different transportation needs. Technology is moving very fast, and I deal with many companies similar to yours. You need a transportation provider which can handle, not only your current needs, but is also working on your needs for the future.” Another great opener is, “My main goal is to enhance your productivity.”

Early in your initial meeting, be sure to mention the names of several of your satisfied customers. This is done to establish credibility, as it lets the prospect know that your shipping solutions have benefited leading logistics decision-makers that came to the well-informed decision to trust you and your ideas. You should always make it a point to discuss other customers in their industry who are working in similar environments. For example, mentioning how your company handles shipping needs for a company like Microsoft to a small locally owned computer software company won’t necessarily be helpful. Their needs are so different that the prospect won’t be able to relate to an organization that is so vastly different from their own. Speaking about familiar customers who have found the solutions to similar shipping problems through your company will get the prospect’s immediate attention.

When you use a prospect’s competitors or companies in similar industries as examples, it creates an opportunity to use another great opening approach…the referral. Even if you don’t have a referral, you can mention the name of one of the prospect’s competitors who’s a client of yours. Now, it’s highly unlikely that their competition would have to talked them about you, but it is still an excellent way to break the ice. And you can bet that the prospect is interested in all of the transportation services that are available to their competition.

Breaking the ice, gaining credibility, and earning enough trust to ensure the prospective client will listen to the benefits of doing business with you is a must. These represent just a few of the many ways you can get a customer’s attention in a short period of time. Getting your foot in the door is the first step in building a long-term, profitable relationship with a new customer.

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LTL 101:National Motor Freight Classification

It is VERY important you understand freight class. If you incorrectly classify your item to be shipped it can be reclassified by the freight carrier. Disputing this is difficult, time consuming and you will be charged the difference (usually without a discount).

The National Motor Freight Classification® (NMFC®) is a standard that provides a comparison of commodities moving in interstate, intrastate and foreign commerce. Commodities are grouped into one of 18 classes—from a low of class 50 to a high of class 500—based on an evaluation of four transportation characteristics: density, stow-ability, handling, and liability. Together, these characteristics establish a commodity’s “transportability.”

By analyzing commodities on the basis of the four transportation characteristics and ONLY on the basis of those characteristics, the NMFC provides both carriers and shippers with a standard NMFC number or code by which to begin negotiations and greatly simplifies the comparative evaluation of the many thousands of products moving in today’s competitive marketplace.

If you don’t have an NMFC number/code listed on your BOL, there is a good possibility that your freight will be reclassified. Some carriers will assign an arbitrary class if there is no code listed on the BOL, often outlined in a carrier’s rules tariff. This, along with the proper code, will greatly reduce the possibility of additional reclass charges.

 

Here at SunteckTTS, we are participants of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association which means we have access to multiple ways of obtaining the correct NMFC number/code for your shipments. If you have any questions or doubts regarding your product’s freight class, please reach out to the LTL Team.

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Training Tuesday:Time Management Tips

Salespeople who don’t value their own time will end up wasting valuable selling minutes that can stretch into days or even weeks. Before they know it, they’re down on quota and up on stress. The time management tips below can help you make the most out of every selling minute.

Tend to Business, not busyness. Don’t waste working time with office gossip, reading newspapers unrelated to work, or daydreaming. When you’re at work or on the road, spend your time wisely engaged in sales and selling-related tasks only.

Accept responsibility for the use of your time. Don’t blame others for your pressure or your slacking off. Be in control of your schedule. Don’t let the needs of other cause you to stray from your course – stay focused on your goals and plans.

Delegate. Don’t let others dump their work on you. Give away work that someone else can do better. Keep your sales goals the primary focus in front of you.

Enjoy your work. Have fun with your customers. Be someone they welcome because of your bight and cheery personality. Create genuine connections with your customers that will allow you to provide better service in the long run.

View time as your friend. Imagine time as a clock in your pocket. You can spend the entire day carrying it around and it will always be working for you and with you. And remember, tomorrow is always a fresh start with another 24 hours to make work for you.

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