PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

Chapter 7
Selling and Servicing
with Style!
Every sales or service call has certain similarities; however, the techniques
diff erentiate the professional salesperson from other salespeople.
Professionals focus more on helping than selling, more on listening
than talking, more on problem solving than persuading, more on
creating long-term customers than one-shot sales.
Th e techniques used by professionals are simple, yet powerful. Salespeople
who use this approach concentrate on a consultative process
that allows both the customer and the salesperson to feel good about
the sales/service exchange and each other. Professional sales and service
staff go through fi ve specifi c steps, though the approach may vary, depending
on the behavioral style of their prospects.
You can apply the tips in this chapter to help you maximize your sales
and service encounters, whether you fi ll the role of buyer or seller. Th ink of
someone you know in a sales or service situation who sounds like the Dominant
Director, Interacting Socializer, Steady Relater, and Cautious Th inker.
How can you benefi t with each one of them in a business relationship?
Step #1—making contact
Th e purpose of talking with your prospect is to begin building a business
relationship by opening up lines of communication. Professional salespeo-
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