http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14361&article=4355&week=34

Monday 23rd of August, 2010

WEEKLY » Business Times » Preparation is key to becoming a great salesman

Preparation is key to becoming a great salesman

By Sandra Idossou

ALMOST always we always or many times we have something to sell; an idea, a vision, an explanation, a thought, a reputation, a service, a product etc. And this makes us all get concerned about our sales.

Selling can be great when it is well mastered. Some people are born with natural selling skills whereas many have to learn them. Some find it extremely easy to convince others while others need to practice.

Although you may not be a sales person by trade or by training, you probably already have many of the basic tenants and characteristics of a great sales person. If you have been able for instance, to go through a successful job interview; then this means you know how to sell yourself.

No matter what you need to sell, the basic requirements are all the same. Here are some of the important things to take into consideration

1.You need to be prepared

You just don’t wake up and sell your products or ideas just like that without any prior preparation. Even politicians spend huge amount of time in preparing their speeches. They prepare both mentally and physically.

Preparation is simply the key requirement for any sales person. Preparation means doing one’s homework before going to sell. For instance, before going for this important job interview, you need to gather all necessary information about the organization; their vision, their targets, their policies etc.

B. Know your products

For those who sell products/services, preparation implies that you have great knowledge about those products. Sitting there and having no clue about how the product works shows you are not interested in making money.

Recently in a shop, when I asked the shopkeeper for some information about the product, she told me that all the necessary information was written on the notice and that I should go home and read it myself.

Whether you sell shoes, tomatoes, airtime, ideas etc, do ensure that you know them extremely well - especially their features, advantages and benefits that will be relevant to the prospect you will be meeting. Before the customer comes, put yourself in his shoes and ask yourself the questions that a potential customer might ask before buying your products.

Sometimes being aware of the main features and benefits of your products is just level one. Level two implies that you understand the benefits of these products for your customers. Take time to ascertain the main and unique benefit that your product or service would give to your prospect.

C. Know your competitor

No matter what you sell, you need to know what makes your product better than what is being offered next door. This is why you also need to know your competitor. Know the strong points of his products. Take time to visit your competitor. It helps you to adapt your product and make it even better.

While training some bank personnel sometime ago, I was surprised to realize that there were people who had never entered some of the new banks in town. Even if you have been working for 10 years and consider yourself a master in that job, you still need to know the new things happening. Take time and go and see for yourself how they take care of customers. That’s the only way you can learn to adjust and improve on your services/products.

Preparation is simply one of the most important aspects of selling. Take time to prepare yourself and you will be surprised by the results when the customer is in front of you.

The writer can be reached at sidossou@theservicemag.com

When your own employees drive away your customers

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14357&article=4277&week=33


When your own employees drive away your customers

By Sandra Idossou



If you are a business owner, never underestimate the power of people you put in contact with your customers especially if they have to sell your products, goods and services.

Your products might be the best in town with the most reasonable and affordable prices but they will rust on your shelves if your contact people do not know how to sell them.

Selling your products implies that your staff seizes every single opportunity to adopt professional selling skills. Some people are born with these skills but many others have to learn them.

The first thing every sales person needs to understand is that each person who enters a shop is a potential customer who can leave behind some money for you in exchange of your goods and products.

Customers do not enter your shop because they have nothing to do at home. When you are lucky enough to see them come inside your shop, or simply glance through it, there is for sure a golden opportunity to grasp.

The last time I entered this furnishing shop down town, the guys looked at me as if I had entered the wrong shop. At first, I even had the impression that they were also customers. They did not have anything to differentiate them as staff from their customers.

They glanced at me and continued their conversation that seemed more important than making money. I do not think my experience is unique from other people who usually buy from this shop. Or possibly for them, I did not look like a “real customer”.

Perhaps to them - “real customers” are those who look “big”, dressed in expensive suits, drive big cars, carry expensive telephones etc…

Yet the reality is that many sales people lose great sales opportunities just by discriminating their potential customers.

I went round for almost 5 minutes without any of them coming to inquire about what I was looking for. Eventually I left the shop just the way I entered but felt sorry for the owner- investing so much in this business and realizing that your own employees are those who drive away your customers.

I can imagine the number of opportunities that are lost every single day because of the lack of professionalism by sales people.

I blame this once again to the lack of knowledge of most of these people. I have noticed that many of these contact people were never given the basic minimum sales techniques.
They are employed because they were recommended by friends and relatives; they are probably nephews, nieces, cousins etc. Or maybe they were employed because they accepted the meager salary that was offered to them.

Many at times, business owners never take time to take their staff into the basic requirements of their job. If you are into a selling business, you need to invest time and energy in training your staff on sales and of course, on customer care. Selling is an emotional act that needs skillful people.

In order to help you in this of training your staff to become more professional in selling, I will be sharing throughout the following weeks, articles on sales techniques. We will deal with issues such as product knowledge, creating a first contact with potential customers, understanding the power of emotions, knowing the different stages of a sale process, knowing how to persuade and convince, mastering the techniques of closing sales deals, reacting to objections and many other more.

But I also know the people concerned with these issues might not necessary have access to these articles so I will kindly invite you to share them with all your employees who sell your products and services.

Selling can be great job and an immense opportunity to improve on one’s revenue and a company’s bottom line if it is well mastered.

The author is a customer service consultant working in Rwanda.

sidossou@theservicemag.com

7 ways of Improving on your Appearance

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14347&article=4208&week=32

Monday 9th of August, 2010

WEEKLY » Business Times » Seven ways of Improving on your Appearance

Seven ways of Improving on your Appearance

By Sandra idossou

Last week I went to this office where I met a man who gave me straight away a very good first impression. His office was tastefully well decorated, he appeared professional in his dress code and all his manners just made me feel welcomed.

It is so strange how a simple clean desk ca

n have such an impact on creating a first positive impression.

Thinking again about this first impression, I realized how sometimes we tend to neglect certain small details that can give either a good or bad first impression of us. A first impression is created during the first 20 seconds of en encoun

ter with someone we are meeting for the first time.

Watch out for the following:

Your personal appearance

Appearing neat should be compulsory both for men and wo

men in business. How we look has a big impact on how people perceive us. Whoever said that appearance is secondary to the impact we create in people’s mind was completely wrong.

Our customers expect us to look professional

on the job and that is why many business owners need to have a specific dress code policy which highlights what an acceptable professional appearance should be

The cleanliness of your desk or office
The neatness of our working area is important if your customers see it. If your desk is piled high with old newspapers, files, messages and clutter, customers will assume that you are slow and will inefficiently deal with their problem.

Avoid the bottle of coke, the toothpick, the dirty tea c

up on your desk. Make sure your office is welcoming. A small flower bouquet of less than 1000frw every week will go a long way in creating that sophisticated image of your company.

Match the colors of your dresses

The green trouser on a yellow shirt, with the pink tie, the red suit, the white socks on a dark pant, the blue shoe on a brown belt are all inarguably a taste of combination. In a business environment, you need to dress conservatively always even on Fridays.

Business casual dresses do not mean weari

ng dirty and shabby dresses. Most organizations describe an acceptable appearance as clothing and grooming which

promotes a professional image to the public.

Avoid clothing with extreme cleavage and evening or party wear in a serious the workplace. 

Invest in Comfortable Shoes

It is often said that the first thing one notices on someone are the shoes. It is for this reason that we must invest in comfortable shoes.

And please ladies, avoid shoes that make you walk as if you were fo

rced to wear them.

Avoid the noisy hills that distract everyone whenever you are in the corridor. Don’t sacrifice comfort for trends or fashion.

Your posture
As important as clothes and makeup are to your image, your posture and how you carry yourself are essential parts of the package.

When you stand with a slouch or sit with a slump, you’re telling o

thers that you don’t feel confident and you’d like to be left alone. Sit or stand properly. Do not drag your feet as all these might destroy your image even if you are properly dressed.

Your hands and nails
Have you been greeted with moist hands? How did you feel? A dull handshake kills your image. We talk a lot with our hands and need to pay attention that they are always clean.

Manicure is also for men. And of course for ladies, you need to avoid nail polish that is half off the nails.

 

Watch out for your smell
 Personal hygiene can impact your personal image. While we cannot control the hygiene of our customers, every contact person in business must be considerate of others by presenting a clean and healthy body odor or breadth.

After your lunch break, watch out for the garlic, pepper, onions odor than can for sure kill your image. Deodorants are also for men.

 Always remember that after a first impression is made, it is difficult to change that judgment. So capitalize on the first.

 The author is a customer service consultant working in Rwanda

sidossou@theservicemag.com

www.theservicemag.com

The Day I registered a Company in less than 24H

THE DAY I REGISTERED A COMPANY IN LESS THAN 24H

Customer care: The day I registered a company in less than 24H

By Sandra Idossou

I have a confession to make before starting this. I must admit that I do not believe anymore the numerous advertising messages on billboards, newspapers, radio, television etc.

This is simply because I have often tried the advertised products and services and realized that they have nothing to compare with the initial advert. Since most of these ads are just to entice consumers, I have decided not to fall prey of them anymore.

It is for this reason that when I started hearing the Rwandan Development Board (RDB) advertisement on “It’s even Better to do Business in Rwanda” on radios; I never believed the message it was conveying. The ad was saying that one could register a company online or at their offices in Kigali within 24 hours.

But again, your columnist is so passionate about everything concerning service delivery that she often tries different service experiences so as to better understand what customers go through.

After a second thought, I decided to go and try myself the accuracy of this campaign. That is how on July 25, 2010, I started the process by checking online the necessary requirements for the registration of a sole ownership company. Their website was clear, simple and accurate.

I should say here that it is such a shame that many business owners neglect the power of websites in today’s modern and competitive world. Regardless of what type of business you are in, you need to know that most potential customers decide right with a simple click whether to try your business or not.

And for those who already have one, please make sure they are updated. The last time on a website, I read a Valentine Day offer in a month of June…..

Anyway, coming back to my experience in registering a company in 24hours; your columnist arrived on Monday July 26, 2010 at 10am at the RDB office and was asked to produce photocopy of her passport, a photo, a filled registration form and Rwf25,000. Because of my homework the night before, I had all the necessary documents.

At a certain time, there was some unclear information and when I went to ask the lady on the other desk; she took her time in explaining everything. After paying the Rwf25,000, I was asked to come back the next day.

Of course; I knew that the next day, he would ask me again to bring a missing document. It is sometimes so frustrating when service providers don’t take time in giving once and for all an accurate list of missing documents instead of asking customers each day to bring a different document.

Well, when I went back the next day at 8am, I was given a certificate of Domestic Company Registration officially signed and stamped. What amazement!  “Are you sure everything is alright?” I asked the man? And his answer was as simple as this “you can start your business right today”.

Of course, even with the certificate in my hand, I didn’t’ believe my eye. For your information, your columnist has registered companies in 3 different countries and she knows the hassle that one has to go through.

In most countries, the administrative constraints actually discourage many and make them rather work in the informal.

I simply need to tell the whole world about this experience…Yes registering a company in less than 24hours is possible only in Rwanda.
 
The author is a customer service consultant working in Rwanda

sidossou@theservicemag.com

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14340&article=4138&week=31