Sales and Marketing Plans – Developing Proposals and Making the Buying Decision Easier

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Back to Page 2b: Understanding the Buyer’s Needs, Features and Benefits and Body Language as Part of the Sales and Marketing Plans
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Page 3

Developing Proposals and Making the Buying Decision Easier with Your Sales and Marketing Plans

sales and marketing plans

Now that you have:

  • Explained to your prospect why they would want to buy it (your product or service), from us, and now (why they should act right away),
  • Clarified the buyer’s true needs and wants, and
  • Identified specific features and benefits that address the buyer’s needs and wants,

…you’ll need to address the prospect’s objections if they have any.

OVERCOMING STALLS AND OBJECTIONS

Effective sales and marketing plans will outline strategies for overcoming typical stalls and objections.

Let’s start with objections… For whoever is doing the selling, are they prepared to answer questions and objections the prospect may present?

Objections are not bad things.

An objection is a request for clarification by the buyer. It is part of the thinking and decision process in the buyer’s mind. Therefore, an effective salesperson knows how to get the buyer to voice these objections so they can be answered.

Stalls are different.

Your sales and marketing plans should address strategies for handling stalls as these are among the worst enemies to success.

Whenever a buyer says he or she wants to think about it, often they are merely delaying and procrastinating the decision.

It’s human nature for most people to procrastinate.

But, “Let me think about it,” is often an unwitting lie. After you are gone they may get so caught up with events of the day that they will not think about it again.

Or worse, a competing salesperson will come in and close your customer on the decision that you got them to consider.  So in effect, you made the sale but the next salesperson got the money.

The effective salesperson, therefore, learns how to recognize a stall, and how to overcome it. And your sales and marketing plans must address training to be sure you and your reps are overcoming this enemy to selling. 

AWARENESS OF THE BUYER’S ALTERNATIVES

Of course, yours is not the only game in town. Whoever does the selling needs to be aware of the competition and alternatives your buyer may have, and how your product or service stacks up against them.

Effective sales and marketing plans will provide a comprehensive analysis of major competitors and alternatives.

COMPETITORS – What products and services are you competing with? What makes them better or worse than yours? Why should a buyer consider yours?

ALTERNATIVES – What alternatives exist for the buyer? McDonald’s initially competed, not just with other restaurants, but also with home cooking and bag lunches. Do you know the alternatives available to your buyer, and their perception of how yours is better or worse? [Doing nothing is also an alternative].

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See Page 3b: Sales and Marketing Plans – Proposal Development and Simplifying the Decision