Business Builder Topics

The world of sales management is a strange and unusual one to many accountants, but the same principals apply to accountancy firms as apply to other companies and organizations.

While many newcomers to sales believe that it is essentially a numbers game, i.e. the more enquiries that are generated the more sales will result, this is sadly not true.

From the very start, only promising potential customers must be sought and then entered on a database.

One of the most powerful sales tools is organization. Although many responses of "maybe later" are just another way for the prospect to say no, many sales are eventually won by calling back at a later date if the initial leads are quality ones.

Timetabling and scheduling software with titles such as "Tracker" are an effective way of making sure that none of these calls is missed.

This scheduling is also important because it is essential that a dialogue is kept open with all prospects, and although contact must be regular it should not be at such frequent intervals that the prospects are antagonized.

When talking to potential clients of the firm, even in a social setting, the power of silence can be a useful sales tool.

In normal conversation, gaps and silence are to be avoided at all costs. But because there is an innate human need to fill the conversational void, the firm's partner doing the selling can use it to find out either information to help him make the sale, or even give the potential customer time to say that he will buy.

And it's similar with rejection. To a well-managed sales effort, a rejection can be used to get a step closer to the sale. When the rejection is made, the partner should find out whether, if the stated cause of rejection was eliminated, the purchase would be made.

For example, if a potential corporate client baulked at an audit proposal on the grounds that it would cost too much, the partner can ask whether he would go ahead if it were cheaper. If he still says no, then the underlying reason must be something else.

This can then be brought out in the open and dealt with.

The trickiest part of selling is getting the commitment to buy, what is actually called "closing".

There are many ways to close. The simplest is known as the alternative close, and example of which is to ask the prospective client, "shall we use your pen or mine to sign the order" to what is know as the alternative close.

Even in the rarefied, discreet and civilized world of sales as practiced by partners in accountancy firms, there are certain principles of sales, which must be observed. The above is just a brief summary, but when combined with polite persistence and optimism it will help you close that deal.

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