Chapter 34 Chapter 2 Make an Appointment for Clients: Prepare for a Heart-to-Heart War

The appointment time arrangement is directly related to the success or failure of the salesperson plan.However, in determining the appointment time, the salesperson generally has no initiative. The customer will always arrange an appropriate time to meet the salesperson according to his work schedule. In this way, it saves time and meets the requirements of the salesperson.The determination of the specific meeting time will vary depending on the object of the appointment, the reason for the appointment, the method of the appointment, and the location of the meeting.This requires the salesperson to pay attention to the following issues when agreeing on the meeting time.

Under normal circumstances, the appointment time should be at the discretion of the customer. When to meet, it is best for the customer to decide. For the agreed time, the salesperson should go to the appointment on time. Make an appointment to meet at another time. In order to achieve better results of appointments, attention should be paid to choosing the time most needed by customers during appointments.When is the time that the customer needs most and when is the worst time, this needs to be observed and analyzed by the salesperson according to the reason of the appointment. Every prospective customer interviewed will have some differences in daily life due to different occupations, so the salesperson should make flexible arrangements according to the living time of each interviewee.Only a dumb salesperson would make an interview out of his own convenience, and the denial of such an interview is to be expected.

Only the most free time for prospective customers is the most ideal time to visit.for example: General stores - about 7:00 am to 8:00 am is the ideal time to visit, because the business of this kind of stores is the most idle in the early morning, which is the ideal time to visit. Stores that close later - these stores only flourish around late at night, and most of them don't open until after noon, so the appropriate time to visit is around two o'clock in the afternoon. Fishmongers and vegetable vendors—this is a special industry. Going out early in the morning to purchase is not only busy throughout the morning, but also business is booming from 4:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon, so the most suitable time to visit is around 2:00 in the afternoon.

Physician—this is also a special profession. From about nine o'clock in the morning, there is a continuous stream of patients, so seven to eight o'clock in the morning should be a suitable time to visit. Officials or company employees - if you visit a company, it should be before 11 am; if you are a residence, it is suitable between 6 pm and 8 pm. The post office or the man on duty - probably between seven and nine at night. All listed above are ideal times for a first-time visit.Since you have established a close relationship with your prospective customers during your first visit, you can change the time of your visit for the second visit; in principle, you should choose to visit around three o'clock in the afternoon, when customers are generally free.

In addition to choosing this moment for the second visit, in addition to the fact that the prospective client is relatively free at this time, there is another important reason: usually a person has worked for a day, and at about three o'clock in the afternoon, the work is about to come to an end, and I feel a little tired and feel a little tired. You are also relatively relaxed, and you are looking forward to having a chat partner in your heart, so you appear at this moment.You show up out of the blue and talk about something interesting for five or six minutes at a fast pace, without mentioning sales.When you make the prospect laugh, or drive away his boredom in some way, you leave those unfinished topics and leave with an excuse.

Because the total conversation time is only five or six minutes, it will not interfere with the work of the prospect.Besides, when the prospect is a little drowsy due to fatigue, it happens that an interesting person comes to drive away the drowsiness. In this way, prospective customers will not only be impressed with you, but also find you interesting. From then on, prospective customers will not be disgusted with your visit. Time is money, so the salesperson must carefully arrange his visit time, so as not to waste time due to improper timing. If the reason is formal sales, you should choose a time that is conducive to the conclusion of the transaction; if you use market research as the reason, you should choose a time when the market changes greatly or when the customer has special requirements for the product; if you use the service as the reason, you should choose the customer Make an appointment when the service is needed, in order to achieve the effect of "sending charcoal in a timely manner"; for the reason of collecting payment, you should first understand the customer's capital turnover situation, and make an appointment when there is a balance in the account; for the reason of signing a formal contract , you should grasp the transaction information in a timely manner and make an appointment in time.

Generally speaking, if the meeting place is agreed to be at home, then the salesperson has to consider the customer's work schedule, and it is best to let the customer arrange an appointment time.Once the appointment location and appointment time are determined, the salesperson should arrive a few minutes in advance. On the one hand, it shows that he attaches great importance to the sales work. Under normal circumstances, the time for visiting customers should not be too long. When the purpose of the visit is basically achieved and the customer has some hints about ending the appointment, the salesperson should consider ending the appointment in a satisfactory way as soon as possible, so as not to make the customer feel disgusted.If there are any unfinished matters, you can make an appointment again. "Marathon" talks will not achieve the purpose of the visit, and may cause the client to make an appointment again, thus losing the client.

The reason and object of the appointment are different, and the location of the appointment should also be particular.Generally, you can choose to be in the customer's work unit, customer's home, social place, public place, etc.Where the specific choice should be depends on the situation. With the intensification of commodity marketing, the means of modern salespersons are also diversified, such as using receptions, symposiums, ordering meetings, exhibitions, academic reports, press conferences, etc. for sales.These salesperson activities in the form of conferences are generally chosen in scenic spots and social occasions, and invitation letters, invitation cards, attendance cards, admission tickets, etc. are issued in advance.The purpose of this kind of sales activity in the form of meetings is to connect feelings, communicate with each other, and then carry out sales activities.

Some customers will use public places to make appointments because of certain needs and it is not convenient to receive salesmen's visits at work or at home. Reservation customers mainly have the following speaking skills: Appointment method in which a salesperson moves to a face-to-face appointment by briefly explaining the benefits of the product to capture the attention and interest of the customer.The main method of the interest reservation method is to state and ask questions, telling buyers the benefits of the products sold.For example, a stationery salesperson said: "All kinds of account books and bookkeeping produced by our factory are 30% cheaper than similar products produced by other manufacturers, and discounts are available for large quantities."

This interest reservation method caters to the profit-seeking mentality of most customers, highlights the sales focus and product advantages, and helps to quickly achieve the purpose of making reservations for customers. Directly ask customers questions to arouse customers' interest, thereby prompting customers to concentrate, better understand and remember the information sent by the salesperson, and lay the foundation for stimulating the desire to buy. For example: "Ms. Huang, hello! Autumn is here, does your skin feel drier and peeling than in summer? Let me tell you, this is caused by the dry climate and the drop in temperature. I would like to make an appointment with you Time, look at your skin condition, let you try some products that can replenish moisture and moisturize your skin, and teach you the secret of autumn skin care! What time is more convenient for you? This Wednesday or Friday or other time? (Determine the time, After the location, continue to say) Can you tell me your phone number? I will make a special call to invite you then. "

Salespeople use people's self-esteem and the desire for others to value and approve them to arouse interest in the conversation. Everyone likes other people's compliments. The compliment appointment method is that salesmen use people's desire to praise themselves to achieve the purpose of booking customers, especially women in this regard. Of course, praise must come from the heart, but also to pay attention to skills.If the method is not proper, it will be counterproductive.When praising the other party, you must be appropriate, and avoid hypocrisy and unreasonable exaggeration. For example: "When we come here today, the most impressive thing is you. Your service attitude and your smile make me feel kind. I am a beauty consultant for a cosmetics company. You can come and listen to my lectures, skin care and make-up, and It's free, and you can invite some friends to come, okay? Look, what's the best time next week? Monday or Wednesday?" Generally speaking, people will not reject people who come to the door and humbly ask for advice.When using this method, the salesperson should plan carefully and organically combine the questions required to be taught with his own sales work, so as to achieve the purpose of meeting. People in general are curious.A salesperson can use actions, language or some other means to arouse the curiosity of the customer in order to attract the interest of the customer. The salesperson can give the customer a small gift to arouse the interest of the customer, and then make an appointment with the customer.Before choosing the gift to send, the salesperson must understand the customer and match his preference.It is worth pointing out that salespersons should not give gifts in violation of national laws, nor can they be bribed in disguise, especially don't give high-value gifts, so as not to be accused of bribery. Salesmen can take advantage of the opportunity of investigation to make appointments with customers. This method hides the purpose of selling products directly, and is easier to be accepted by customers, and it is also a method that is easy to operate in practice. For example: "Ms. Hello! May I bother you for a few minutes? I am a beauty consultant of a certain company. I would like to ask you to help me with a questionnaire survey and answer the following questions on the questionnaire: "A. Do you often feel dry and astringent skin? "B. Do you feel tired? "C. Do you feel that your skin lacks luster and elasticity? "... "If you have the opportunity to learn how to improve the above problems, are you willing to spend 1-1.5 hours?" If the customer is willing, you can say: "Thank you very much for your cooperation. In order to express my gratitude to you, I would like to give you a free beauty class. In the class, I will teach you how to properly maintain your skin. You can also Try our product for free. See, what time is more convenient for you this week, Tuesday or Thursday?" (further timing) If the customer is not willing, say this: "It doesn't matter, thank you very much for your cooperation today. In order to express my gratitude, I will regularly send you some brochures about skin care and product introduction of our company in the future. Would you like to send your brochures to you?" What's your address and phone number?" A method in which a salesperson conducts a second or more in-person appointments using the information gained during the first in-person appointment.The salesman's practice has proved that many salesman's activities arouse the customer's attention and interest in the salesman only after the salesman makes repeated appointments with the customer, and then lay a solid foundation for future sales success. Such as booking a skin care class after a product trial: "Miss Wang, are we very happy today? I'm glad you came here as scheduled, I'm glad you like our products and trust me! Next, I can provide you and you We will give you a free beauty class to teach you how to effectively care for your skin. You can invite a few friends and colleagues with similar interests to learn and communicate with each other, which is more fun .You see, what is the best time next week? Wednesday or Thursday?" Further determine the time for the next meeting. Telephone appointments are fast, flexible and convenient, and are the main way to make appointments with customers.It frees the salesperson from the hassle of running and the customer from the distraction of a surprise visit, and an appointment can be agreed upon within minutes.However, when using the telephone to make an appointment, the salesperson must pay attention to skills, the conversation must be concise, concise, stable in tone, appropriate in words, calm in mind, and treat each other with kind words, especially when the customer does not want to meet. The following question-and-answer conversation is introduced by a good salesman, and his answers will inspire us a lot. Ask: "How did you start?" A: "If the prospect is Elaine. As soon as her secretary picks up the phone, you say, 'Please turn to Ms. Elaine, this is X (your name)'." After saying this confidently, don't Use interrogative sentences." Ask: "What does this mean?" A: "So let's say you say, 'Is Ms. Elaine in?' First, you imply that you don't know if she is in the office; second, you don't actually ask to speak to Ms. Elaine, you Just asking if she's there. Those are two completely different sentences. If you know she's there, you still have to ask to speak to her, and you're right back where you started. And that's an easy question to invite a protective 'Absence,' and then maybe outright rejection." Ask: "Do you have any suggestions?" A: "One thing that works for me is to imagine Ms. Elaine as a friend of mine before I make a phone call. We all know that only an idiot would think that a friend's secretary or assistant wouldn't get through to me Calling a friend. So, I would say, 'Please turn Ms. Elaine, this is X (your name).' Nine times out of ten, she'll pick up the receiver a second later." Q: "Why not just say 'Please turn to Ms. Elaine'?" A: "You can try it, and you'll see some problems pretty soon. The reason I put the names is because most secretaries will ask who's calling, and you'll still have to answer them. And, usually followed by A second question is asked: 'Which company?' If you say the name of the company, the secretary usually goes on to ask what your company does." Q: "Are you saying you'd never be in this situation?" Answer: "Don't get me wrong, I'm talking about what happens most of the time." Ask: "How do you handle situations other than most situations?" A: "The worst thing you can do is duck. The best answer is: 'Yes (company name), is she there?' You can tell this Elaine's secretary has 3 options: Go To call you to let you know she is not there, or to find out more, if she is busy, which she is in most cases, the easiest thing to do is to transfer your call in." Ask: "Is this the end?" Answer: "No, many times, the secretary will ask you what you want to talk about with Ms. Elaine. The hesitant answer will only kill the sale in the bud, because when you are talking there, the secretary is already thinking about it. How can I get rid of you as soon as possible." Ask: "Then what should I do?" A: "I'll do my best to dodge the question and ask for an appointment again, and I'll say, 'Are you her secretary? I'm calling to set up an appointment with her. It's you who schedules all of her What about her date? Or do I contact her directly?'” Q: "However, what if the secretary still insists on your answer?" A: "Respond to the secretary in the shortest, most direct way possible. Assure her that your call is only a short time away. Then change the subject right away and ask to speak to your prospect." Q: "Let's say the secretary insists that Ms. Elaine is too busy to meet with you and tries to get you to talk to someone else..." A: "The best way to deal with this situation is to tell the secretary that you understand that Ms. Elaine's time is precious and that you would be happy to speak with her assistant, but only if this person has the authority to approve the purchase. If You have to see Elaine, then the best course of action is to retreat first. In this case, I would say: 'After I communicate with Ms. Elaine, I will be happy to talk to her assistant. I am not Be sure to see her today. When would you suggest I call again?'” Ask: "So, that's when you'll get to speak to Ms. Elaine?" Answer: "Usually..." "Mr. Manager, I am Wen Ke, a salesman from Sunshine Electric Company. I have received the user survey form you sent on the 10th of last month. Thank you very much for your strong support. At present, our company has launched a series of new home appliances with excellent quality and effect. Compared with the previous products, it has been greatly improved, and the price is also lower than that of similar manufacturers, so I would like to introduce your company to try it out as soon as possible." From this conversation, we can know that the salesperson and the customer representative have known each other for a while. Communication, so the salesperson can directly report his company name to the other party on the phone, and immediately enter the conversation topic.In the above-mentioned telephone appointment method, the salesman Wen Ke took advantage of his acquaintance with the customer representative and took the opportunity of thanking the other party for his great assistance to promote the newly launched product and ask the other party to make an appointment. The promotion was very logical.The salesperson takes the interests of the customer as the benchmark and makes his promotions meet the needs of the other party. This kind of concern for the customer will naturally be appreciated and rewarded by the customer. From the bottom of his heart, he is willing to accept the appointment request of the salesperson and welcomes the salesperson to visit. Please see the following telephone appointment: "Miss Smith, I am a salesperson of the New York Clock Manufacturing Company. I would like to bother you today, but I would like to introduce to you a time attendance clock that our company has recently successfully developed. It is characterized by accuracy and exquisiteness. Especially the quality is reliable, and the repair rate is less than 1/10,000 during the test sale in New York. The price is also 30% lower than that of imported similar products, which is very suitable for commercial enterprises like yours. I plan to go tomorrow at 10 am or 4 pm Your company visits you, okay?" The salesman reasoned well, and the question was in line with the principle of "choose one of two" appointments, and gave the other party room for consideration.When the other party receives this kind of phone call to make an appointment, the problem is clear, and the reasons for requesting an appointment are sufficient, they will usually agree to have a direct interview with the salesperson. Many companies often only mail the relevant product promotional materials or advertising letters to customers and everything will be fine, while ignoring the more important next step, that is, "following up with the salesperson", so it is often like looking for a needle in a haystack, with little effect.After receiving the letter from the salesman and the manufacturer, many customers may ignore it or simply throw it into the waste paper pile.At this time, if the salesperson follows up the customer in time and makes a phone call to contact the relevant customer, it can play its due sales role.For example, there is a recording of a telephone call: "Hi, did you receive the advertisement promotional material of a refrigerator sent by our company last week? After reading it, what do you think about this product?" Usually, the other party When you receive this kind of call from the salesperson, you will more or less have your own suggestions and opinions.At this time, the smart salesman will immediately make an appointment request in order to listen to the customer's opinions on the products he sells. At that time, he will come to the customer to explain the recommendation to the customer in person, and a business will be negotiated quickly.In this appointment method, the salesperson uses the pre-mailed product information or advertising letters as an introduction, allowing customers to evaluate the product before seeing the salesperson.During the appointment process, if the customer intends to purchase, it will naturally be revealed, and the sales target will be achieved.At the same time, before the appointment with the salesperson, the reason was to solicit opinions, and the implication was to show respect for the customer and a responsible attitude towards the product.In such a way of putting courtesy first and treating each other with sincerity, customers will definitely have a good impression of the salesperson, and the possibility of refusing an appointment will be reduced to a minimum. "Mr. Director, hello, I am a salesman of XX company. Yesterday you and the manager came to our company's sales office to buy computers, and finally you decided to wait until after Christmas to buy. Now there is a good opportunity, From next week, our company will carry out promotional activities. Not only can the price of each computer be discounted, but also implement three-guarantee service, and also responsible for training operation and maintenance personnel, free of charge. I don’t think you will miss this great opportunity? Therefore, I suggest that your company should buy it quickly, preferably at the sales department next Friday morning, when I will be waiting for you there, and we can guarantee to send someone to deliver the goods to your door.” The words of the salesperson will definitely impress the customers If you want to buy early and use it early, and enjoy preferential prices and excellent service, why not do it?The salesperson is so thoughtful and courteous in the interest of the customer.When customers encounter such an invitation, they usually take time out of their busy schedules to go to the appointment and negotiate business. It is necessary to master some telephone appointment skills, which can avoid unnecessary trips and greatly help improve work efficiency. Meeting clients face-to-face is an easy and very common way.In many occasions, face-to-face appointments are made without the client's preparation, so it will inevitably affect the client's work and take up the client's time.Because of this, in the sales work, some salesmen will inevitably encounter cold reception and neglect from the other party. Sometimes a small number of customers will deliberately arrange secretaries and assistants to block the drive, setting up various obstacles for the salesman. So, how should the salesman avoid the negative attitude of the customer when meeting face-to-face, so that the negotiation between the two parties can have a good start?This is a difficult problem facing every salesman.The following describes several working methods and coping skills in detail. The main task of an appointment is to pave the way for the subsequent formal negotiation, arouse the interest and attention of the other party, and make customers realize the importance of purchase.Therefore, when stating your request face to face, no matter the tone or the words used, you must be frank, sincere, pertinent and pleasant to avoid disputes and disagreements with the other party.Please see the example below. "Engineer Wang, I am a salesman from Nanjing Instrument and Meter Company. This year, our company trial-produced and developed a quality control instrument, which is specially used by manufacturers in the silk textile industry. At present, more than 200 manufacturers in more than a dozen provinces and cities across the country have adopted it. , They reported that the use effect is very good, it can effectively reduce the defective rate, and it is easy to install and easy to use. Therefore, I would like to recommend this quality control instrument to your factory. Can you spare half an hour now, May I introduce you in detail?" The salesman first introduces his identity and his company to the customer, so that the other party can understand his purpose.Immediately afterwards, he explained in detail the performance, function and efficacy of the recommended products, which made the customer understand the purpose of his visit and attracted enough attention from the other party, thus successfully approaching the customer. When purchasing large-scale machinery and equipment and a large amount of raw materials, the customer generally entrusts his subordinates, such as secretaries and assistants, to negotiate with the salesman instead of directly contacting the salesman.However, his subordinates do not have the final decision-making power. Therefore, when contacting such personnel, the salesman should smile and introduce the name of the unit first.On the one hand, you can emphasize the necessity of interviewing with your boss, that is, the real purchase decision-maker, and on the other hand, you can only make a general statement about your own intentions, and deliberately keep important issues, and then elaborate on them when you meet with the decision-maker.In particular, you should be more cautious about some key issues in sales, otherwise it will be difficult to meet with decision makers.In this case, the salesman can say: "Mr. Li, the performance and function of this machine tool are roughly the same, and the specifications and varieties are selected by your factory. Let's discuss." When making an appointment request, the salesman used the phrase "let's discuss together again". Of course, he did not ignore the other party, nor did he ignore the business assistant, but participated on an equal footing and negotiated together. It will hurt the other party's self-esteem and make him willing to arrange the time for the salesman to meet with his boss.In addition, the salesman reminded the other party in a avoidance of minor matters, and when the receptionist knew that he had no right to make a purchase decision, he would quickly report the relevant situation to the superior supervisor.Once the boss has read the materials and listened to the report, and finds that there are still some important issues that must be explained to the salesman face to face, the opportunity to make an appointment will come. Some customers' secretaries and subordinates will inevitably treat others with arrogance. They often excuse the salesmen to prevent them from seeing the customers themselves, and set up various obstacles for door-to-door visits, which makes it difficult for salesmen to carry out their work, especially for those inexperienced novices. , is likely to retreat because of this. The method of warning is that the salesman takes advantage of the psychological weakness of these assistants, secretaries, and subordinates to remind each other with a slight warning, so as to achieve the purpose of meeting customers.When these personnel deliberately make things difficult, the salesman can tell the other party in this affirmative and confident tone: "The purpose of my visit to your boss is to try to solve the problem of the unstable reception performance and noisy sound quality of your tape recorder. Difficult question. If he knows that I came to visit him today but did not meet, he will definitely regret it afterwards, and even blame you. Rather than that, let me talk to him in person." After hearing this, the other party knows that the matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed. In order to avoid taking responsibility afterwards, they often arrange a meeting between the boss and the salesman immediately.