Be My GUEST

This five-step sales process includes the key components to all successful selling.
April 8, 2008

By Kelley Robertson

In recent years, many businesses have begun to approach their clients differently. They are now labeling them as guests, which has been the norm in the hospitality industry for decades. Many restaurant chains as well as car dealerships and airlines have even taken to using this term.

A simple word like guest instead of customer can make a dramatic difference in the way we perceive the people who pay our salaries. A customer is someone who makes a purchase. A guest, on the other hand, is someone we welcome with open arms and look forward to interacting with. A guest is more of a friend, someone we will treat with dignity and respect.

I'm not suggesting that you immediately begin calling all of your customers guests. But what I would like to do is introduce you to the GUEST model of selling. GUEST is an acronym for a five-step sales process:
 
1.    Greet your customer.
2.    Uncover their needs and wants.
3.    Explain the product or service.
4.    Solve their objections.
5.    Tell them to buy.

Many sales-based organizations have their own sales model or structure. The GUEST model is designed to fit into most sales cycles. These five steps are the key components to all successful selling.

The majority of sales people don’t follow any structured process, preferring to allow the sale to flow naturally. I've heard objections, excuses, justifications and rationalizations for this, such as:

•    You can’t follow a structured process.
•    Customers just take control of the sales process.
•    It takes too long to go through a process like this.
•    I'm too busy.
•    I've done it my way for years, and I've been successful.

The list could go on and on. In fact, I could probably write a book just listing the excuses I've heard. But here's the point: The GUEST process works. Ultimately, you need to take control of the sales process. If you don’t, the customer will, which is what happens in approximately 80% of all sales transactions.

News flash! People will not buy from a sales person they don't trust, don't like or who doesn't show confidence. I've known sales people with a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge who can’t close the number of sales they're entitled to because they try too hard.

Here's a typical sales story: The customer is considering the purchase of a particular product. First, the sales person launches into a canned pitch about the product's features and specifications. Then, the customer asks some questions and expresses some objections. Next, the sales person tries to overcome or defend the objections. Finally, the process ends with the customer saying, I’ll think about it. Why didn’t the sales person get the sale? The reasons are simple.:

1.    The sales person didn't ask the customer any questions.
2.    The sales person delivered a rehearsed presentation instead of focusing on the customer's needs.
3.    The sales person didn't gather sufficient information to overcome the customer’s objection.
4.    The sales person didn't give the customer a reason to make the purchase!

The GUEST approach to selling addresses each of these issues. The key is to concentrate on the process rather the outcome. If you work through each step instead of trying to close the sale, you'll increase your closing ratio. Too many salespeople work hard to close a sale because they need to reach a certain level of sales to earn commission, their boss is hounding them to close a deal or they haven't reached their sales quota. The result is a desperate attempt to get the customer to part with his hard-earned money. These customers, however, feel threatened, manipulated, coerced and often don’t make any purchase at all.

On the other hand, if a sales person concentrates on the process, the customer will be more relaxed, more comfortable and more likely to buy. In my workshops, I encourage sales people to allow the sale to progress naturally. I instruct them to pay attention to their customers instead of focusing on closing the sale. This runs contrary to most sales training where the emphasis is on closing the sale or dealing with objections.

My philosophy is that the sale will happen when you put all five components together in a relaxed, comfortable manner. During the sales process, the average sales person spends the bulk of his time in a non-active, passive role — waiting for the customer to ask questions and responding to objections. It's no wonder people aren't anxious to make a purchase.

The GUEST model of selling suggests investing most of your time asking questions to learn as much about your customer as possible. When done properly, this approach will eliminate many objections because it enables you to adapt your sales presentation to address what is important to each customer. Unfortunately, most salespeople either don't understand this or refuse to believe it. Most still think that they have to skate quickly through the qualifying process to ensure they have enough time to deal with and overcome objections.

A business acquaintance of mine works in advertising. When I approached him to produce a training video, he began asking me questions to fully understand what I needed and wanted. Because he took the time to learn about my business needs, I immediately saw the value in this $45,000 investment. Because he demonstrated the value while he uncovered my needs and presented a solution, not once did I express an objection about the cost. He made sure that he positioned himself and his company as a problem-solver and solution-provider.

Stop treating your customers like a paycheck and view them as guests to your business. This may sound awkward and initially difficult to comprehend, particularly if you've been accustomed to using aggressive selling tactics in order to close a sale. However, you'll soon notice a difference in the way your customers respond to you. In return, they'll be more willing to part with their hard-earned money.

Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, customer service, and employee motivation and the author of The Secrets of Power Selling and Stop, Ask & Listen — Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers. You can receive a free copy of his publication "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free newsletter available at kelleyrobertson.com. For information on his programs, contact him at (905) 633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

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