Sales terms Part - I

PSS - 'Professional Selling Skills’:  is a highly structured selling process pioneered by the US Xerox (and UK Rank Xerox) the photocopier sales organization during the 1960s, and adopted by countless business-to-business sales organizations, normally as the 'Seven Steps of the Sale'. PSS places a huge reliance on presentation, overcoming objections and umpteen different closes. Largely now superseded by more modern 'Open Plan' two-way processes, but PSS is still in use and being trained, particularly in old-fashioned paternalistic company cultures. The regimented one-way manipulative style of PSS nowadays leaves most modern buyers completely cold, but strip it away to the bare process and it's better than no process at all.

Trial close:  is the technique, by which a sales person tests the prospect's readiness to buy, traditionally employed in response to a buying signal, e.g.: prospect says: "Do you have them in stock?" to which the sales person would traditionally reply: "Would you want one if they are?" Should be used with extreme care as many customers might resent the question and might feel that it is impertinent. If one sees a buying signal there's no need to jump on it - just answer it politely.

Used by pushy salesmen it is the process of testing the waters. The sales man is testing the resistance of the buyers. If there is no resistance the sales man would go in for the Kill (ask for the order). Pushy trail closures will not work in the modern era where the customer is confident of himself and will not accept pushy salesmen.

Face of the company: In a sales situation the company can’t monitor the activities of the sales person at all times. When the sales person is interacting with the customer he becomes the company. Rather he is the face of the company. If he is polite and professional the company will be perceived positively and if he is rude to the customer, the customer is inclined to have a negative opinion of the company. The company has to recruit the sales people with care as they can impact the customer’s opinions and perceptions about the company.

Moment of truth: is what a salesman lives for. It is the culmination of all efforts that the sales person has put in right from the pre-prospecting stage. The sales person would have moved the customer from the stone cold level to the cold level then to a warm level and finally to the hot level. The customer is ready. The sales person has to maximize his time with the customer and see that his objective is achieved. The moment of truth has to be utilized in the optimal fashion. In the retail sector the moment of truth is when the customer takes the product in his hands and examines it. If he is interested the sale is made. If not the entire marketing process has gone waste.

Galvanometer test: A research method that measures physiological changes in consumers when asked a question or shown some stimulus material such as an advertisement. The most famous case that is always quoted is the Senior Bush’s election speech in which he says “read my lips no new taxes”. This particular speech was given the galvanometer test and when Senior Bush uttered the above words he got very good positive response. The speech was later widely used by senior Bush and is cited as one of the reasons of his victory in that particular presidential election.