How to Build Relationships Through Transactional Sales

by Paul DiModica

10 Transactional Sales Steps To Grow Your Sales

Prospect Relationship Building Process

Here are four steps to build a prospect relationship:

• Step 1 -- Meet with the prospect for the first time during the pre-sale cycle and communicate your business value.
  
  
• Step 2 -- The prospect listens, believes your value, and buys the first time.
  
  
• Step 3 -- In post-sale, the prospect reviews the value of what you sold them to determine if what they bought is what you promised in pre-sale.
  
  
• Step 4 -- If the prospect decides they did receive what they were told they would get in pre-sale, then they buy a second time and this is when the relationship starts.

Hanging onto prospects because they make themselves available to you through email, visits to their office, phone conversations or just giving you verbal commitments is a waste of time.

Time management is the key to your selling success. Don't spend time with professional lookers; instead, sell qualified buyers who prove they are qualified. Use transactional selling by forcing prospects to take action steps with you during the sales process to prove to you they are qualified.  Don't believe that prospects are going to buy just because they are accessible.

Always use transactional selling techniques, not relationship selling methods on your first sale.  Your goal should be to turn your first sale (transactional) into a second sale (relationship).

10 Transactional Sales Steps To Grow Your Sales

1. Ask the prospect to come to your office.
   
   
2. Ask the prospect to introduce you to their boss.
   
   
3. Ask the prospect if you can send your contract to their legal department for review.
   
   
4. Ask the prospect to sign your non-disclosure document.
   
   
5. Ask the prospect to sign a letter of intent (LOI).
   
   
6. Ask the prospect to tell you their budget.
   
   
7. Ask the prospect to accompany you to an existing customer site.
   
   
8. Ask the prospect to call your references (and confirm that they do it).
   
   
9. Ask the prospect to make a small purchase or trial investment to see if they will buy the main investment you are targeting and to prove that they can get a purchase order out of their company.
   
   
10. Ask the prospect to see your competitor's proposals -- so you can "compare."

"Business is a combination of war and sport."
Andre Maurois

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