Page 101 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Communication in organizations 90

Structure

In a sales interview we can distinguish three phases: the orientation phase, the central
phase and the decision-making phase. In some instances, the sale may take place after
several interviews. The different phases of the selling process then require different
interviews. In some selling situations the end of the interview coincides with the closing
off of one of the phases. In other situations salespersons need to pick up a phase that has
not been completed at the next interview.
During the orientation phase the seller and customers become acquainted with each
other. The goal and time are decided upon and information is exchanged. During this
phase salespersons should try to get a good idea of the customer’s wishes and raise their
interest in the product or service.
In the central phase arguing is the most important skill. Here salespersons can profit
from their preparations and link the qualities of their product or service with the needs of
the customer. They should deal with customer’s wishes in order of importance. They can
also try to resolve any objections customers might have and turn them into solvable
problems. During this phase, the so-called negotiations take place about the solutions
(product/service) that the salespersons suggest for the customer’s needs.
Finally, the decision phase consists of an elaboration of the decision that has been
reached at the end of the central phase. This can mean that customers will accept the
proposal. It is also possible that they want more information before they come to a
definite decision or that they do not accept the proposal. We deal with the different
phases successively in the sections below.

Orientation phase
In situations in which salespersons go out themselves to visit potential customers, the first
phase begins with the mutual or renewed acquaintance. The salespersons state the goal of
their visit and ask how much time customers have available for the interview. Ideally
customers will determine the duration of the conversation. In order to avoid
misunderstandings, we note here that the goal of the interview can be the introduction of
a new product, or in response to a request to be further informed or the ‘keeping open’ of
previous contacts. If the appointment has been made in advance, salespersons should
mention the time that the customers have taken for this interview. Customers then know
what they can expect and are more readily willing to spend the agreed time on the
interview than if they are overwhelmed and find each minute they spend too long,
because they were actually doing something else. In situations in which customers visit
salespersons they will often indicate their goal and usually no agreements are made
regarding the duration of the interview.
After the opening sentences it is necessary for salespersons to acquire a good
understanding of the customer’s needs. This can be achieved by para-phrasing the
customer’s needs and making them concrete. By asking open-ended questions,
salespersons can make a priority list of the customer’s wishes: