Marketing Tips & Articles

Sharpen Your Selling Skills For Easier Wine Sales Qualifying Potential Buyers

There will always be people who have never heard of your label that are potential new buyers. How do you qualify them? Here are a few guidelines to determine what's needed:

Gain the prospect's information. Find out where they live, what kind of work they do, what kinds of food they like, or how often they eat out. Ask consumers what type of wines they enjoy. (Red or white? Dry or sweet? Favorite brands?) The answers to these questions will help determine the potential customer's wine knowledge, buying frequency, or entertainment needs.

Determine a probable need. Do you offer the wines your customer wants? Are they within your buyer's price points? (Mental note: Try and match your products with what they are seeking.)

They must have the ability to buy. Can they afford to buy your wine? If so, how much? Can they afford only a few bottles or several cases? Ask what their favorite brand is and how often they buy it.

They must have the authority to buy. Make sure you are dealing with the decision maker. Nothing is more frustrating than to deliver your entire sales presentation, only to find out that you were talking to someone that doesn’t carry the checkbook!

They must be interested in what you have to offer. Determine if your potential buyer appreciates what you have to offer and desires any or some of your wines - either now or perhaps in the future. The best way to spark interest is by offering benefits or a solution to their needs. Limited availability, special discount pricing, or large bottles create urgency and desire to buy immediately.

Finding Buyer Needs

After you have qualified your potential buyers, you will need to slowly build their trust and confidence by determining what they want and need.

Most people buy when they cannot solve their needs themselves. The questions you ask them to uncover these needs will help engage their minds into "discovery" mode. If you remember that the buyer has the answers, it will be easier for you to facilitate questions that will help him or her discover a hidden benefit or solution to their problem.

"Funnel" questions slowly build an interaction. Start with broad questions that eventually narrow down and clarify what the potential buyer is seeking. After you have clarified a specific need, verify that what you heard is really what they meant. The next question should be to expand on a specific benefit your wines can offer them, then direct your conversation towards your close.

Learning To Listen

Listening is the fine art of word navigation, understanding the meaning of a message, and responding in a way that lets a person know he or she has been heard. How do you do that? With CARE.

 

Concentrate	on what the customer is saying.
Acknowledge	or reinforces their remarks.
Restate	what they’ve said in their own words.
Empathize	and let them know you understand.

Concentration starts with looking the person in the eye. Acknowledgment can include a smile or nod. Restating words or key phrases will help you develop narrower questions to sharpen your "funneling" techniques. Empathy does not mean you have to agree with the customer - but does imply that you understand or have perhaps shared a similar experience.

Questioning Guidelines

Building any relationship starts with getting to know the other person. Plan your questions in advance and try to develop a funnel series for different kinds of prospects.

Ask open-ended questions. Discover your potential customer's needs by asking open-ended questions that start with Who, What. When, Why, Where, or How. Include the word "you" in them to get the prospect to open up faster. (How often do you buy wine? What restaurants do you like to go to?)

This will allow buyers to express themselves. If you ask close-ended questions that require a yes or no answer, it will mean more questions and funneling.

Refrain from techno-talk. Don't use technical terms that might confuse the potential buyer. Some prospects may be intimidated, or others may not wish you to "dump" excessive product information on them. Most customers are more interested in how a wine tastes, than what strain of yeast was used during fermentation.

Don't interrupt their response. This is the most common offense committed by salespeople. You're asking questions to uncover desired needs. (Inquiring minds want to know!) Allow prospects to answer your questions within their time frame, not yours. Everything you say, you already know anyway. Listen attentively. Take your time and don't rush them.

Respond and check. Use your prospect's prior responses to start building your relationship. We are all seeking acknowledgment, and it makes us feel good to be heard and understood. Aligning yourself with the customer's attitudes and emotions will help you win their trust and confidence.

Customers Become Your Partners

By creating a comfortable selling environment, prospects will be willing to exchange information more freely and begin to offer unsolicited comments or inquiries to facilitate the buying process. Once they have integrated your wines into their buying patterns, they will begin to act as your liaison by telling others about your brand.

The continued relationship you establish with customers after the sale is the most important element of customer service. Your follow-up strategies will help you monitor their appreciation of your wines. They have the power to call to reorder and refer others to you.

And when they do - you'll be on your way to expanding your customer base as well as your sales revenues.

¨ ¨ ¨

Non-verbal Communication Clues

You can also listen and watch for non-verbal communication that can clue you in on how to proceed. Watch for these body language telltale signs:

Negative Indicators

• Nervous fidgeting
• Pushing things away from you
• Crossing their arms over their chest
• Not listening or not looking at you when you speak

Positive Buying Signals

• Leaning towards you
• Holding several products
• Handling the wine bottle
• Re-tasting the same wine
• Studying your back label
• Checking their wallet