While sales principles apply to everything, the sale of machinery, equipment and/or industrial tools requires an additional component and that is technical expertise.
Sales engineers understand that selling is not an event but a process; in other words, we are talking about Consultative Selling which is supported by Commercial and Technical skills.
Here are some useful tips (although there is much to say about this...) for Professionals in Sales of Machinery, Equipment and/or Industrial Tools:
1. Know your strengths as a salesperson: do not neglect your strong points and intentionally strengthen the weak ones. Technical selling is consultative selling, it must have an intentional process, a structured methodology, adequate prospecting...etc.
2. Apply Commercial Engineering: Sales are statistics; more visits result in more offers, more offers bring more business, more business equals more income. Everything starts with excellent prospecting and knowing how many visits you must make per day to reach your budget. (I will soon do a free webinar on the subject)
3. Always think about helping the client beyond selling to them: make friends then make clients. In technical sales you help a client with efficiency, with optimization. They will buy from you regardless of the price if you technically demonstrate that your product is more efficient, without leaving aside an excellent relationship with the client.
4. Know your product 100%: Prepare and know the technical sheets of the equipment, tool or machine; calculations, 3D plans and simulations if appropriate.
5. Know your competition 100%: Prices, payment methods, delivery times, number of sellers, tools they use, technical support, after-sales service, facilities, profitability, sanctions they have, certificates, technology, preparation, agreements, handling of environmental issues...etc. Know all this to strengthen what you do and to use the information strategically; always highlight the strengths of your product and never speak badly of a competitor or their product.
6. Be clear about the differences between your product and your competitors' products: as applicable: speeds, efficiency, energy costs, modularity, motor types, energy savings, controller types, communication systems, transmission type, materials, where it is manufactured, type of technology, common failures, etc.
7. Visit the area of action: Know where and how your machine or tool will be used; this can open the panorama to a better application of your product, to an improvement in the plant (which will help your client), to find significant savings and even to new sales opportunities with other products in your portfolio.
8. It is not always necessary to sell: This point is very important, your objective should be to help your client (if applicable) to realize that with small modifications and/or arrangements it may be possible that for the moment they do not need to buy anything from you. Believe me, this is more powerful than a sale, the client understands that you do not want to sell for the sake of selling but to help them and what will come in the future is an immense opportunity for relationships and business with them.
Julian Esteban Jimenez
07.08.2024
Sales engineers understand that selling is not an event but a process; in other words, we are talking about Consultative Selling which is supported by Commercial and Technical skills.
Here are some useful tips (although there is much to say about this...) for Professionals in Sales of Machinery, Equipment and/or Industrial Tools:
1. Know your strengths as a salesperson: do not neglect your strong points and intentionally strengthen the weak ones. Technical selling is consultative selling, it must have an intentional process, a structured methodology, adequate prospecting...etc.
2. Apply Commercial Engineering: Sales are statistics; more visits result in more offers, more offers bring more business, more business equals more income. Everything starts with excellent prospecting and knowing how many visits you must make per day to reach your budget. (I will soon do a free webinar on the subject)
3. Always think about helping the client beyond selling to them: make friends then make clients. In technical sales you help a client with efficiency, with optimization. They will buy from you regardless of the price if you technically demonstrate that your product is more efficient, without leaving aside an excellent relationship with the client.
4. Know your product 100%: Prepare and know the technical sheets of the equipment, tool or machine; calculations, 3D plans and simulations if appropriate.
5. Know your competition 100%: Prices, payment methods, delivery times, number of sellers, tools they use, technical support, after-sales service, facilities, profitability, sanctions they have, certificates, technology, preparation, agreements, handling of environmental issues...etc. Know all this to strengthen what you do and to use the information strategically; always highlight the strengths of your product and never speak badly of a competitor or their product.
6. Be clear about the differences between your product and your competitors' products: as applicable: speeds, efficiency, energy costs, modularity, motor types, energy savings, controller types, communication systems, transmission type, materials, where it is manufactured, type of technology, common failures, etc.
7. Visit the area of action: Know where and how your machine or tool will be used; this can open the panorama to a better application of your product, to an improvement in the plant (which will help your client), to find significant savings and even to new sales opportunities with other products in your portfolio.
8. It is not always necessary to sell: This point is very important, your objective should be to help your client (if applicable) to realize that with small modifications and/or arrangements it may be possible that for the moment they do not need to buy anything from you. Believe me, this is more powerful than a sale, the client understands that you do not want to sell for the sake of selling but to help them and what will come in the future is an immense opportunity for relationships and business with them.
Julian Esteban Jimenez
07.08.2024