You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on matching solutions to customers' needs during the sales process.
Have you ever been frustrated by a salesperson who tried to sell you something you didn't need?
Yes, we all have.
And so, if you're the one doing the selling, remember that a one-size-fits-all approach isn't likely to work.
Instead, you need to build a relationship and learn about your customers' needs.
Only then can you provide the right solution.
In our last two lessons on the sales process, we looked at how to make your initial approach and understand the customer's needs.
So, in this lesson, we'll look at the next step in the process, matching a solution to those needs.
There are several techniques we can use to offer a solution to a customer.
We can warn them against doing things a certain way.
That is, we can advise them against solutions that don't match their needs.
We can also emphasize cost, benefits or quality and ask hypothetical questions in order to persuade them.
And finally, once we've used these techniques, we can finish by summarizing agreement.
In today's dialogue, we'll rejoin Aaron, a salesperson with a commercial refrigeration company.
He has been talking to customers at a new hotel who need equipment for their bar and restaurant.
Aaron has visited the hotel to meet them and talk about their needs.
Now Aaron is putting together a proposal and he calls the hotel manager Eva, to talk about some of his proposed solutions.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Aaron advise Eva against doing at the beginning of their conversation?
2.
What point does Aaron emphasize when he recommends the COIL Pro unit?
3.
At the end of the conversation, how does Aaron introduce his summary of their discussion?
So Eva, if you've got a lot of deli foods, then I'm going to suggest a gravity coil unit for one of those display cases.
And forced air for the other one?
You don't think we could just use forced air for both?
I'm not sure that's the way to go here.
I know some places do that, but your deli foods are going to suffer with forced air.
I guess it depends on how quickly you're turning over product.
But generally, I wouldn't recommend it.
Okay, well, something to think about there.
My understanding is that forced air costs less to maintain.
Isn't that right?
In many cases, yes.
If you're looking at parts and servicing for a forced air unit, then it might look cheaper.
But there's a couple of things I'd say here.
First, I can save you $1,000 up front with a gravity coil unit.
On what kind of unit?
I mean, it's not just about cost.
It's about value, right?
Exactly.
So I'm thinking our CoilPro unit might be the way to go here.
You can't get much more reliable than that.
It's been tested for over 20,000 hours continuous use between servicing.
All right.
Well, that's definitely something we'd consider then.
Okay, so I'll write up a couple of different options for you so you can compare them in terms of upfront cost servicing and such.
Then just one more question for you.
I know you're a bit concerned about space in the kitchen.
Yes, that's right.
So no walk-in freezer.
That's the idea.
Right, so you wanted chest freezers, yeah?
But what if you didn't need those either?
That space you planned on putting them in, what if you could use that for something else?
Uh, well, I don't know.
Uh, what are you thinking?
Yeah, so we could actually incorporate a freezer section right in your walking cooler.
If you organize it right so you're not wasting space between shelving, you won't have to sacrifice too much cooler space.
Within the cooler?
Well, I've seen that done before, but it's not really my call.
I'd have to talk with Robin about that.
Okay, so I'll include that in the quote for now and, if you can, run it by Robin and get back to me if you think it's going to be an issue.
Great.
So, if we can just run through everything here, we're looking at a freezer section within the walk-in and one forced air display case and one gravity coil.
And for the bar area, we've talked about standing display coolers.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Aaron used to match solutions to his customers' needs.
So Eva, if you've got a lot of deli foods, then I'm going to suggest a gravity coil unit for one of those display cases.
And forced air for the other one?
You don't think we could just use forced air for both?
Aaron is recommending a certain type of refrigeration method called a gravity coil, for one of Eva's display cases.
The display cases are the large coolers in their cafe that display baked goods and deli foods such as meat and cheese.
Eva wonders if they could just use forced air, which is a different type of refrigeration in both the display cases.
This is an opportunity for Aaron to show that he knows what he's talking about.
Let's listen.
I'm not sure that's the way to go here.
I know some places do that, but your deli foods are going to suffer with forced air.
I guess it depends on how quickly you're turning over product, but generally I wouldn't recommend it.
A big part of selling is showing a customer that your solution is better than other solutions.
In this situation, Aaron thinks forced air is not a good solution for deli foods.
So he warns Eva against the idea by saying, I'm not sure that's the way to go here.
That's a soft way of saying don't do it.
Aaron doesn't want to be pushy.
He just wants to advise Eva and he provides reasons for his opinion, saying that the deli foods won't do well in the forced air environment.
Advising against one way of doing something is actually a useful sales technique, as it helps build trust with the customer.
So what are some other ways we can gently warn a customer against a certain solution?
Let's run through a few more examples.
I really wouldn't recommend that type of paper for everyday printing.
Well, I actually think that might cause more problems than it solves.
I know some people try that but it's really not the best approach.
I'm a bit concerned that you might end up spending more money that way.
Now let's get back to the dialogue, as we learn the reason why Eva might have been considering forced air refrigeration.
Okay, well, something to think about there.
My understanding is that forced air costs less to maintain.
Isn't that right?
In many cases, yes.
If you're looking at parts and servicing for a forced air unit, then it might look cheaper.
But there's a couple of things I'd say here.
First, I can save you $1,000 up front with a gravity coil unit.
Eva has brought up the topic of costs.
So now's the time for Aaron to emphasize the cost benefits of his solution.
Notice he says that a forced air unit or machine might look cheaper.
That casts doubt on whether it's true.
Aaron then gives a little introduction to what he wants to emphasize, saying there's a couple of things I'd say here.
That's a way of setting up his important idea, which is that he can save Eva 1000 on the purchase cost of a gravity coil unit.
Cost is important to customers, and so when you emphasize cost benefits, it's good to be somewhat specific, as Aaron does when he mentions 1000.
This is an important part of making his solution attractive to Eva.
Let's practice some more ways of emphasizing cost benefits.
In each example, you'll notice a specific mention of possible savings.
If you're thinking about cost, you're going to spend about 25% less by leasing.
Toner for these printers is about half the cost of the Canon machines.
If you buy new rather than used, you'll get a five-year warranty and spend nothing on servicing.
You'll save yourself about 50000 a year with a place on Green Street as opposed to the Third Avenue building.
How does Eva respond to Aaron's talk about the cost of a gravity coil unit?
On what kind of unit?
I mean, it's not just about cost.
It's about value, right?
Eva has brought up a very important point here.
Some customers care about cost above other considerations.
But others care more about value, which means considering the item's quality as well as cost.
And Aaron responds by emphasizing quality.
Exactly.
So I'm thinking our CoilPro unit might be the way to go here.
You can't get much more reliable than that.
It's been tested for over 20,000 hours continuous use between servicing.
Aaron doesn't hesitate to agree with Eva that value is important.
His job is to understand her priorities and find the appropriate solutions.
So he talks about a specific type of display cooler that will meet her expectations of value and quality.
He suggests a reliable or dependable unit that can run for a long time before it needs to be serviced.
Emphasizing quality is an important consideration for most customers.
So let's run through some more ways of talking about quality.
In terms of quality, this machine has had the highest consumer report ratings for the past three years.
You'll find these blades stay sharper, longer, and they'll never rust or break.
There's honestly no better paper out there on the market.
This is all organically grown, and you really can't beat it as far as taste and texture goes.
Now let's get back to the dialogue.
All right.
Well, that's definitely something we'd consider then.
Okay, so I'll write up a couple of different options for you so you can compare them in terms of upfront cost servicing and such.
Then just one more question for you.
I know you're a bit concerned about space in the kitchen.
Yes, that's right.
So no walk-in freezer.
That's the idea.
Aaron has explained his solution for the display cases which he will write up or present in writing in his proposal.
But he's got one more question for Eva about the kitchen space.
And Eva mentions what they discussed previously, that they don't want a walk-in freezer, which is a large freezer with a door that you can actually walk into.
The alternative, as Aaron mentions next, is a chest freezer, which is a smaller unit that opens from the top.
But then he brings up a completely different solution that they haven't discussed before.
Right, so you wanted chest freezers, yeah?
But what if you didn't need those either?
That space you planned on putting them in, what if you could use that for something else?
Aaron wants to suggest a solution that hasn't been discussed yet.
And to set it up, he asks Ivar some hypothetical questions, which are questions where we have to imagine a situation.
Hypothetical questions usually start with what if or would.
These kinds of hypothetical questions are meant to persuade.
How do they do that?
Well, A good hypothetical question leads the customer to a positive answer.
When Aaron says, what if you could use that for something else?
There's really only one answer.
Of course, Eva would like to use that space for something else.
And that's why hypothetical questions help you to persuade.
Because you have the customer agreeing before you even tell them exactly what you're suggesting.
What are some other ways we can ask hypothetical questions to persuade a customer?
Let's try a few more examples.
What if you could find a program that served both functions instead of having two separate programs?
Well, what if there was a way to get your deliveries there even faster?
Would you feel more secure if you had a way to insure yourself against the potential loss of business?
What if you could have all the flexibility of wood but still have the strength of steel?
Let's hear if Aaron's questions helped make Eva open to his suggestion.
I don't know.
What are you thinking?
Yeah, so we could actually incorporate a freezer section right in your walk-in cooler.
If you organize it right so you're not wasting space between shelving, you won't have to sacrifice too much cooler space.
So Aaron explains his idea for incorporating or including a freezer section within a walk-in cooler.
It's a solution that he thinks matches Eva's needs, and he's set it up with a hypothetical question.
All right, so Aaron is almost finished here.
There's just one more thing to do.
Let's listen.
Within the cooler.
Well, I've seen that done before, but it's not really my call.
I'd have to talk with Robin about that.
Okay, so I'll include that in the quote for now and, if you can, run it by Robin and get back to me if you think it's going to be an issue.
Great.
So, if we can just run through everything here…
We're looking at a freezer section within the walk-in and one forced air display case and one gravity coil.
And for the bar area, we've talked about standing display coolers.
Eva is going to talk to Robin, the head chef at the restaurant, to run Aaron's ideas by her.
That means to explain something to someone to see if they like it or not.
And now that they've discussed everything Aaron has called about, he wants to summarize agreement.
And when you do that, it's a good idea to tell the other person what you're about to do.
Aaron says, so if we can just run through everything here.
Run through basically means to quickly summarize.
Then Aaron can go through the ideas one by one and make sure that he and Eva understand things the same way.
Let's practice a few more ways of summarizing agreement at the end of a discussion.
Okay, just to recap here, you've decided to go with the 24-pound paper for printing.
If we can just go over this to confirm.
First off, you'll need five new vehicles.
So then here's everything we've covered.
You'd like to go with the speed pro option for internet service?
All right, now let's see where we're at.
We've got three new terminals, full installation.
Well, aaron has done a good job of explaining to eva how his solutions match her needs, And this means he's in a good position to actually make the sale.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work for a computer company and you're trying to sell new computers to the manager of a medium-sized business.
You want to match your company's computer solutions to the customer's needs.
During the role play, you'll hear some cues from the customer.
Then, I'll give you some suggestions for how you can respond.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
So, we were thinking of going with the all-in-one machines.
Start by warning the customer against that because they are difficult to upgrade.
Answer.
Well, I really wouldn't recommend that because they're difficult to upgrade.
Oh, I see.
And you think the new Tower 900 machines are a better choice?
Next, emphasize the cost benefits of the Tower 900 computers.
Answer.
Yes, you'll save quite a bit of money on the Tower 900 computers.
Okay, so they're cheaper, but are they any good?
Now emphasize the quality of the Tower 900 by saying they're more powerful than the competition.
Answer.
Oh, for sure, the Tower 900s are much more powerful than the competition.
Well, we might be willing to consider them if they came with good support.
Next, gently persuade the customer by asking a hypothetical question about having a three-year warranty.
So what if you could have a three-year warranty on whatever machines you buy?
Would that help?
Yes, that would help alleviate our concerns.
Finish off by confirming that the customer is interested in the Tower 900s as long as they come with a three-year warranty.
Answer.
Okay, so just to recap, you're interested in the Tower 900s, as long as they come with a three-year warranty.
Is that right?
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary and collocations we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences, with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
All of our latest models can be found in the display cases on Floor 2.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
If we have a big sale, we could turn some of these old products quickly.
Answer.
If we have a big sale, we could turn over some of these old products quickly.
I need to talk to my boss, then I'll get to you later today.
Answer.
I need to talk to my boss, then I'll get back to you later today.
So, what are you thinking about in... of price for a new machine?
Answer.
So, what are you thinking about in terms of price for a new machine?
This printer might cost you more, but you'll save money later on with ink.
This printer might cost you more up front, but you'll save money later on with ink.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the third in our series on the different steps in the sales process.
We've learned how to advise a customer against something, emphasize cost, and emphasize quality.
We've also looked at how to use hypothetical questions to persuade and how to summarize agreement.
Be sure to tune in for our next lesson, when we'll learn how to deal with a customer's doubts about your proposed solution.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
