Value-Based Selling Skills For Service Professionals Syllabus

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This is a skills-oriented training class designed for service professionals that have not had extensive sales training. It starts by asking students to examine and express their negative attitudes about selling and then builds a new paradigm for selling as a positive activity. Value-based selling teaches a way of selling that is principled and preserves everyone's integrity. Skills training is accomplished by the instructors modeling each skill and then taking students through role play exercises. All the basic selling skills are included - probing, closing, handling objections. In addition, specific techniques of selling intangible services are practiced. The "Secrets of Selling Services" are also revealed.

The Value-Based Sales Process

A process for selling is introduced that does not require students to "sell out" their integrity in order to be successful. It is a win-win approach that places the service professional in the role of consultant to the customer. Basing the approach on the customer's needs reinforces the value of services provided, maintaining value-pricing approaches to marketing.

Selling Styles

Everyone has their own personality and their own way of relating to others. Selling Styles helps students to better understand their own styles and those of customers. This allows them to be more effective in establishing a relationship, the first step of the Value-Based Selling process. Hahn Consulting instructors model all the styles and the best way to interact with each one. Students then practice relating with the style opposite their own.

Creating A Relationship

Students are taught how to establish rapport and trust with the prospect. Instructors model both the wrong and right ways to do this, then students practice this skill in role plays.

Diagnosing Motivations

Diagnosing is one of the most essential elements of sales training. Hahn Consulting's research into the Three Reason Customers Buy Service are used to narrow the focus here. Students learn to probe on three levels, the general business context, the overall service expectation, and the specific primary motivation to buy service. Hahn Consulting's approach to Diagnosing is unique. It is more streamlined than generic sales approaches and very specific to service buyers.

Proposing and Closing

Details of customer motivations gathered in the Diagnosing Process are utilized to prepare a proposal and then closing skills are used to get the customers commitment. Students are given a proposal model and practice their presentation skills in small groups. Hahn Consulting has researched many closing techniques and chosen a method that is non-threatening to technical people, easy to use, and effective. Attendees are taught this closing technique, and practice their skills in role plays.

Handling Objections

Sometime customers need a little help to make that final commitment, or have concerns regarding the contract. Handling Objections training will prepare attendees to smoothly handle objections with proven technique. Everyone's favorite, the Price objection is given special attention. Students will be able to confidently handle pricing problems after this training. Taking on the competition is also covered in this section. The way that competitors win is also explained and specific responses are discussed.

The Secrets of Selling Service

Finally, little known techniques of the top service sales pros are revealed. Ways to tangibalize services are developed. Processes to improve renewal rates and reinforce the value of service are also explained. These refinements, coupled with the basic sales skills already developed will prepare every service professional who attends to greatly increase their confidence and effectivity in selling services.

Tailoring the Course

Value-Based Selling is presented in public seminars twice each year, most of our classes are presented in-house for specific companies. For company groups, the material is customized to fit each company's situation. To accomplish this, we interview several course attendees by phone in advance of the training. Based on these interviews, the role plays are rewritten to reflect typical customers, situations, objections, and sales challenges facing the participants. In addition, we work with company personnel to develop a profile of the typical services provided to customers and to value those services. A comparison of company service prices to several competitors is also developed with the client.

Schedule and Agenda

An agenda and schedule follow. Starting, ending, break and lunch times are firm. Times for beginning and ending specific topics are approximate.

Agenda - Day One		Agenda - Day Two
8:00	Introductions Selling Styles	8:00	Presentations Closing Techniques
10:15	Break	10:15	Break
10:30	The Value-Based Sales Process	10:30	Handling Objections
12:00	Lunch	12:00	Lunch
1:00	Creating A Relationship	2:00	Break
2:30	Break	2:15	Secrets of Selling Service
2:45	Diagnosing Motivations	3:30	Wrap-Up & Debrief
5:00	End of Day One	4:00	End of Seminar