A folder for a Bolia-salesmanhomepages.knord.dk/erhvervscases/Erhvervscase_2004.05.26_Boli… · Web viewBolia wants to help you in developing your role as a salesperson and understanding

Sales Guide

Introduction

Welcome to Bolia!

This guide has been written to help you to learn a little bit about sales and service at Bolia.

Bolia has some standards that we need to observe in order to fulfil our promise of good

service. These standards are presented in this guide. The guide should be studied

carefully upon starting at Bolia and used as a reference otherwise. It is very important that

you work to achieve the standards so that, together, we can give the customers a real

“Bolia experience”.

It is not a coincidence that it is you who is reading this guide. You have been chosen for

this job because we believe that you are able to give this “Bolia experience”. If we all offer

similar service, regardless of where in the world we are located, then Bolia ensures that all

customers are treated to the same extraordinary experience. Service is a Bolia trademark!

We hope that this guide is able to help you to become a real Bolia salesperson. You can

always refer to the guide if you have doubts about something or you just want a quick

refresher course.

Welcome aboard!

Salespeople at Bolia.com

What is Bolia.com?Bolia.com started in Århus, Denmark in December 2000. Bolia is a chain of home

furnishing stores/showrooms where customers place orders using the Internet, either their

own Internet access or at a Bolia showroom. The concept’s trademarks are extraordinary

service, quality furniture, and (timeless) excellent design.

Today, Bolia consists of a number of stores that all give extraordinary service to the

customers, provide furniture of good quality, and continually work on having the best

timeless selection, which fit in anywhere.

Who is a Bolia salesperson?

You are!! You are now a Bolia salesperson and we need you to give the best you have in

order to keep Bolia the best in its class wherever we are located!

Bolia wants to help you in developing your role as a salesperson and understanding the

Bolia experience. Bolia will give you the guidelines, but it is up to you to develop your own

success!

A Bolia salesperson possesses these qualities:

If you possess these qualities, Bolia is certain that you will succeed as a salesperson.

Is good at selling furniture Is service-minded Shows initiative Is patient Is able to create their own success in everyday life Believes in their self Comes up with new ideas and suggestions for improvements Strives to be an extraordinary salesperson Is a team player and a supportive colleague

If there are a few areas you feel need improvement, it is important to work with these

areas. Your manager can also assist you in trying to find some “tools” or give suggestions.

It is very important as a salesperson that you take responsibility for your own success!

The ability to work as a team in the shop will help everyone achieve good results and

boost morale. Praise a colleague when they have done a good job and back each other

up, especially when it gets hectic! Support each other’s development in striving to be a

better salesperson. Learn to give and take criticism; just make sure that the criticism given

is constructive.

Team spirit is the key to a healthy working environment

Who shops in Bolia?It is the trendy city dweller, 25-40 years old. They are typically upper-middle class,

financially comfortable and they know what they want! They care about design and good

quality.

Additionally, it can be customers that are price-sensitive. A low price is important, but they

still look for good quality.

The 8 phases of a sale

The Planning Phase The Welcome Phase The Analysing Phase The Presentation Phase The Processing Phase The Concluding Phase The Additional sale Phase The Evaluation phase

Most of the time, a Bolia salesperson needs to go through these 8 phases in a sales

situation. Each phase will be described in the following chapters. Many of the phases are

completed quite quickly. However, not every sales situation requires that you go through

each phase. For example, if a customer is really just browsing and not in a buying modus,

it will not be necessary to go through each step. However, it is important to view each and

every customer as a potential sale and, whenever possible, to close the sale when the

customer is at the showroom.

ABC – Always Be Closing

The ability to close a sale is very important.By closing a sale with a satisfied customer, you create your

own success.

Phase 1 – The Planning Phase

It is very important as a Bolia salesperson that you always are prepared. Everything

should be in order and you should be prepared before you greet your first customer!

A Bolia salesperson has to prepare for the start of each workday, for example, by reading

product information, checking for new prices, making certain furniture is tagged and

catalogues restocked. In doing so, you can avoid unexpected surprises or unnecessary

interruptions during a sales situation. The Bolia website is a great tool as updates are

automatically posted on the site and the entire furniture selection is presented here.

Remember to look at things through the customers’ eyes. How do you want a showroom

to look? Be critical to the surroundings. If you see the opportunity to improve something,

do so! Be prepared, and do ask if you are in doubt!

The planning phaseThe welcome phaseThe analysing phaseThe presentation phaseThe processing phaseThe concluding phaseThe additional sale phaseThe evaluation phase

Phase 2 – The Welcome Phase

All customers that come to Bolia have a need they wish to fill, whether they are aware of it

or not. By going through the 8 phases, the salesperson can make the customer aware of

their needs and pave the way to closing a sale.

When the customers enter the store, most likely they already have some thoughts and

ideas about Bolia, or “expectations.” Earlier experiences, marketing and advertising,

friends and family, to name few things, have created these expectations. It is very

important that we meet and beat the expectations.

Contentment is measured from the expected zero

+ I got what I expected – and a little bit more…

0 I got what I expected

- I got less than I expected – or something else that I expected

It is your job to give the customers a “+ experience.” An important step in achieving this

goal happens right when the customer comes through the door.


The 5x20 rule

When a customer enters Bolia, they will form an opinion of you and Bolia within the first 20

seconds. The customer will judge the following:

Your first 20 steps Your first 20 words Your first 20 centimetres (face) Your first 20 seconds Your first 20 movements

Therefore, your attitude is very important!

When you first see a customer, try to obtain eye contact and smile. Welcome the customer

and ask what you can help them with. In this case, it is very important to ask “what can I help you with” and not “can I help you with anything,” so that the customer has

to decide on what kind of help they need. A salesperson should always try to use a “wh”

word (what, who, where). This gently encourages the customer to open up. You also

create a natural bridge to the next phase, The Analysing Phase.

Another tip in the Welcome Phase is to offer the customer to a cup of coffee, tea, latte or

hot cocoa. This will make the customer relax and feel welcome. It will usually result in

them staying longer and looking around, perhaps even finding solutions to needs they

were not even aware of!

Moreover, you can ask the customers if they know anything about Bolia. By explaining

Bolia’s concept you establish a natural dialogue between you and the customer.

In The Welcome Phase, it is very important to create trust between you and the customer in order to

be able to have an open dialogue, enabling you to discover the customers’ needs. When you feel

that the customer is ready, you can start Phase 3.

Phase 3 – The Analysing Phase

You have two ears and one mouth.Use them carefully.

When you see that the customer feels relaxed, you can start trying to find out the

customer’s needs. A need can be conscious (the customer is aware of the need) or

subconscious (the customer is unaware of the need until it is brought to his/her attention).

If the customer already knows what he/she wants, continue to Phase 4, and present to the

customer products that fit the need.

If the customer has subconscious needs, he/she will probably browse a bit before

returning with questions about products, the Bolia concept, quality and options. Showing

1. When the customer talks:

Listen and remember

2 When the customer doesn’t talk:

Ask questions Remember the answers Show interest

3. Ask questions:

Get information: What does the customer want?

Find the reason: What is the true motive for buying?


the customer around the store can help make the customer aware of his/her needs and

allow you to immediately handle their questions. If starting or maintaining a dialogue is a

challenge, use the “wh”-words!

It is also pertinent to listen actively to what the customer is saying – the customer usually

will come with some important information about their needs. Let the customer talk and

explain and, together, analyse the need.

For example:The customer likes to have dinner parties. She is limited to 8 guests because her current

table only seats this many and, moreover, she would have to give up some of her living

room space if she were to buy a bigger table.

Analysis: The customer wants to be able to have more guests over for dinner.The customer has a limited amount of space.

Solution: A dining table that is expandable.

It is very important that the customer and you agree that the solution is the correct one;

otherwise, you will never be able to close the sale. Use your listening powers to find out if

the customer really agrees with your solution!

A good Bolia salesperson is quickly able to analyse the situation and find the right solution.

If the customer agrees on the solution, you can move on to The Presentation Phase.

Phase 4 – The Presentation Phase

Congratulations! You have just uncovered a conscious or subconscious need and are now

entering The Presentation Phase. The point of this phase is not to describe all the

products Bolia has that could be a possible solution! Presenting too many options can

often confuse a customer and make it harder to make a decision. You must narrow down

the alternatives before you present them to the customer. It can be a good idea to present

two, maximum three, alternatives to the customer and narrow down to the perfect solution

together.

A good Bolia salesperson is a “problem solver” and not one who just describes products.

It is very important that you refer to the problems that the customer expressed in The

Analysing Phase. Use this knowledge when presenting the advantages of the alternative

products, and in choosing the perfect solution!

When you present the product, it is very important that you sell the furniture based on the

quality, not the price!

BenefitPrice


This illustration shows that the benefits in The Presentation Phase have to dominate.

Why?

When a customer buys durable goods such as furniture, he/she has to feel that it was

exactly what he/she needed. It is the salesperson’s job to prove to the customer that this

particular piece of furniture is exactly what he/she was looking for. Moreover, a customer

is less concerned about price if he/she feels that the product is the perfect solution.

When presenting a product, invite the customer “explore” the furniture. Let them sit down,

feel the comfort of the cushions, touch the fabric, feel the grain of a wood, experience the

ease of expanding a table, lay upon a mattress. By making the customer use his/her

senses, it makes it easier to imagine how the piece of furniture will look in his/her home.

Encourage the customer to use all their senses in the shop!

In this phase, the customer will likely ask questions about the piece of furniture.

Never answer only with a “yes” or “no!”

Wrong answers: Right answers:The customer: Is this good furniture? The customer: Is this good furniture?

The salesperson: Yes! The salesperson: Yes! The

table is made using…..

The customer: Is this durable? The customer: Is this durable?

The salesperson: Yes! The salesperson: Yes! The fabric has a

Martindale of 60.000….

You must inform the customer why the piece of furniture is good and why the material is

durable. A simple “yes” tells them absolutely nothing about the product and does not, in

fact, answer their question. What a customer really is asking is “Why is this a good piece

of furniture?” As a salesperson you have to know the details in order to explain exactly

why the fabric or table would be the right choice!

When the presentation is completed, the customer probably has some more questions.

These questions pave the way to a sale. However, in order to close a sale, all objections

must be overcome.

Phase 5 – The Processing Phase

In The Processing Phase the customers give their “psychological no”. If a customer has

made up his/her mind to buy, you can hop over this phase. However, some will be on the

verge of buying, but still have their doubts or objections. Knowing how to handle

objections is what Phase 5 is about.

A customer can have positive or negative objections to a potential buy. This is important to

know for the salesperson’s course of argumentation.

Negative:

Positive:

Price

Benefits

Benefits

Price


If the price outweighs the benefits, the objections will be negative. If the benefits

dominate, the objections will be positive. The next couple of pages address positive and

negative objections.

ObjectionsNegative1. The customer does not understand you or the product:

- If the customer does not understand you, this casts doubt and uncertainty.

- A customer will sometimes not let on that they do not understand the product.

2. The customer misunderstands you:- Often when you do not give feedback on the customer’s concerns.

3. The customer tries to press you:- The customer wants to buy but wants to get something extra, for example, free

delivery.

- Using false or exaggerated claims, for example, “I must have the furniture on that

date because…….”

4. The chemistry between you and the customer is bad: - Expressed by lack of time. Satisfied with his/her own solution. Does not believe in

the salesperson’s solution. Does not need the solution.

5. The customer does not see the value:- Often occurs when you have not understood the customers motive for buying.

- The customer has not been told enough about the benefits.

- Often when the customer is already satisfied with a solution he/she already has or

has found another solution somewhere else.

6. The customer does not believe in the solution:- Often when the customer has had a bad experience with similar solutions.

- Often when the customer does not know anything/enough about this type of

solution.

- Often when the customer does not see the value of the solution.

7. The customer does not have the resources:- Cannot afford it, but would love to buy the product.

8. The customer asks a lot of questions:

- When the customer asks questions, you must interpret the objections as interest.

Positive:

Verbal signals

- How durable is the piece…?

- Is it also possible to…?

- How long do I have to wait until delivery…?

- What is the price…?

- How do I clean the fabric…?

- Do you have it in blue…?

“Real” objections are signals for buying!

If the customer gives objections that are real, this is the salesperson “road sign” to a sale.

Sale 10 km

There are different reasons to the above-described objections. These can be real or fake.

If the objections seem false, it is the salesperson’s job to find what the story behind the

objection is! You do this by asking questions.

Ask questions and listen – find the real reason for the objection

If the objections are real, the salesperson should show respect and interest in order to try

to turn negative objections into positive ones. Again, ask questions and give answers and

get the customer’s acceptance of the answers.

How to handle objections

Return the objection: Since it is made in Italy it means that….

Explain it again: Let’s go through this together…

Confess: That’s right. That was how the earlier

models were, but the new model has…

Confess and elaborate: That’s right. It has an aluminium frame

which is better because…

Deny: I think the information is incorrect. Let’s

check it out on the Internet…

Explain advantages: Since you are almost sure about the

purchase, it’s better to place an order

now and modify it within 14 days…

Make an analogue: I just sold the same sofa and fabric to a

family with two small kids. Their old sofa

had the same fabric and…

Build upon: That’s correct. But on the other hand,

when it comes to durability…

It is very important to find the right balance between being pushy and selling

If the same objections often come up for a particular item, be on the forefront and mention it yourself!

Never let an objection lead to a discussion!

Phase 6 – The Concluding Phase

The Concluding Phase is the most important phase of all. It is here you find out if you have

treated your customer well. Have you followed from the start the signals the customer has

given you? Have you listened to the customer? Does the customer find you trustworthy

and knowledgeable? You get the idea.

In the Concluding Phase the customer is now ready to buy. All the arguments or

objections the customer has had are now left behind. Bring the customer with you to the

computer to place an order. Make sure that you keep contact throughout the order

process! Show the customer how easy it is to place an order at Bolia. Talk to the

customer again about the products being ordered -- the quality, design, etc. Guide them

through the order process so that the customer is assured of the reliability of the process,

to ensure that the correct information is entered and that any remaining questions are

answered. After the order is registered, print out a confirmation and go through it with the

customer. Shake hands with him/her and reassure them that they have made the perfect

choice! If possible, follow them to the door as a friendly gesture and bid them goodbye.

All orders are equally important to Bolia, regardless of the order amount!! It is very important that the customer feels relaxed and positive when they leave the showroom,

whether or not a purchase was made. If the customer, however, does leave with an order

confirmation, congratulations! You have turned a customer into a Bolia customer!


Phase 7 – The Additional Sale Phase

The ability to sell complementary items, also referred to as additional sales, is a positive

characteristic for a salesperson. Complementary items are products that fit in with the rest

of the customer’s order, for example, a pouf with a chair. You are the expert, you are the

one to help think through, be creative and put together a “look” that suits the customer’s

lifestyle, budget and design taste.

Making additional sales are not necessarily easy, but many customers are glad to get the

input or tips. A Bolia salesperson should be able to open up their eyes and show them

some the possible combinations there are at Bolia, which may perhaps lead to the

customer adding a pouf or a lamp to the order. It is important not to be pushy, and to

remember that most customers appreciate this extra service!

Examples:Customer: I would like to order the Milano 3-seater in Gibbs Nature.

You: Have you seen the table that we have on display with the 3-seater? It works really

well with the colour you have picked.

Customer: I would like to order the Leeds leather chair.

You: There is a leather pouf that goes well with the chair. A pouf can be used, of course,

to place your feet on, but is handy as an extra stool or, put a decorative tray on it and you

have a table.

Customer: These dividers are exactly what I have been looking for! I would like to order

them.


You: Did you see that you also can order doors and drawers, thereby getting a great look and

increasing the usefulness of the furniture piece. Or you can add these wonderful woven baskets for

a more rustic look. Shall I add on a few doors or drawers to the order?

Use opportunities and be creative!

Phase 8 – The Evaluation Phase

As a salesperson you have to be critical of your own performance. It is very important to

evaluate your performance after every sale. What did you do right? What do I need to

work on? What was the customer’s reaction to my body language and my explanations?

Write down your evaluation in bullet points to use later on. Maybe compare your

experiences with your colleagues to find what works and what doesn’t. The Evaluation

Phase lends a good opportunity to learn from each other by exchanging experiences.

This builds the sales team and helps prepare everyone for the next customer and a new

sales situation.

Remember to be honest with yourself -- evaluate both the good points and the bad points!


ConclusionWhen you are helping a customer, there are many things to think about. It is almost like

performing on stage – it is here that you have the chance to show who you are and how

you can help them with your knowledge and experience. It is in this situation that you can

show them what a Bolia salesperson is like! A lot of being a good salesperson comes

through experience, but you can also become better by actively learning, focusing on

improvement and evaluating your efforts. There is always a way to learn and to become

better at what you do!

When you are with a customer, imagine that you are standing in a long corridor with many

open doors. In order to get to the end, you have to close every door. Each door

represents a question from the customer. If you do not answer all the questions and get

the doors closed, you will not be able to get the customer all the way though the corridor

and make the sale. If the doors are not one by one closed, the customer can at any time

leave through one of the open doors!

A Bolia salesperson spends time with the customer, lets them ask questions, is patient and

informative and genuinely wants to help the customer find a solution to their need. Do not

be too eager or too pushy – it will show!

There are three different kinds of people in the world:Those who make it happenThose who watch it happen Those who get surprised at what just happenedWho are you?

Believe in yourself like we do! Things will begin to fall into place with a little experience.

And understand that the most important point is that the customer gets an experience

beyond what is expected. The Bolia experience!

Good luck at Bolia!

Documents

A folder for a Bolia-salesmanhomepages.knord.dk/erhvervscases/Erhvervscase_2004.05.26_Boli… · Web viewBolia wants to help you in developing your role as a salesperson and understanding