• The importance of sales
• The symptoms of weak sales ability
• Comparison of a 'sales-led' versus a 'product-led' company
• An ethical approach to sales
• A definition of selling
• Should we hire a science graduate and train him/her to sell?

The reason that most 'techies' are not 'natural' sales people

• What we really think about selling - the negative stereotype
• Beliefs drive attitudes, attitudes drive behaviour.
• The personality traits needed for sales.
• Inter-personal skills

Sales basics for beginners

• The 'Sell your watch' exercise - the instinctive way is wrong
• The 'Old Way' of selling versus the 'New Way'
• Other common faults
• When your are the customer, what do you look for in a salesperson?
• Why does anybody buy anything? A fundamental understanding - people will take action (buy) to get the solution to a problem which concerns them

• The 'ideal' sales personality; see yourself as a 'Successful, friendly expert'

• Be very well informed - know your product, industry and customer history

How to prospect for business

• Understand the importance of prospecting and do it

• The prospecting process

• See prospecting as a pump filling a pipeline

• Who are you targeting?
• Get face-to-face with more or the right prospects
• Setting appointments
• The methods - mail, phone, visits, email, fax, exhibitions, referrals etc.
• How to write an effective sales letter
• What to say on the phone
• 'Qualifying' the prospect
• Protect your prospecting time

• Log your prospecting statistics

• Know the value of each new prospect contact

• Dealing with the common problems

Meeting the prospect - the sales interview:

• A structured approach - your objectives
• How to deal with different personality types
• Sales interview technique - discovering the buying motivations
• Professional questioning - The two key words to obtain strategic information

• Professional listening

• Avoid verbal (and other) irritators

• Price-conditioning
• Understand the power of addressing 'soft needs'

The sales presentation

• Your objective
• Generate confidence
• A simple 4 stage formula which gives you the best chance of success.
• Understand the importance of 'What's in it for me?'
• The common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Understand the personality type of the buyer and adapt your message accordingly

• Don't treat people the way you like to be treated
• Three common types
• Characteristics of the 'Dominant/Managing Director/President' type and how to handle them
• The trap of the friendly, helpful buyer
• Presenting to academics and experts
• People buy for emotional reasons but frequently justify them with 'logical' ones
• How to use this powerful understanding daily to win far more business
• This technique operates subliminally, is it ethical?

Dealing with the tough parts of sales

Asking for the order

• The reasons for asking
• Right and wrong ways of asking
• 'Negotiating with yourself' - a bad habit
• The best (and simplest) technique

Closing the sale

• Done right you obtain the order without 'closing'
• 7 Classic closes

Good answers to difficult objections

• 'It's too expensive'
• 'I'm getting other quotes'
• 'We're happy with our existing supplier'
• 'I want to think about it'

Dealing with 'difficult' buyers

• The aggressive/dominant type
• indecisive people

Handling rejection

Common reasons for lack of sales success - and what to do about them

Building your confidence

• Believe wholeheartedly
• What's great about your product, people and company?
• Start easy
• Self-limiting beliefs and how to neutralise them
• Sabotaging your own success
• Expand your 'comfort zone'

Keeping your motivation high

• How to stay motivated - Why is far more important than 'How'
• The only way to get out of a 'slump'

• Self-limiting beliefs and your 'Circle of Influence'

• What is your vision of your life in the future?

A refresher for older/experienced sales people

Guiding principles for Sales Managers

• What is the purpose of your organisation?
• Jointly create a common vision
• Eliminate de-motivators

Upselling - expanding the order

How to win repeat business.

Don't 'one-night-stand' your customers

Professional complaint-handling

How to grow fast but stay successful long-term; the reasons for the rise and fall of companies

• The 'Success Cycle'

 Dear Robert

We were delighted with the manuals.

I took your manuals into the first marketing meeting and left it with them. At the second review meeting the Production Director found them so good that he couldn't put them down.

The conscience consideration (we could have quite easily put it through the automatic copier and then sent them back to you with a note saying we are not interested) was not allowed by virtue of the fact that they were so good and we were delighted with them.

When you are driving a company forward some tools are useful and some are essential. These manuals are not only good value for money but they fill all the gaps we have been looking for.

At our last marketing meeting I said that I was so pleased that I would be getting in touch with you. It was the realisation that you are not a large company but a small company that has put an awful lot of effort into a very good product

Colin Dawson, Managing Director, Daletech Electronics Ltd

"I recently read a book entitled Prospecting for Engineers by Robert Seviour. It was written in simple, plain English and made a lot of sense from a practical point of view (totally the opposite to a lot of theoretical business books I have tried to read). I got the impression he is a very, practical, down to earth sort of guy."

Mark Robinson, Managing Director, Starret Precision Optical Ltd.

Dear Robert

I am writing to you to let you know how invaluable we have found your manuals 'Selling for Engineers' & 'How to Create Powerful Technical Sales Literature'

For a small High Tech company staffed mainly by engineers we have found the manuals so good we are delighted to recommend them to anyone that needs to focus on advertising and selling their products and services.

At first our engineers were reluctant to even look at them. However shortly after one of them took up the challenge, it became apparent we had to ration the manuals as they were all after them with an enthusiasm I have never witnessed in the company

Thank you for such a fine piece of work.

Yours sincerely,

Ronald G Kerner, Technical Director, Turning Systems Ltd

 Dear Mr Seviour

I have just read your two books, 'Selling for Engineers' and 'How to Create Powerful Technical Sales Literature'. I found them both full of extremely wise pointers and comments. I believe the principles presented by the books are absolutely right!

Congratulations on the books.

Paul Bentley, PJB Business Development

. . . . The price is absolutely reasonable. . . .