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| Need Behind the Need |
| A key concept in selling is to surface the "hidden" need. Often, customers mask their real needs. Salespeople who are able to determine these hidden needs increase the likelihood of greater sales results, as they are able to position their product or service towards the driving motivators of the customer. |
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| Needs |
| That which is required or wanted by a customer. The ability of a sales professional to surface viable, "must address" needs (vs. wants) leads to greater sales success. |
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| Needs Analysis |
| The process of formally evaluating a customer's needs and requirements. The methodology followed can be light where one person provides the majority of insight or it can be quite complex, where significant research, survey work, and multiple evaluation methods are used. Needs Analysis is one of the most important competencies of strong salespeople, as their ability to surface, frame, and get at the essence of the customer's problems, requirements, or issues sets the stage to build momentum for the sale. |
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| Negotiation |
| The term negotiation can have multiple meanings. For some, it is seen as the process of exploring positions and alternatives to reach outcomes that gain the acceptance of all parties. In selling, however, many people believe that negotiation only begins when you have exhausted your selling skills and you have reached an impasse. Therefore, from this view, negotiation focuses on overcoming the impasse, and working through the differences to ultimately reach agreement on financial terms, conditions, and deliverables. |
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| Negotiation Hierarchy |
| The level of executive that has to be touched to gain a favorable decision on your product or service. This varies significantly by customer, yet is an essential component of coming to agreement in more involved sales. |
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| Networking |
| The process of developing and maintaining alliances externally and internally with a wide variety of contacts that can provide information, insight, help, and access to others. |
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| Niche Market |
| A unique segment of the market a selling organization is targeted towards. This unique segment, if served well, can provide areas of distinctive competitive value. |
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| No Sweat |
| A slang term used to connote that the effort to achieve something will be minimal in nature. |
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