Introduction: "Sales God of War" He Xueyou's Long Article: These 7 Tactics Are My Secrets to Closing Deals Editor's Note He Xueyou is a sales legend at Alibaba. In 2002, shortly after joining Alibaba, He made a bet with Jack Ma at an awards ceremony: for 2003, he would achieve 3.65 million yuan in received performance and an 78% renewal rate, or else he would strip naked and jump into West Lake! In the following year, under immense pressure and with a will to push beyond limits, He ultimately achieved sales performance of 6.3 million yuan, becoming Alibaba's undisputed global sales TOP 1. This was his second year at Alibaba, also a year plagued by SARS. After this battle, He was dubbed the "God of War of Alibaba's China Supply Iron Army." With years of sales experience, He has summarized a series of thinking frameworks and prescribed actions, which he imparts to salespeople through management processes and effectively utilizes, ultimately building an invincible iron army team. The following content is excerpted from the chapter "Use Performance to Win Results" in He Xueyou's new book "Easily Get Results." I hope it inspires you. Client Development: Unearth Their Needs In many people's minds, facing setbacks with perseverance will eventually move the client. But the reality is that if you don't understand the client's true needs, the more persistent you are, the further you might push them away, let alone move them. At this point, salespeople should act like scouts, noticing details in the client's words, actions, and expressions, and based on that, unearth their needs. If you think deeply, you'll find that when clients say they don't need your product, it's often not a real rejection but due to other underlying reasons, mainly two situations: First, the client has a need but doesn't want to tell you; second, the client doesn't know they have a need. Each situation requires a different approach. 1. Seek Solutions Horizontally It's common for clients not to readily reveal their needs, and this is a reality all salespeople must face. Some clients fear trouble or risk; others want to maintain control and show little urgency. So when a client says "I don't need it," step back, don't insist on convincing them, but do your homework, find the client's pain points, and bring your solutions to the discussion. 2. Help Clients Create Needs Strategically, salespeople are creating "anxiety" for clients. But this anxiety isn't fabricated; it's likely to happen, and you're just helping them foresee it. This is the highest level of sales: the seller should stand from the client's perspective, do strategic planning or early layout for them, and create a need the client never thought of. Smart Appointment Setting: Be More Prepared Than the Client 1. Choose the Right Appointment Method Different communication methods yield different effects. Using phone calls and WeChat to schedule client visits is the most basic, convenient, and effective method. 2. Seize the Best Appointment Timing From 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. This period covers the client's lunch break and a short rest after, avoiding their busiest work hours. Clients during this time are usually more relaxed and have clearer, sharper thinking. From 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Good clients often reflect on and summarize the day's work after dinner, which is also a prime time for appointments. On one hand, clients can calm down to communicate; on the other, they have time to rationally judge and analyze what you say. In short, avoiding the client's work hours is a key secret to successful appointments. 3. Design an Interest Point for the Appointment Sales experts often say when scheduling: "Mr./Ms. [Surname], after our phone conversation last time, I benefited greatly! Especially your thorough analysis of the international trade situation; it really taught me a lesson. I've been digesting it for most of the day, but there are a few points I'm still unclear about. I happen to be passing by your place today, so I wanted to ask for your guidance again. Is that okay? I'm right downstairs at your company now." Such an appointment has a clear purpose: to learn from the client, but in reality, it's about discussing the deal. When clients hear this, they become interested in the visit because you've mentioned something they're passionate about or proud of. 4. Prepare Every Word You'll Say Before making the appointment call or sending the WeChat message, salespeople must prepare their pitch in advance, making it clear, concise, and memorable. At the same time, you should also prepare responses for various people and rejections, discuss these with colleagues, and know them by heart. Effective Visits: Learn to Control the Scene The number of visits is a foundation for sales performance, but the key factor is visit quality. To make a visit controllable, the core keyword is "scene control." In all sales processes, there are six key points to master control. 1. State Your Purpose. If you only have 5 minutes to present to a client, what should you do? The most effective time allocation is: 2 minutes for product demonstration and highlighting special advantages to spark interest; 2 minutes to build rapport; and the final 1 minute to lock in the next meeting time. Remember, stating your purpose is the first shot in the sales battle; don't be vague or ambiguous. 2. Use Counter-Questions to Control the Scene. For example, when a client raises a question or objection, listen carefully, then briefly paraphrase in your own words, and ask if you've understood correctly. For instance: "You're more concerned about the later delivery of the product and have some worries about that, is that right?" If you can accurately grasp what the other party means and convey it in your own understanding, they'll feel respected and recognize your professionalism, lowering their guard and giving you time to think. 3. Clarify Demands. This requires sales managers to know themselves and the enemy when formulating sales strategies. Knowing the enemy means understanding client demands, the current competitive landscape, and the extent to which you can meet those demands; knowing yourself means understanding your sales team's core capabilities and knowing how to continuously improve and innovate to stay ahead of competitors in meeting client demands. 4. Become an "Expert" in the Client's Industry. In simple terms, be accountable for everything, follow through on every task, and respond to every matter. This isn't just to push the next step of cooperation but, more importantly, to deepen the client's impression of your reliability. 5. When Facing a "Troublesome Client" Who Likes to Argue, Don't Be Resistant; Wait at Ease. Once the client's desire to express is fully satisfied, use some scripts to bring the conversation back to the topic. For example, you can respond: "The issues you've pointed out are exactly the focus of our next phase of adjustments. Now, we'd really like your specific guidance." Quickly obtaining their guidance plan actually means you've already gotten them to accept you. 6. Amplify the Client's Dissatisfaction with the Current Market Situation. Make clients feel the need to quickly catch up with technological trends, and then provide your solution. Pricing: Understand the Client's Budget and Standards If a salesperson quotes too high, it might scare off the client; but if too low, the client might think your product quality is unreliable and eliminate it during competitor comparison. Therefore, when responding to client inquiries, a mature salesperson needs to know clearly when to quote, how to quote, and how much to quote. 1. Sliced Quoting Method: Accumulate Itemized Profits When selling large equipment or services with significant amounts, you can adopt detailed sliced quoting. Break down the equipment into levels and provide itemized quotes for each component. This approach shows the salesperson's diligence, easily enhancing client trust; on the other hand, by comparing individual component prices, clients are more likely to accept the quote. 2. Comparative Quoting Method: Highlight Quality Through Price Differences Compare your product with a higher-priced one (e.g., imported products, market-recognized top brands). In comparison, your product appears cheaper. Additionally, placing your product alongside imported or market-leading products won't make your quality seem inferior. 3. Optional Plan Quoting Method: Differentiate and Monopolize with Range Based on whether the client's procurement needs have optional plans or clear requirements, salespeople can adapt and create different plans and quotes, i.e., prepare a backup plan in addition to the original. This way, you can offer two different prices, covering a broader range, making your product price better align with the client's psychological price point. 4. Unbalanced Quoting Method: Enhance Client Trust While keeping the total quoted price unchanged, salespeople can selectively quote a low price for regular, common components, and raise prices for components with special structures, special processes, patented products, etc., that lack price comparability. This method places regular products that clients can market-research at a low, reasonable position, giving clients a direct feeling of good value and making them think the quote isn't inflated, thereby winning them over. 5. Unexpected Discount Method: Lower Price, Higher Quality Create a perception of good value for money. While promoting your product as a market "leader," adjust your quote based on the situation, lowering it appropriately to match the client's budget, giving them a sense of "getting a bargain," stimulating their desire to buy, and helping you get results faster. 6. Birthday Cake Quoting Method: Add-ons Add Value Many people have had this experience: when buying a birthday cake, upon opening the packaging, you find not only the cake but also candles, a birthday card, forks, etc. You bought just a cake, but the merchant provided a complete birthday celebration solution. This sales technique is called "bundled sales," and when applied to quoting, it's the "birthday cake quoting method." Closing: The Final Push to Get Results To avoid wasting all the early efforts, salespeople must convert them into results at the final moment. Here are some closing techniques. 1. Watch for Signals from the Client When clients are concerned about your price, ask about competitors, want to deeply understand very detailed product operations, or during the conversation frequently quickly look up information or request to visit your company for on-site inspection, the best time to close has arrived. At this point, the success rate of closing is often high. 2. Break Your Own Psychological Barriers Managers set a hard rule for salespeople: at the end of every sales interaction, they must ask the client to sign; if not, try again, and again, until the deal is closed, naturally breaking the salesperson's psychological barriers. Over time, this becomes a habit, and the psychological obstacle to closing gradually disappears. 3. When Timing Is Right and Mentality Is Ready, Use Various Closing Techniques First, give clients objective questions. Before preparing to close, develop a Plan B that can also achieve results, and then during the critical stage before signing, use a choice-based approach to close. Second, show clients a "comparison effect." "Company ×× in the same industry as yours had much worse performance before, but after using our product for two years, their performance has steadily risen. I've noticed public comments that they seem almost on par with your company now!" By comparing, you present a vivid picture to the client, creating urgency. Third, seek the client's authorization. "If there's no problem, I'll start the process for you," "If you think it's suitable, I'll install our system for you right now," "If you think it's okay, I'll have our technicians come to your company to start preliminary work now"... Use scripts to get the client's authorization, minimizing hesitation, back-and-forth, and entanglement, and bring the deal into the substantive stage quickly. Fourth, make good use of the client's "default." If you feel the client has decided to buy, you can also, based on the situation, stop asking for other opinions and instead say: "Do you think setting the payment milestones this way complies with your company's financial regulations?" "Would you prefer wire transfer or cashier's check for payment?" Fully leverage the client's default attitude to let the negotiation enter the result-getting stage inadvertently. Secondary Development: Increase Repeat Purchase Rate Turn New Clients into Repeat Customers The cost of developing a new client can be used to develop 3-10 existing clients. That is, for the same 1 million yuan in sales, the cost spent on existing clients is much lower than on new ones, and performance is more stable. Therefore, salespeople should understand that signing a contract is just the first step of victory; we're not doing a one-off deal, but using this as a premise and opportunity for long-term cooperation. Simply put, it's about conducting secondary or even multiple developments with clients to increase the repeat purchase rate. 1. Use Coupon Deductions to Increase Repeat Purchase Rate My team members and I once calculated that the cost of large coupon deductions is far lower than developing new clients, and since they're existing clients, communication is also more effective than with new ones. More importantly, this approach significantly motivates existing clients to repurchase. 2. Increase Product Usage Concentration Usage concentration, simply put, means that within a limited time, when faced with multiple choices, the client can almost only make one fixed choice, thereby gradually eliminating other options. For example, airlines offer customers unlimited upgrade services, but the prerequisite is flying enough times with that airline within a year. For frequent business travelers, this service is hard to refuse, so there's basically no opportunity left for other airlines. 3. Deep Connection with Clients First, emphasize multi-channel follow-up. While providing feedback on client inquiries and suggestions through the online system, we should also follow up through other channels simultaneously. Reaching out comprehensively and through multiple channels makes clients feel valued, increasing their trust in us. Second, treat clients with sincerity. Each time you contact a client, talk about different topics, such as asking about their operational issues, product usage problems, etc. If clients raise issues, immediately find ways to solve them. Sales Fish Pond: Maximize Conversion of Social Resources Adding WeChat has become an essential process for sales follow-up. Especially in the "post-pandemic era," WeChat has become the best way to deeply understand client needs and pain points, and even directly promote deals and get results. Therefore, after obtaining a client's WeChat, salespeople should do their WeChat marketing well. 1. Tag and Group Clients After becoming WeChat friends with a client, the first thing a salesperson should do is tag and group the client. This makes it easier and faster to find clients in future communications and facilitates sending targeted content later. 2. Build One-on-One Relationships Through Moments Interaction Two strangers rarely become familiar through one phone call, but WeChat can achieve this. Like and comment on Moments posts, discuss business issues, share difficulties, and find resonance. Once this one-on-one relationship is established, the next step is maintenance, starting with proactively greeting the client. When the client receives the message and replies, the salesperson should find ways to gradually bring the client into your sales theme. 3. Timing for Posting on Moments In fact, WeChat Moments is like a fish pond, and sales is like fishing in the pond. Only by managing your fish pond well can you have surplus year after year. Above, I've introduced effective methods for the 7 main stages in a salesperson's specific work. As long as you complete the prescribed actions for each stage, unless something unexpected happens, every team member should achieve relatively satisfactory results. Managers need to focus on this: if, following the above methods, your team members still don't get satisfactory results, then either they haven't done their prescribed actions properly, or the manager's coaching is off track. I hope all colleagues can easily get the results they want! "Sales Iron Army" Practical Book Series Alibaba Sales God of War He Xueyou's New Masterpiece— Same Frequency, Improve People Efficiency! Same Force, Boost Performance! Same Desire, High Morale! Comprehensively Upgrade Sales "Three Axes," Able to Sign Deals, Fight Hard Battles Book Title: Easily Get Results Author: He Xueyou ISBN: 978-7-5217-5059-1 Publication Date: January 2023 Interactive Giveaway From now until February 14, 2023, 18:00, leave a comment in the comment section of this article. We will select three users with wonderful comments to receive a free copy of "Easily Get Results," and we will mail it to you for free. Welcome to participate actively. Winners will be announced on February 14, 2023, at 18:00. By February 17, 18:00, please send your shipping address to the [New Distribution] official account backend. If you fail to do so, it will be considered as automatically giving up the prize, and we will not mail it. This activity's final interpretation right belongs to [New Distribution]. Recommended Reading