SIMAC method: an effective 5-step sales technique
Do you know the SIMAC sales method for improving your conversion rate?
This persuasive sales technique helps you to convince your prospects and customers in a highly effective and natural way.
Discover its definition, the advantages of using it and how to put it into practice, thanks to 5 steps illustrated with concrete examples.
What is the SIMAC method? Definition
The SIMAC method is a tool for salespeople, designed to help them prepare and guide their sales pitch during a meeting with prospects or customers.
Borrowing some of the characteristics of active listening and the SONCAS method, it aims to capture the attention of the interlocutor and then reinforce the effectiveness of what he or she is saying, in order to convince more easily.
The acronym SIMAC is made up of 5 letters referring to the 5 steps of the method:
- S for situation: detect the customer's need, the business opportunity ;
- I for idea: suggest the desire to buy by contextualizing usage;
- M as in mechanism: remove the disincentives to purchase;
- A is for advantages: demonstrating that the offer is satisfactory;
- C is for closing: proposing a choice to conclude the sale.
Each letter in the acronym is a reminder of the key points that should drive your message:
- starting from the prospect's situation,
- you need to come up with a strong idea,
- which you'll highlight in terms of how it's actually used,
- and its advantages,
- before concluding with your proposal.
This structuring makes the correlation between supply and demand more obvious, while deploying several complementary types of argument.
The SIMAC method adds to the sales pitch a communication capable of capturing lasting attention and minimizing the unconscious distortion of the message by prospects.
The advantages of the SIMAC sales technique
Here are the 3 main advantages of the SIMAC sales technique:
- Advantage 1️: a natural flow of the various steps towards the sale, as well as the creation of a real closeness with your customer. This makes it easier to appropriate your sales communication.
- Advantage 2️: by addressing and removing the various disincentives to purchase that the prospect might object to or imagine, you make the choice of your proposal logical and attractive.
- Advantage 3️: you gain credibility when you detail how your solution can easily be implemented in your target's professional environment or daily life.
💡 Even if you don't make the sale during this sales negotiation, you'll still have scored points for a future meeting thanks to your expertise!
The 5 steps of the SIMAC method
SITUATION: start with a personalized introduction
Your introduction should always be a personalized diagnosis or a summary of the history of the customer relationship.
It must be accompanied by a positive, friendly exchange to better understand the prospect's real motivations and thought structure.
Don't hesitate to take notes and ask very specific open-ended questions.
💡 Example application:
" If I've understood your situation correctly, you're having trouble getting the word out about your e-commerce site launched a few months ago, and aren't getting the traffic you'd hoped for to achieve your goals. You want to rectify this situation as quickly as possible, and on a limited budget."
IDEA: learn how to better express your business "idea
When presenting your idea, opt for a clear, concise promise (2 to 3 sentences are enough): there's no need to lose your customer with digressions!
The aim of this stage is to arouse your interlocutor's interest and stimulate him or her before moving on to the more detailed recommendation stage.
💡 Application example:
" Our agency has developed an approach to Inbound Marketing that is particularly well-suited to small businesses, to boost their growth."
MECHANISM: your credibility, the cornerstone of your communications
This part of your communication is designed to demonstrate how easy it is to put your offer into practice.
Always answer the QQOQCP (Who? Who? When? Where? When? Where? How? Why?) to be credible and reassuring in your explanations.
💡 Example application:
" We master and use all webmarketing levers to acquire traffic, and move users up the conversion tunnel to become customers. Within a week, our team draws up a concrete plan of attack over several months. Our customers particularly like our personalized approach, which enables them to increase their core traffic by 40% in 6 months."
ADVANTAGES: draw up an attractive sales proposal
Step 4 involves formalizing the various benefits that will lead the customer to buy your product or service.
It's essential that your message emphasizes the added value or exclusivity of your offer compared to the competition.
💡 Application example:
" By calling on us, you only need to validate our proposals. We take care of all the strategy and content writing, and use a host of high-performance tools to implement it. So you can stay focused on your core business!
CLOSING: close your sale fast
To finalize the sale, you need to involve your target and push them to take action, without letting them develop a counter-argument.
One effective technique is to ask them to choose between two relevant sales proposals, possibly adding a special attraction (a limited offer, for example).
If resistance is too strong, obtaining a decision such as a new appointment is already a great step forward.
💡 Application example:
" If you subscribe by the end of the week, you'll still be able to take advantage of the January discount on our rates, which won't happen again until next year. If you need to discuss this further with one of our experts, we can make an appointment right now."
How can a CRM support your SIMAC strategy?
In-depth customer knowledge significantly improves the quality of your SIMAC sales pitch, and by extension your sales volume.
With a professional CRM, like Salesforce Sales Cloud, you can :
- identify your customers' needs and expectations, as well as their buying triggers and disincentives;
- develop specific customer paths, which will prepare your prospects for your SIMAC approach and make them even more receptive to your offer.
What about you? Do you use the SIMAC technique to convince your prospects?
Article translated from French