How to use the CAP SONCAS method?

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SONCAS method: Definition

The SONCAS method is a sales technique used by many salespeople in order to identify customer motivations And of offer the right selling points to trigger the purchase. The term SONCAS comes from the first letters of the following words:

• security
• Pride
• Novelty
• Comfort
• Argent
• Sympathy

This technique dates back to 1993 and was created by a certain Jean-Denis Larradet! It is a classic taught on the Akimbo Bootcamp to become a Business Developer.

Why use the SONCASE sales technique?

The SONCASE sales technique is particularly suitable in a B2B or B2C sales process because it makes it possible to best meet the expectations of prospects and customers. It is a real tool to convince buyers and give them confidence. Indeed, in a world where more and more proposals are digitized, where marketing is mainly done on the internet and social networks, the SONCAS (E) method makes it possible to put the human back at the center of the purchasing process by offering personal listening, tailor-made advice and by establishing a real exchange between the salesperson and his buyer.

How to determine a customer typology?

The mission of the salesperson is to identify and take into account the various levers of motivation to buy. Throughout the commercial interview, during the customer discovery phase, the seller will seek to identify the buyer's profile. He will therefore try to ask the right questions, based on the 6+1 typologies of the method. Through discussion, the seller will create a real relationship with the customer, which will allow him to analyze potential psychological obstacles and find a solution to them. Thus, it will promote the buyer's decision-making through adapted sales arguments.

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The 6+1 typologies of the SONCAS METHOD (E)

1. Security: reassuring your prospect

Safety is one of the first psychological levers that condition the purchase. By stressing the potential dangers in the event of refusal to acquire the product, the customer will either express fear or regret. Determining the psychological profile of the client in “safety” mode makes it possible to reassure him through a SONCAS sales pitch adapted. By asking questions about guarantees, insurance, reliability, reliability, experience, or even support, the seller will surely pass through the legitimate objections from a customer focused on safe mode.

2. Pride: promote your offer and your interlocutor

During your first interactions, it is important to identify the psychological profile of your prospect: his ego (level of pride), will determine your approach. In particular, we can think of VIP customers, privileged customers, or those thanks to whom the product will develop... In this context, pride can range from trust and enhancement to reputation. The aim here will be to flatter the ego in a more or less subtle way, from a proud person. It is therefore up to salespeople to use the right adjectives to reach the customer.

3. Novelty: what is innovative about your offer?

Novelty, innovation is naturally a powerful selling point. The aim is to show the customer whose typical profile is focused on “novelty”, how their product or service is innovative. The seller will have to illustrate how, thanks to its originality, its offer is radically different from competing products. He must present his company as a pioneer in his field by promoting it as best he can.

4. Comfort: how to satisfy your prospect?

Comfort and happiness should not be confused. Comfort contributes to well-being and can be material or psychological, while happiness is a state of mind. In this case, it is a question of offering a optimal customer experience, throughout the sales process, until the product or service is purchased. The seller will have to highlight the side practical, simple and ergonomic in order to inspire the customer or the prospect with serenity through services that make life easier.

5. Money: show that your offer is the best value for money.

Money can prove to be a prohibitive obstacle to buying decisions. In this configuration, the salesperson will focus his sales speech on the savings induced by the investment, on the quality/price ratio and on the quantifiable return on investment, by showing the customer that he is doing a very good deal for this price. The seller must show the customer that their investment is profitable.

6. Sympathy: what is the ROI on your offer?

The open, friendly, smiling aspect of a salesperson is an important point, almost essential for a successful sale. The seller must be humble and must try to make contact by staying open and human. Your sympathy coefficient can make you win a sale by becoming the preferred contact person for your customer in your field. In short, salespeople must behave kindly towards their prospects: a positive and cheerful attitude, personalized advice and a relationship based on respect and humility will delight customers.

7. Environment: environment & ecology

The SONCAS sales method has evolved to become The SONCASE method, taking into account the environmental problem emerging. More and more often, businesses and consumers have knowledge about environmental issues such as the climate, the pollution, or respect for the environment. It is therefore necessary to take these parameters into account. The seller should highlight the “environmental” aspects of the offer to reach the consumer.

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How to use the SONCASE sales technique?

How to make a CAP SONCAS pitch

To build an argument Cape Soncas, there is no miracle software or unstoppable techniques. All you have to do is follow several steps as rigorously as possible to be as close as possible to the expectations of customers or prospects.

Use active listening

Also called caring listening, active listening Requires a Listen attentively elements and information that the interlocutor wants to transmit. It invites you to enter each detail of the message, verbal or not, of the person who communicates with the seller. So the customer knows that the attention is focused on him and that his message is heard and understood. This way of communicating makes it possible to create a climate of trust with the interlocutor. Thus, he feels liberated and in a position to express himself as he wants, without being judged. The objective of active listening is not to reformulate what the person is saying but to decode what the person is saying, to have a more detailed analysis of them.

For this, it is necessary to adhere to several rules:

• Do not interrupt your interlocutor,
• Adapt to the profile to gain the trust of your prospect,
• Encourage them to deepen their point by questioning them,
• Show availability by rephrasing the message shared by your interlocutor.

By rephrasing what your customer said, you show them that you are listening and following their explanations. Finally, the seller must show patience with respect to his interlocutor. He should not show his impatience or his frustration.

Thanks to these rules, a serene and trusting relationship will result from this active listening.

Questioning your customers

Asking questions is essential in order to understand what your customer is looking for and thus hope to be able to meet your expectations as best as possible. After the active listening phase, the salesperson is more deeply interested in Reasons why the customer interacts with him. He will always try to reformulate the words of his interlocutor by questioning to be sure to fully understand the challenges, the obstacles to the purchase, the hesitations and the typical profile of the customer. Questioning is particularly important because it is thanks to the information collected that the seller will guide his arguments and potentially close the sale.

Adapting your sales pitch

Based on the answers provided in the questioning phase and the information included in the listening phase, the salesperson will build a careful and personalized sales pitch. He will play on the different types of the Soncase method, in order to offer a discourse adapted to customer expectations and thus maximize the chances of concluding the sale.

Adapting the treatment of objections

To this argument, several objections may emerge from the customer. The seller should not panic and manage these objections calmly by offering each of them solutions and by sending a positive message to the interlocutor. The customer is always legitimate and if these fears are expressed it is because the seller still has to work to convince his customer.

SONCAS sales technique

The soncase method is an effective and particularly simple sales technique. It also allows you to rely on the main characteristics of a buyer's decision-making. First, the discovery of the client must make it possible to identify the psychological profile as we have seen.

In a second step, the seller will enter into negotiations. This is where CAP SONCAS comes in. The salesperson will make a value proposition. Depending on the customer profile encountered, he will adapt his arguments and make it more powerful thanks to the CAP or even better to CAB his case. Identifying the psychological profile will allow him to better understand and deal with objections more effectively. If the method has been applied well throughout the sales process, he will close the sale more quickly and easily with the customer. In this phase, he will install closed-ended questions to confirm customer expectations and close the sale. It is also the phase of commercial proposal.

How to put the Soncas method into practice?

To put the Soncas method into practice, the seller must invite your interlocutor to the discussion. Without time for exchange, it is not possible to practice this method. You also need to be able to meet the customer, so that a real relationship is established with the seller. In a sales process, the product or service contained in the offer is not the only sales lever. In this respect, the encounter is essential to put the Soncase technique into practice. Afterwards, the seller must rigorously follow the various steps by referring to the typologies to build his arguments.

SONCASE method: mistakes to avoid

Using the Soncase method requires taking certain precautions in order to avoid certain errors. All salespeople who started using this method committed at least one of them. Here are a few that you should definitely not try to replicate.

• Too often, sellers are content in their arguments to value the attractive price of their product. Go further! Show the advantages of the product or services, the benefits that your prospect or their teams can derive from it, etc. Opt for an innovative approach.

• The seller often makes the mistake of not delving into the motivations. It is important to verify by questioning that the motivations are complete and numerous.

• Remember to prioritize the expectations and motivations of your prospect. In a sales pitch, it is essential to highlight the key points for your prospect, those that will tip the balance and convince the customer that the contract should be concluded.

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Combining the SONCAS and CAP method

What is the CAP method?

The CAP method is a commercial argumentation technique based on features, benefits, and evidence. To implement the CAP method, the seller must identify the characteristics of his product/service, its advantages and prove that what he has just said is real and proven. This method aims to reassure your prospect.

When should you use the CAP method?

This method should be used after the customer discovery phase,During argumentation and negotiation. This method will reassure the customer and comfort him in the idea of concluding the contract.

Combining the two to form the CAP SONCAS method

Combining the two methods makes it possible to have more weight in the arguments. By focusing on the psychological aspects of customers while reinforcing your speech with constant evidence supporting your words, it will become difficult to raise objections.

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