Persistence conquers resistance
As we take this first step together, I’d like to share with you the very first rule of closing –Persistence conquers resistance.
For an early age, children learn that if they persist and keep asking, they can and will overcome the resistance of parents. They learn that ‘no’ doesn’t really mean ‘NO ’it simply means that they haven’t convinced Mum and Dad enough yet. So they continue to put forward their case, they persist in asking until they get whatever it is they want.
This same principle applies in selling. If a pro-clo believes that his product or service will be beneficial to his customer then he will persist until his customer is also convinced. Very often a customer will say no, but a pro-clo doesn’t give up.Even when the going gets really tough, he will continue because he knows that eventually persistence will always conquer resistance and in the end both the pro-clo and the customer will benefit.
This profession called selling can be the best-paid, hardest job in the world or the worst-paid, easiest job in the world. The rewards are down to an individual’s ability and effort, and only the strongest survive. The profession of selling, of closing sales, has made more millionaires than any other. A pro-clo can make more money than the company chairman who runs the company, or more money than the prime minister who runs the country, simply because in the profession of selling there is no ceiling on what you can earn. What’s more, apart form achieving financial security, once you have proven yourself, once you become a pro-clo, you can benefit from working what I call Martini time- any time, any place, anywhere and for anyone, because your skills will always be in demand.
Professional closers have attributes such as enthusiasm, confidence, a positive mental attitude, and an appetite for success. Above all, they have continuity and persistence.
Calvin Coolidge wrote:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not – nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with taient. Genius will not unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not – the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Remember, the brightest lights are always the first to fade. Don’t be a one-day wonder. Be consistent by being persistent.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Positive mental attitude (PMA)
Positive mental attitude (PMA)
Having looked at the importance of persistence, we will now look at another, equally important, attribute of the por-clo: a positive mental attitude (PMA).
Attitude comes form the heart and ends up in the mind. In other words, you must first have a burning desire or need to succeed before your mind will give you the positive attitude needed to accomplish the task and continue to do so.
I am now going to show you how, with a certain attitude you will succeed too per cent of the time. That’s right, succeed too per cent of the time, with every customer you meet. Here’s how If you have the attitude that you will fail with every customer you meet, I guarantee you will be right. You will succeed too per cent of the time. You will in fact, fail with every customer and never make a sale.
Attitude is all about belief – faith in yourself, and your ability to succeed. It has been said that only the persuaded are able to persuade. The best way to illustrate this is by way of examples. Here’s an old favorite
Thomas Edison was the inventor of the electric light bulb. Throughout the course of his experiments, try as he might, Edison couldn’t manage to make the filament last more than a few seconds. Eventually, after many hundreds of experiments, Edison was asked why he continued to persevere after failing so many times. Edison replied: I don’t consider that I have failed hundreds of time. I have in fact succeeded in finding hundreds of ways it won’t work. After many more hundred of experiment, Edison finally succeeded in inventing a light bulb where filament lasted months and months and months. What persistence, what a great attitude and what a passion for success!
One of the most positive people I know and also a very good friend of mind, luis Gonzalez, says:
The only difference between a loser and a winner is one of attitude. The loser’s attitude is, he never was, isn’t now, and never will be. The winner’s attitude is, he has been, still is, and never will be. The winner’s attitude is, he has been, still is, and will continue to be.
I remember when I was a sales manager having a problem with a sales called Adam. Now Adam had ability, he had proven himself in the past and was a likeable chap, but over the previous couple of months he had gone straight downhill.
I tried everything to lift him up again. I went over is presentation with a fine tooth comb. I gave him it tives until they were coming out of his ears. I tried to motivate him and teach him some new trice. I pushed some exceptionally good leads his in the hope that a sale would fix everything. Nothing worried so eventually, as a last straw, I put
Adma on notice. I gave him a final target: three sales out on the next ten leads, otherwise you’re out.
Adam didn’t want to be sackd, and I didn’t didn’t want to let him go- as I said, he was a
likeable chap. This is what happened.
I gave Adam the afternoon off, on condition that he would do what I was about to ask him to do, no matter how silly it might seem. After all there is no harm in trying. Then I said to him:
Adam I’m going to give you the afternoon off so you can go home. Whilst you’re going home, I want you to say to yourself, time and time again, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow”. Then when you get home, instead of doing whatever it is that you normally do, go into the garden, relax, and say to yourself over and over again, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow. All through your shower and evening meal, drum it into yourself, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow. I’m going to “Instead of watching television, go for a long walk and repeat that statement to yourself thousands upon thousands of times until you’re almost brainwashed.
Go to bed early, and instead of reading or counting sheep, say to yourself, “I’m going to get a deal tomorrow…” Keep saying it until you drop asleep and if possible, say it in your sleep. In the morning as you get up, dressed and breakfasted, say to yourself over and over “I’m going to get a deal today” And say it all the way to work. I’m going to get a deal to say”- say it with emotion end convietion.
Adam did as I asked and repeated that statement literally thousands of times. In doing so he embedded the statement in his subconscious, where it started to become a belief.
He doubted at first whether this advice would work and ad he took his first appointment, his customer came up with a few negatives and minor objections. Adam wasn’t in the slightest surprised – his doubts were confirmed. It wasn’t going to work.
Then a strange phenomenon occurred. As well as negative points, the customer came up with a few positive points and buying signals. Adam’s subconscious mind jumped into action as if someone had kicked him, and his subconscious said: Adam, hang on a minute, maybe you will get a deal today after all’. For the first time in over two months. Adam started looking for and listening to positives. Needless to say, he made the sale and made his target, and today he is back on top again.
In the above exercise, Adam changed his attitude from negative to positive by persistently creating a desired thought-pattern. There have been many books on this subject, but for my reckoning the best is The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. You would be well –advice to get yourself a copy.
If you don’t have a PMA (Positive mental attitude) when you meet your customer, then you’re DOA (Dead on arrival). PMA creates persistence and enthusiasm and success.
Having looked at the importance of persistence, we will now look at another, equally important, attribute of the por-clo: a positive mental attitude (PMA).
Attitude comes form the heart and ends up in the mind. In other words, you must first have a burning desire or need to succeed before your mind will give you the positive attitude needed to accomplish the task and continue to do so.
I am now going to show you how, with a certain attitude you will succeed too per cent of the time. That’s right, succeed too per cent of the time, with every customer you meet. Here’s how If you have the attitude that you will fail with every customer you meet, I guarantee you will be right. You will succeed too per cent of the time. You will in fact, fail with every customer and never make a sale.
Attitude is all about belief – faith in yourself, and your ability to succeed. It has been said that only the persuaded are able to persuade. The best way to illustrate this is by way of examples. Here’s an old favorite
Thomas Edison was the inventor of the electric light bulb. Throughout the course of his experiments, try as he might, Edison couldn’t manage to make the filament last more than a few seconds. Eventually, after many hundreds of experiments, Edison was asked why he continued to persevere after failing so many times. Edison replied: I don’t consider that I have failed hundreds of time. I have in fact succeeded in finding hundreds of ways it won’t work. After many more hundred of experiment, Edison finally succeeded in inventing a light bulb where filament lasted months and months and months. What persistence, what a great attitude and what a passion for success!
One of the most positive people I know and also a very good friend of mind, luis Gonzalez, says:
The only difference between a loser and a winner is one of attitude. The loser’s attitude is, he never was, isn’t now, and never will be. The winner’s attitude is, he has been, still is, and never will be. The winner’s attitude is, he has been, still is, and will continue to be.
I remember when I was a sales manager having a problem with a sales called Adam. Now Adam had ability, he had proven himself in the past and was a likeable chap, but over the previous couple of months he had gone straight downhill.
I tried everything to lift him up again. I went over is presentation with a fine tooth comb. I gave him it tives until they were coming out of his ears. I tried to motivate him and teach him some new trice. I pushed some exceptionally good leads his in the hope that a sale would fix everything. Nothing worried so eventually, as a last straw, I put
Adma on notice. I gave him a final target: three sales out on the next ten leads, otherwise you’re out.
Adam didn’t want to be sackd, and I didn’t didn’t want to let him go- as I said, he was a
likeable chap. This is what happened.
I gave Adam the afternoon off, on condition that he would do what I was about to ask him to do, no matter how silly it might seem. After all there is no harm in trying. Then I said to him:
Adam I’m going to give you the afternoon off so you can go home. Whilst you’re going home, I want you to say to yourself, time and time again, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow”. Then when you get home, instead of doing whatever it is that you normally do, go into the garden, relax, and say to yourself over and over again, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow. All through your shower and evening meal, drum it into yourself, I’m going to get a deal tomorrow. I’m going to “Instead of watching television, go for a long walk and repeat that statement to yourself thousands upon thousands of times until you’re almost brainwashed.
Go to bed early, and instead of reading or counting sheep, say to yourself, “I’m going to get a deal tomorrow…” Keep saying it until you drop asleep and if possible, say it in your sleep. In the morning as you get up, dressed and breakfasted, say to yourself over and over “I’m going to get a deal today” And say it all the way to work. I’m going to get a deal to say”- say it with emotion end convietion.
Adam did as I asked and repeated that statement literally thousands of times. In doing so he embedded the statement in his subconscious, where it started to become a belief.
He doubted at first whether this advice would work and ad he took his first appointment, his customer came up with a few negatives and minor objections. Adam wasn’t in the slightest surprised – his doubts were confirmed. It wasn’t going to work.
Then a strange phenomenon occurred. As well as negative points, the customer came up with a few positive points and buying signals. Adam’s subconscious mind jumped into action as if someone had kicked him, and his subconscious said: Adam, hang on a minute, maybe you will get a deal today after all’. For the first time in over two months. Adam started looking for and listening to positives. Needless to say, he made the sale and made his target, and today he is back on top again.
In the above exercise, Adam changed his attitude from negative to positive by persistently creating a desired thought-pattern. There have been many books on this subject, but for my reckoning the best is The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. You would be well –advice to get yourself a copy.
If you don’t have a PMA (Positive mental attitude) when you meet your customer, then you’re DOA (Dead on arrival). PMA creates persistence and enthusiasm and success.
Price
Price
Many salespeople believe that they lose sales because of price. But in reality, most of the time, it is not the price of a product that loses a sales but the salesperson’s fear of the price.
Remember, the only thing as contagious as enthusiasm is fear. If a salesperson is apprehensive about discussing price, or if a salesperson fears that a customers will say ‘It costs too much” then that fear will rub off on to the customers because fear is contagious.
A pro-clo understands that price will only be a problem when the customer feels that the product or service is not worth the risk, the asking price. In a nutshell, price is only a problem when someone doesn’t want something badly enough. You have to create that want, you have to build value into your product so that the customer is willing to pay the price to buy it.
In the initial stages of any sale, the customer’s fear of losing will be greater than his expectation of gaining. In other words, the customer will be more frightened about spending or losing his money than he will be excited about owning the product and benefiting form it. The pro-clo throughout his entire presentation builds value into his product by demonstrating how his product will satisfy the customer’s needs and how the customer will benefit from owning. So at the end of the presentation, when it’s time to talk money, the customer’s fear losing will no longer be greater than his expectation of gaining. In fact the complete opposite will occur. This is building value.
In his book supercharge your selling. Nigel Henzell Thomas suggests.
When a prospect or customer says you’re too expensive, ask whether he wants the cheapest solution or the best value for money.
I have found that they always opt for the best value for money. A pro-clo simply outweighs price with benefits and gibes the customer what he perceives is the best value for money.
Understand on more thing: it is never the price that stops people from buying (if they are sold), it’s always the terms of purchase.
Let me explain: few people can afford to buy the house of their dreams for cash. What they afford is the mortgage the terms of purchase. When the price is $100.000 the customers can’t afford it (cash), but when the mortgage works out a $500 a month they can. However, they will only buy the house if they are sold on it and if paying $500 a month is worth owning it.
If you build value into your product and you have the facility to negotiate terms of purchase, price will never be a problem.
But there are some customers who, even when sold will still till you that it’s expensive or it costs too much these customers want to buy be are trying to see if your price is flexible first. If price starts to become an which is best used when it is read aloud, so have it typed on to a piece of card.( Incidentally, this quotation is well over a hundred years old)
It’s not wise to pay too much but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, but that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
The common law of business prohibits you from paying a little and receiving a lot- it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it would be as well to add something for the risk you run and if you can do that then you can afford to pay for something better.
John Ruskin, 1819-1900
Remember: if you build value into your product and you have the facility to negotiate terms of purchases, price will never be a problem.
Many salespeople believe that they lose sales because of price. But in reality, most of the time, it is not the price of a product that loses a sales but the salesperson’s fear of the price.
Remember, the only thing as contagious as enthusiasm is fear. If a salesperson is apprehensive about discussing price, or if a salesperson fears that a customers will say ‘It costs too much” then that fear will rub off on to the customers because fear is contagious.
A pro-clo understands that price will only be a problem when the customer feels that the product or service is not worth the risk, the asking price. In a nutshell, price is only a problem when someone doesn’t want something badly enough. You have to create that want, you have to build value into your product so that the customer is willing to pay the price to buy it.
In the initial stages of any sale, the customer’s fear of losing will be greater than his expectation of gaining. In other words, the customer will be more frightened about spending or losing his money than he will be excited about owning the product and benefiting form it. The pro-clo throughout his entire presentation builds value into his product by demonstrating how his product will satisfy the customer’s needs and how the customer will benefit from owning. So at the end of the presentation, when it’s time to talk money, the customer’s fear losing will no longer be greater than his expectation of gaining. In fact the complete opposite will occur. This is building value.
In his book supercharge your selling. Nigel Henzell Thomas suggests.
When a prospect or customer says you’re too expensive, ask whether he wants the cheapest solution or the best value for money.
I have found that they always opt for the best value for money. A pro-clo simply outweighs price with benefits and gibes the customer what he perceives is the best value for money.
Understand on more thing: it is never the price that stops people from buying (if they are sold), it’s always the terms of purchase.
Let me explain: few people can afford to buy the house of their dreams for cash. What they afford is the mortgage the terms of purchase. When the price is $100.000 the customers can’t afford it (cash), but when the mortgage works out a $500 a month they can. However, they will only buy the house if they are sold on it and if paying $500 a month is worth owning it.
If you build value into your product and you have the facility to negotiate terms of purchase, price will never be a problem.
But there are some customers who, even when sold will still till you that it’s expensive or it costs too much these customers want to buy be are trying to see if your price is flexible first. If price starts to become an which is best used when it is read aloud, so have it typed on to a piece of card.( Incidentally, this quotation is well over a hundred years old)
It’s not wise to pay too much but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, but that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
The common law of business prohibits you from paying a little and receiving a lot- it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it would be as well to add something for the risk you run and if you can do that then you can afford to pay for something better.
John Ruskin, 1819-1900
Remember: if you build value into your product and you have the facility to negotiate terms of purchases, price will never be a problem.
Taking control
Taking control
A pro-clo takes control of his customers and he leads them. It is almost as if the pro-clo were the pied Piper with the magic flute wherever he goes, his customers follow. He simply leads them into making the only decision possible: the decision to buy.
After all my years in the selling profession, it still never ceases to amaze me just how much a pro-clo can take command and control of another person. Customers become like putty in his hands. He is able to warm them up and mould them towards the right decision.
The customer, be it joe Bloggs, a top executive, a company chairman, a powerful politician, or a multimillionaire, will do exactly what the pro0clo commands, within reason. When a pro-clo says sit, stand look at that, feel this, follow me, the customer does what he is told. This control is fantastic and the beauty of it is the pro-clo is so natural that customer is completely oblivious to what is happening.
This control, this air of confidence, this taking command of the situation or taking the initiative, is part of what makes a pro-clo what he is. The professional closer is not only in control of the sales situation, he is in control of his life.
So how, then can somebody learn to take control? The answer is, by having confidence. If you will learn this material, highlight the important passages and read them regularly- in other words, if you practice- you will become more conversant and competent. Then you will automatically be in control, because you will have confidence.
A good tip to control a customer’s attention throughout a presentation or demonstration is to use a pointer or a pen to emphasize specific features or to point out various things. To illustrate, try little exercise and see how easy it is to control somebody else’s attention.
Tell somebody (not a customer) that you are about to point to something really interesting and exciting with your pen. Ask him to deliberately concentrate on not looking. Then point to something, tap it with your pen and say:” just look at that’. He will do and when he does, move your pen and point to something else, tap it and say: ‘Look at that and that and that.’
That’s what I call taking control. In the above exercise we are obviously abusing that control to demonstrate a point, but in real-life selling the control is so discreet that the customer is not aware of what is happening. And a pro-clo would never do anything to abuse a customer.
A pro-clo takes control of his customers and he leads them. It is almost as if the pro-clo were the pied Piper with the magic flute wherever he goes, his customers follow. He simply leads them into making the only decision possible: the decision to buy.
After all my years in the selling profession, it still never ceases to amaze me just how much a pro-clo can take command and control of another person. Customers become like putty in his hands. He is able to warm them up and mould them towards the right decision.
The customer, be it joe Bloggs, a top executive, a company chairman, a powerful politician, or a multimillionaire, will do exactly what the pro0clo commands, within reason. When a pro-clo says sit, stand look at that, feel this, follow me, the customer does what he is told. This control is fantastic and the beauty of it is the pro-clo is so natural that customer is completely oblivious to what is happening.
This control, this air of confidence, this taking command of the situation or taking the initiative, is part of what makes a pro-clo what he is. The professional closer is not only in control of the sales situation, he is in control of his life.
So how, then can somebody learn to take control? The answer is, by having confidence. If you will learn this material, highlight the important passages and read them regularly- in other words, if you practice- you will become more conversant and competent. Then you will automatically be in control, because you will have confidence.
A good tip to control a customer’s attention throughout a presentation or demonstration is to use a pointer or a pen to emphasize specific features or to point out various things. To illustrate, try little exercise and see how easy it is to control somebody else’s attention.
Tell somebody (not a customer) that you are about to point to something really interesting and exciting with your pen. Ask him to deliberately concentrate on not looking. Then point to something, tap it with your pen and say:” just look at that’. He will do and when he does, move your pen and point to something else, tap it and say: ‘Look at that and that and that.’
That’s what I call taking control. In the above exercise we are obviously abusing that control to demonstrate a point, but in real-life selling the control is so discreet that the customer is not aware of what is happening. And a pro-clo would never do anything to abuse a customer.
Prejudging
Prejudging
This next step relates to a qualified prospect. For example, someone who has answered an advert, responded to a marketing campaign, looked at the competition, or walked into your shop, office, or showroom with a genuine interest. It does not relate to unqualified prospects or leads which we will look at in step 13.
The saying ‘you can’t judge a boo by its cover is never truer than in the sales industry. Regardless of where people live, what colour they are, how old or how young someone is, what a person does for a living, what religion or sex they are; regardless of appearance or dress, and regardless of whatever excuse or objection is voiced, nobody, and I mean no single person, is able to determine beforehand which prospects are buyers and which are not. If it were possible for a person to determine which prospective customers were going to buy, there would be no such thing as a pro-clo, simply because there would be no need for them.
At the end of the day, no salesperson alive can tell (and be too per cent sure) whether or not he has a sale until the money is on the table. To prejudge that customers aren’t going to buy before giving a full presentation is suicide. If your product were free, everyone would have one, wouldn’t they? Therefore, the only thing that stops people from buying is money, and until the price is on the table, you can never tell. For that reason the pro-clo always gives it his best shot he gives too per cent effort to each customer, and his sales figures speak for themselves.
The pro-clo knows that every customer or prospect he sees has been sold to before by someone. All he has to do is be as good as, or better than, that someone. The pro-clo also emphatically believes that each qualified client he sees should buy his product. The reason for this belief is that every pro-clo is that every pro-clo is completely sold himself.
Once again…………….. only the persuaded are able to persuade.
For my money, there isn’t a salesperson anywhere who hasn’t experienced the situation where he thought there was no chance of a sale, than lo and behold, from nowhere the client became a customer.
One more time- if you have a qualified client or customer, never assume that they’re not going to buy.
Let’s now look at an example of a salesperson prejudging his potential customers.
Supposing a couple respond to a marketing campaign from a timeshare company and they go along to have look. After a while the salesperson, who has now prejudged the couple, says: ‘ I can’t sell to this couple. He’s 45, she 20 and a different colour they’re not married, they don’t own a house and have only been in their rented accommodation for four months. He’s market trader with no accountant and she’s unemployed with bad debts, and to top it all off, they’ve seen the competition and didn’t buy because they couldn’t afford it. I just haven’t got a change with these people!
If you look for negatives, guess what you find? Obviously the above example is an extreme one, but let’s now look at how a pro-clo would handle the same situation.
First of all, the pro-clo listens to the information from his customers but what he hears is not negative, it’s positive. He knows that his customers have responded to an advert or marketing campaign.
Second, the pro-clo knows that a market trader with no accountant deals in cash and quite possible has black money (undeclared earnings/cash from under the table)
Third, the pro-clo knows that if his customers have seen the competition and didn’t buy, it was probably because the competition prejudged the customers and didn’t allow them the opportunity to buy. Instead of treating the customers like time-wasters, or outcasts the pro-clo treats them like a king and Queen.
Finally the pro-clo knows that where there is a will there is a way and with and with his special kind of treatment, he will find that way. After all, who is to say that the customers don’t have a nice little nest egg tucked away somewhere? Until the price is on the taste, you never know!
We have said before that customers come in all different shapes, sizes ages, colours, creeds, and so on but all human beings have certain characteristics in common. All our desires, needs and wants are very similar, and as emotions and we all think very similarly. Zig Ziglar, in his excellent book Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the sale, demonstrates this point superbly. The following exercise is an extract from his book, which I have added to and adapted slightly.
To prove how similarly we all think, answer the following questions as quickly as you can and don’t change your mind.
1. Think of a number between one and ten.
2. Think of a colour.
3. Think of a flower.
4. Using our writing hand, hold up three fingers.
5. Think of a fruit.
6. Think of a vegetable.
7. Think of an item of furniture.
8. Think of an animal.
Now let’s see how your answers compare.
1. Seven
2. Red
3. Rose
4. Held up all but your thumb and little finger.
5. Apple or orange
6. Carrot
7. Chair
8. Dog or cat.
It doesn’t matter how many answers you agreed with. I didn’t say we were all exactly alike. I said we were all very similar.
The point I am trying to hammer home is, all your prospects are similar too. So don’t prejudge because you never can tell!
Recap
It’s time we had a little refresher to make sure that you remember to use each step on the staircase, so that you don’t trip and fall over.
Step 5 Find a want or need and them satisfy it.
Step 6 Using customer benefits, build value into your product so that price will
never be a problem
Step 7 Radiate confidence and control.
Step 8 Never prejudge that a qualified prospect isn’t going to buy, because
then you will be right.
This next step relates to a qualified prospect. For example, someone who has answered an advert, responded to a marketing campaign, looked at the competition, or walked into your shop, office, or showroom with a genuine interest. It does not relate to unqualified prospects or leads which we will look at in step 13.
The saying ‘you can’t judge a boo by its cover is never truer than in the sales industry. Regardless of where people live, what colour they are, how old or how young someone is, what a person does for a living, what religion or sex they are; regardless of appearance or dress, and regardless of whatever excuse or objection is voiced, nobody, and I mean no single person, is able to determine beforehand which prospects are buyers and which are not. If it were possible for a person to determine which prospective customers were going to buy, there would be no such thing as a pro-clo, simply because there would be no need for them.
At the end of the day, no salesperson alive can tell (and be too per cent sure) whether or not he has a sale until the money is on the table. To prejudge that customers aren’t going to buy before giving a full presentation is suicide. If your product were free, everyone would have one, wouldn’t they? Therefore, the only thing that stops people from buying is money, and until the price is on the table, you can never tell. For that reason the pro-clo always gives it his best shot he gives too per cent effort to each customer, and his sales figures speak for themselves.
The pro-clo knows that every customer or prospect he sees has been sold to before by someone. All he has to do is be as good as, or better than, that someone. The pro-clo also emphatically believes that each qualified client he sees should buy his product. The reason for this belief is that every pro-clo is that every pro-clo is completely sold himself.
Once again…………….. only the persuaded are able to persuade.
For my money, there isn’t a salesperson anywhere who hasn’t experienced the situation where he thought there was no chance of a sale, than lo and behold, from nowhere the client became a customer.
One more time- if you have a qualified client or customer, never assume that they’re not going to buy.
Let’s now look at an example of a salesperson prejudging his potential customers.
Supposing a couple respond to a marketing campaign from a timeshare company and they go along to have look. After a while the salesperson, who has now prejudged the couple, says: ‘ I can’t sell to this couple. He’s 45, she 20 and a different colour they’re not married, they don’t own a house and have only been in their rented accommodation for four months. He’s market trader with no accountant and she’s unemployed with bad debts, and to top it all off, they’ve seen the competition and didn’t buy because they couldn’t afford it. I just haven’t got a change with these people!
If you look for negatives, guess what you find? Obviously the above example is an extreme one, but let’s now look at how a pro-clo would handle the same situation.
First of all, the pro-clo listens to the information from his customers but what he hears is not negative, it’s positive. He knows that his customers have responded to an advert or marketing campaign.
Second, the pro-clo knows that a market trader with no accountant deals in cash and quite possible has black money (undeclared earnings/cash from under the table)
Third, the pro-clo knows that if his customers have seen the competition and didn’t buy, it was probably because the competition prejudged the customers and didn’t allow them the opportunity to buy. Instead of treating the customers like time-wasters, or outcasts the pro-clo treats them like a king and Queen.
Finally the pro-clo knows that where there is a will there is a way and with and with his special kind of treatment, he will find that way. After all, who is to say that the customers don’t have a nice little nest egg tucked away somewhere? Until the price is on the taste, you never know!
We have said before that customers come in all different shapes, sizes ages, colours, creeds, and so on but all human beings have certain characteristics in common. All our desires, needs and wants are very similar, and as emotions and we all think very similarly. Zig Ziglar, in his excellent book Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the sale, demonstrates this point superbly. The following exercise is an extract from his book, which I have added to and adapted slightly.
To prove how similarly we all think, answer the following questions as quickly as you can and don’t change your mind.
1. Think of a number between one and ten.
2. Think of a colour.
3. Think of a flower.
4. Using our writing hand, hold up three fingers.
5. Think of a fruit.
6. Think of a vegetable.
7. Think of an item of furniture.
8. Think of an animal.
Now let’s see how your answers compare.
1. Seven
2. Red
3. Rose
4. Held up all but your thumb and little finger.
5. Apple or orange
6. Carrot
7. Chair
8. Dog or cat.
It doesn’t matter how many answers you agreed with. I didn’t say we were all exactly alike. I said we were all very similar.
The point I am trying to hammer home is, all your prospects are similar too. So don’t prejudge because you never can tell!
Recap
It’s time we had a little refresher to make sure that you remember to use each step on the staircase, so that you don’t trip and fall over.
Step 5 Find a want or need and them satisfy it.
Step 6 Using customer benefits, build value into your product so that price will
never be a problem
Step 7 Radiate confidence and control.
Step 8 Never prejudge that a qualified prospect isn’t going to buy, because
then you will be right.
Ten do’s to ten don’ts
Ten do’s to ten don’tsA book on Sales wouldn’t be complete without some guidelines, some do’s and don’ts to follow. In our industry there are literally thousands of these rules, many of them unwritten. Some are just plain common sense, and others nothing more than common decency but there are some that really do make a difference.
Ask anyone who is successful, and they will tell you that they adopt the teachings of other successful people and then adapt those teachings of their own lives. This in itself is plain common sense because the path of proven success is always the best and easiest to follow.
Here then, are some important do’s and don’ts that really do make a difference. I urge you to take them on board and adapt them to your own life.
Ask anyone who is successful, and they will tell you that they adopt the teachings of other successful people and then adapt those teachings of their own lives. This in itself is plain common sense because the path of proven success is always the best and easiest to follow.
Here then, are some important do’s and don’ts that really do make a difference. I urge you to take them on board and adapt them to your own life.
Recap: Step
Recap: Step
The do’s The Don’ts
1. Leave your work at work 1. Don’t use red
2. Take regular exercise 2. Don’t wear dark sunglasses
3. Create a things to do list 3.Don’t ask certain questions
4. Do what you don’t want to do 4. Don’t knock the competition
5. Dress like a professional 5. Don’t live in the past
6. Be courteous and smile 6. Don’t fight change, welcome it
7. Accept when you’re wrong 7. Don’t stop learning
8. Motivate yourself 8. Don’t waste time
9. Set yourself goals 9. Don’t give losers the time of day
10. Give more than you need to 10. Don’t ever give up
The do’s The Don’ts
1. Leave your work at work 1. Don’t use red
2. Take regular exercise 2. Don’t wear dark sunglasses
3. Create a things to do list 3.Don’t ask certain questions
4. Do what you don’t want to do 4. Don’t knock the competition
5. Dress like a professional 5. Don’t live in the past
6. Be courteous and smile 6. Don’t fight change, welcome it
7. Accept when you’re wrong 7. Don’t stop learning
8. Motivate yourself 8. Don’t waste time
9. Set yourself goals 9. Don’t give losers the time of day
10. Give more than you need to 10. Don’t ever give up
Tips for selling on the customer’s home turf
Tips for selling on the customer’s home turf
The following tips are directed at selling on the customer’s home base, that is, his house or place of work. However, as with all lessons in this book, these tips can and should be adapted to fit any sales situation, anywhere.
1. If a call of nature is imminent, relieve yourself prior to meeting your customer! Now, before you drop this book in surprise at this tip, let me explain why.
If possible you should stick to your customers like glue, from the first moment you meet them until it’s time to wave goodbye. You should marry them, stay with them and don’t give them an opportunity to scheme up ways of saying no when you’re not around.
2. Don’t be late for an appointment, not even by a minute. A first impression is a lasting impression, so make a good start by being punctual. If you are held up, or a delay is unavoidable, always phone your customer before the pre-arranged time to apologize and reschedule.
3. Never park your car in a reserved snace it might belong to the MD! If you are in any doubt, ask where you can park. Alternatively park at the far end of the car park, the end that is farthest away from the building. (One of the status symbols of anybody who is anybody is that they get to park nearest the building.)
This same principle applies at the customer’s home. Appreciate that there are certain places the customer reserves for his own parking or that of his family. To avoid any possible irritation, don’t park on the customer’s drive, don’t block the driveway and don’t park in front of the window or garage. Not only is this being courteous but it means that you won’t be disturbed during your presentation (or closing) when the customer’s son arrives and wants to put his car away.
4. Leave all your Sales equipment in the car and be empty-handed when you
Greet your customer. If you are carrying all your sales material, samples and equipment, apart from the fact it will be difficult to shake hands, you will appear too impersonal and too ready for action. Think how you would feel, if immediately upon opening the door of a tailor’s shop, the sales assistant said hello and began measuring you with his tape.
(Once you have greet your customer you should then excuse yourself whilst you go and get your things.)
5. When you greet your customers, always shake hands with them- you might
As well get them used to it from the start.
6. As you enter the customer’s domain, make an exaggerated effort in wiping
Your feet. The customer will notice this mark of respect and will warm to you more easily.
7. Always ask wait to be seated. Remember a man’s home (or his office for
That matter) is his castle. If you are invited into his castle you are a guest, so make sure you act like a guest, not an intruder.
8. If we invite someone round to our home, most of us make an effort to make
Ourselves and our home more presentable. We dust and polish and tidy round, we spray a little air freshener, put flowers into a vase and bring out the best chinaware.
If you notice, tidy, clean home, then mention it- compliment your customers sincerely and they will love you for it- because that effort was made on your behalf. Likewise you should compliment a tidy and well –organized office.
9. Don’t jump in with both feet. Don’t move straight into your sales
Presentation. Instead, settle things down and induce a receptive atmosphere. (This subject will be discussed in more detail in step 18)
10 If you come from a different ethnic or cultural background from your
customer, always accept and consume and offer of food or drink. This will
put your customer at ease and show him that you are not prejudiced.
11. Look around and you will see photographs, paintings, certificates, trophies,
Books, plants, record collections, cats ,dogs, model planes, musical instruments ………the list goes on and on. These items are memorabilia or passions to your customer, so mention them. Ask and be sincerely inquisitive and your customers will love you for it. Let them go on and on about the things they have a passion for and they will feel so appreciative – because they’re enjoying themselves and it’s very rare that they get the chance to show off to a willing audience. That appreciation will turn to obligation and they will end up saying: ‘Well enough of that –show me what you’ve got-how much is it? OK, I’ll have one,’
11 .Never ignores the customer’s children. Instead recruit them to your side and they’ll be your biggest ally (In an office you might not recruit the spectator but you should never ignore him.)
12 Don’t invade a customer’s desk with your ‘things’ without asking first. Likewise don’t use a customer’s furniture or floor (as in carpet) without asking. This is especially pertinent when it comes to glasses, cups or plates. Many customer’s are too polite to ask you to move something but the offending object remains on their mind and it festers. When this happens they won’t be giving you their undivided attention – so always ask first.
13 Always get the customer involved in the presentation, not just verbally but physically. Get the customer to help set up your demonstration, get him to compare colour co-ordination or help you measure up. Get the customer to look, touch, smell, taste and listen. (This subject is discussed in depend in step26.) The more involved he is, the more enthusiastic he becomes, because he starts to envisage what it would be like to own your product. Take him, as it were, for a test drive and let him feel what it’s really like to be behind the wheel!
14When you are in the customer’s home or office you are less in control of outside events. Such as an interruption by another member of the family, a knock at the door, or a telephone call. When this happens, stop your presentation and make small talk until everyone returns-then backtrack slightly to refresh their memories.
15It is always a good idea to leave something (of no intrinsic value) behind when you leave. For example you could accidentally on propose forget your folder, which must have fallen under the table, or maybe your calculator, that slipped down the side of your chair. This little trick gives you a legitimate excuse to call back again tomorrow. At the same time you can consolidate the deal or sell them some more, or if you failed the first time, have another go!
Reap Step 10
1. Stick to your customers like glue. Marry them
2. Don’t be late. If it’s unavoidable, phone before your appointment time
3. Park your car with care
4. Leave your equipment in the car until after the greeting
5. Shake hands- get them used to it.
6. Wipe your feet well
7. Ask or wait to be seated
8. Compliment a tidy abode
9. Don’t jump in with both feet
10. Accept an offer of tea or coffee.
11. Encourage talk about passions
12. Don’t ignore the spectators.
13. Ask before you put down your things.
14. Involve your customers, physically.
15. Wait out any interruptions.
16. Leave an object so that they can’t object to a second visit.
The following tips are directed at selling on the customer’s home base, that is, his house or place of work. However, as with all lessons in this book, these tips can and should be adapted to fit any sales situation, anywhere.
1. If a call of nature is imminent, relieve yourself prior to meeting your customer! Now, before you drop this book in surprise at this tip, let me explain why.
If possible you should stick to your customers like glue, from the first moment you meet them until it’s time to wave goodbye. You should marry them, stay with them and don’t give them an opportunity to scheme up ways of saying no when you’re not around.
2. Don’t be late for an appointment, not even by a minute. A first impression is a lasting impression, so make a good start by being punctual. If you are held up, or a delay is unavoidable, always phone your customer before the pre-arranged time to apologize and reschedule.
3. Never park your car in a reserved snace it might belong to the MD! If you are in any doubt, ask where you can park. Alternatively park at the far end of the car park, the end that is farthest away from the building. (One of the status symbols of anybody who is anybody is that they get to park nearest the building.)
This same principle applies at the customer’s home. Appreciate that there are certain places the customer reserves for his own parking or that of his family. To avoid any possible irritation, don’t park on the customer’s drive, don’t block the driveway and don’t park in front of the window or garage. Not only is this being courteous but it means that you won’t be disturbed during your presentation (or closing) when the customer’s son arrives and wants to put his car away.
4. Leave all your Sales equipment in the car and be empty-handed when you
Greet your customer. If you are carrying all your sales material, samples and equipment, apart from the fact it will be difficult to shake hands, you will appear too impersonal and too ready for action. Think how you would feel, if immediately upon opening the door of a tailor’s shop, the sales assistant said hello and began measuring you with his tape.
(Once you have greet your customer you should then excuse yourself whilst you go and get your things.)
5. When you greet your customers, always shake hands with them- you might
As well get them used to it from the start.
6. As you enter the customer’s domain, make an exaggerated effort in wiping
Your feet. The customer will notice this mark of respect and will warm to you more easily.
7. Always ask wait to be seated. Remember a man’s home (or his office for
That matter) is his castle. If you are invited into his castle you are a guest, so make sure you act like a guest, not an intruder.
8. If we invite someone round to our home, most of us make an effort to make
Ourselves and our home more presentable. We dust and polish and tidy round, we spray a little air freshener, put flowers into a vase and bring out the best chinaware.
If you notice, tidy, clean home, then mention it- compliment your customers sincerely and they will love you for it- because that effort was made on your behalf. Likewise you should compliment a tidy and well –organized office.
9. Don’t jump in with both feet. Don’t move straight into your sales
Presentation. Instead, settle things down and induce a receptive atmosphere. (This subject will be discussed in more detail in step 18)
10 If you come from a different ethnic or cultural background from your
customer, always accept and consume and offer of food or drink. This will
put your customer at ease and show him that you are not prejudiced.
11. Look around and you will see photographs, paintings, certificates, trophies,
Books, plants, record collections, cats ,dogs, model planes, musical instruments ………the list goes on and on. These items are memorabilia or passions to your customer, so mention them. Ask and be sincerely inquisitive and your customers will love you for it. Let them go on and on about the things they have a passion for and they will feel so appreciative – because they’re enjoying themselves and it’s very rare that they get the chance to show off to a willing audience. That appreciation will turn to obligation and they will end up saying: ‘Well enough of that –show me what you’ve got-how much is it? OK, I’ll have one,’
11 .Never ignores the customer’s children. Instead recruit them to your side and they’ll be your biggest ally (In an office you might not recruit the spectator but you should never ignore him.)
12 Don’t invade a customer’s desk with your ‘things’ without asking first. Likewise don’t use a customer’s furniture or floor (as in carpet) without asking. This is especially pertinent when it comes to glasses, cups or plates. Many customer’s are too polite to ask you to move something but the offending object remains on their mind and it festers. When this happens they won’t be giving you their undivided attention – so always ask first.
13 Always get the customer involved in the presentation, not just verbally but physically. Get the customer to help set up your demonstration, get him to compare colour co-ordination or help you measure up. Get the customer to look, touch, smell, taste and listen. (This subject is discussed in depend in step26.) The more involved he is, the more enthusiastic he becomes, because he starts to envisage what it would be like to own your product. Take him, as it were, for a test drive and let him feel what it’s really like to be behind the wheel!
14When you are in the customer’s home or office you are less in control of outside events. Such as an interruption by another member of the family, a knock at the door, or a telephone call. When this happens, stop your presentation and make small talk until everyone returns-then backtrack slightly to refresh their memories.
15It is always a good idea to leave something (of no intrinsic value) behind when you leave. For example you could accidentally on propose forget your folder, which must have fallen under the table, or maybe your calculator, that slipped down the side of your chair. This little trick gives you a legitimate excuse to call back again tomorrow. At the same time you can consolidate the deal or sell them some more, or if you failed the first time, have another go!
Reap Step 10
1. Stick to your customers like glue. Marry them
2. Don’t be late. If it’s unavoidable, phone before your appointment time
3. Park your car with care
4. Leave your equipment in the car until after the greeting
5. Shake hands- get them used to it.
6. Wipe your feet well
7. Ask or wait to be seated
8. Compliment a tidy abode
9. Don’t jump in with both feet
10. Accept an offer of tea or coffee.
11. Encourage talk about passions
12. Don’t ignore the spectators.
13. Ask before you put down your things.
14. Involve your customers, physically.
15. Wait out any interruptions.
16. Leave an object so that they can’t object to a second visit.
Do your homework for succes in sales
Do your homework
As we continue our climb up ‘The thirty –Nine step to success’ We shall look in depth at how a pro-clo actually sells to his customers. Now we are going to look at how he prepares for the encounter.
Nowadays, especially in direct selling, many companies provide their salespeople with qualified leads obtained through various advertising and marketing campaigns. In such situations a great deal of homework can be done before the pro-clo even meets the customer. Apart from the obvious qualifications and information that the customers give the marketing department, there are a number of other telltale signs that the pro-clo searches for and picks up on. We will look at some examples of this in a moment.
A pro-clo always does his homework before making a presentation. Even on a cold call, he doesn’t just knock on doors for the sake of knocking on doors- he does his research and knocks on the right doors. Depending upon the product or service, this homework or groundwork can be very comprehensive and time-consuming, but it is work that must be done. A pro-clo finds out as much as possible about his potential customer, he finds out about his lifestyle, his family, his concerns, interests, hobbies, wants, needs, aspirations, likes, dislikes and whatever else he can find out that is pertinent. Armed with this ammunition, the pro-clo is able to licate the customer’s hot –button, the thing that is going to switch him on. When he moves into his presentation the pro-clo (because he has done his homework) shows the customer that he has a problem, an itch, a want, a need, a hurt, and then offers the customer a solution, a medicine that will cure everything. When a pro-clo does his homework effectively, the customer is so relieved to be offered a solution that he doesn’t need to be closed, he offered a solution that he doesn’t need to be closed, he eagerly buys without any hesitation. These are the best kind of sales, the ones that lie down and roll over for you. They are also the kind of sales that provide excellent testimonials and great referrals.
Here, then, are a few of the telltale signs that a pro-clo will pick up on when he is doing his homework. (Although a pro-clo picks up on this information, he does not prejudge-he is simply aware. Forewarned is forearmed.) Let’s take the customer’s name, address and telephone number as a typical example of how seemingly trivial information can provide the pro-clo with crucial clues about his customer, without ever having met him.
Forenames can give you a clue to age……. If the customer’s forenames are Arthur, Harold, Percival, Wilbur, or Alice, Edith, Gladys, Lilian, etc. the chances are, with these types of old-fashioned name, they are getting on in years. (I know that old-fashioned names have, over recent years, become fashionable again, but it is unlikely that today’s youth are going to be potential customers for at lest another 15-20 years.)
Surnames can reveal things about class and attitude…. If the customer has a double –barrel surname, e.g. Foster –smith, or Freedman –Jones, it might suggest that the customer is a little flamboyant or loud. It could be that he wants to be noticed and stand out from the crowd. These types of customer have a big ego.(take them on a trip.) the same normally applies to a customer who offers his/her middle name or initial without being asked for it.
Title and marital status …... Look carefully at what information titles reveal about marital status. For instance, if a couple have tow surnames and, Say a Mr. Smith is living with a Mis Jones, they are obviously not married don’t have children, and may have two incomes. If on the other hand, Mr. Smith is living with a Mrs Jones, she at least will have been married and there may be more than one set of children. They could be living together and not divorced, so money might be tight and of fering finance could be a problem.
And address can tell you a lot about a prospective customer…….. If someone gives a house name in their address, such as Beabers Lodge or Rose Cottage, etc, then the more often than not very houseproud and have a lovely home. They also like to flaunt it.
If the house number is very high, e.g. No 363 or no. 1247, it normally indicates that the people live in block of flats, a very large busy road, or on a massive estate. Such people tend to be honest and hard-working, they tend to be very down-earth, and are not frightened to spend money. That’s why they are now a lead.
If the address reads Something Road, or Something Street, than the property is usually quite old and normally a terrace, which means it will probably have two or three bedrooms. A little research of the area will give you an idea of property values, so you can get a general idea of their likely income and outgoings.
If the address reads No.3 The Dingle, or Bluebell Close, Bearswood –or how about Avenue. Lane, etc, this gives the impression of a rather big house in a nice area.
Also pay attention to telephone numbers……. If a customer gives his telephone number as Bearswood 1234 instead of giving his area code, he’s being snobbish, he wants to let people know he lives in an affluent area. Easy to sell to!
This is straight forward stuff, yet the average salesperson doesn’t see it and doesn’t think to look, Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg and a pro-clo would gather much more information than name, address and phone number-but the above examples will give you a feel for what I am trying to get across.
Doing your homework is a very necessary step on the staircase and if you try to jump over it, you will almost certainly fall down. It is also, very often, a painful step, but as they saying goes: ‘If there is no pain there’s no gain.’ Remember a pro-clo is AWARE forewarned in forearmed.
As we continue our climb up ‘The thirty –Nine step to success’ We shall look in depth at how a pro-clo actually sells to his customers. Now we are going to look at how he prepares for the encounter.
Nowadays, especially in direct selling, many companies provide their salespeople with qualified leads obtained through various advertising and marketing campaigns. In such situations a great deal of homework can be done before the pro-clo even meets the customer. Apart from the obvious qualifications and information that the customers give the marketing department, there are a number of other telltale signs that the pro-clo searches for and picks up on. We will look at some examples of this in a moment.
A pro-clo always does his homework before making a presentation. Even on a cold call, he doesn’t just knock on doors for the sake of knocking on doors- he does his research and knocks on the right doors. Depending upon the product or service, this homework or groundwork can be very comprehensive and time-consuming, but it is work that must be done. A pro-clo finds out as much as possible about his potential customer, he finds out about his lifestyle, his family, his concerns, interests, hobbies, wants, needs, aspirations, likes, dislikes and whatever else he can find out that is pertinent. Armed with this ammunition, the pro-clo is able to licate the customer’s hot –button, the thing that is going to switch him on. When he moves into his presentation the pro-clo (because he has done his homework) shows the customer that he has a problem, an itch, a want, a need, a hurt, and then offers the customer a solution, a medicine that will cure everything. When a pro-clo does his homework effectively, the customer is so relieved to be offered a solution that he doesn’t need to be closed, he offered a solution that he doesn’t need to be closed, he eagerly buys without any hesitation. These are the best kind of sales, the ones that lie down and roll over for you. They are also the kind of sales that provide excellent testimonials and great referrals.
Here, then, are a few of the telltale signs that a pro-clo will pick up on when he is doing his homework. (Although a pro-clo picks up on this information, he does not prejudge-he is simply aware. Forewarned is forearmed.) Let’s take the customer’s name, address and telephone number as a typical example of how seemingly trivial information can provide the pro-clo with crucial clues about his customer, without ever having met him.
Forenames can give you a clue to age……. If the customer’s forenames are Arthur, Harold, Percival, Wilbur, or Alice, Edith, Gladys, Lilian, etc. the chances are, with these types of old-fashioned name, they are getting on in years. (I know that old-fashioned names have, over recent years, become fashionable again, but it is unlikely that today’s youth are going to be potential customers for at lest another 15-20 years.)
Surnames can reveal things about class and attitude…. If the customer has a double –barrel surname, e.g. Foster –smith, or Freedman –Jones, it might suggest that the customer is a little flamboyant or loud. It could be that he wants to be noticed and stand out from the crowd. These types of customer have a big ego.(take them on a trip.) the same normally applies to a customer who offers his/her middle name or initial without being asked for it.
Title and marital status …... Look carefully at what information titles reveal about marital status. For instance, if a couple have tow surnames and, Say a Mr. Smith is living with a Mis Jones, they are obviously not married don’t have children, and may have two incomes. If on the other hand, Mr. Smith is living with a Mrs Jones, she at least will have been married and there may be more than one set of children. They could be living together and not divorced, so money might be tight and of fering finance could be a problem.
And address can tell you a lot about a prospective customer…….. If someone gives a house name in their address, such as Beabers Lodge or Rose Cottage, etc, then the more often than not very houseproud and have a lovely home. They also like to flaunt it.
If the house number is very high, e.g. No 363 or no. 1247, it normally indicates that the people live in block of flats, a very large busy road, or on a massive estate. Such people tend to be honest and hard-working, they tend to be very down-earth, and are not frightened to spend money. That’s why they are now a lead.
If the address reads Something Road, or Something Street, than the property is usually quite old and normally a terrace, which means it will probably have two or three bedrooms. A little research of the area will give you an idea of property values, so you can get a general idea of their likely income and outgoings.
If the address reads No.3 The Dingle, or Bluebell Close, Bearswood –or how about Avenue. Lane, etc, this gives the impression of a rather big house in a nice area.
Also pay attention to telephone numbers……. If a customer gives his telephone number as Bearswood 1234 instead of giving his area code, he’s being snobbish, he wants to let people know he lives in an affluent area. Easy to sell to!
This is straight forward stuff, yet the average salesperson doesn’t see it and doesn’t think to look, Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg and a pro-clo would gather much more information than name, address and phone number-but the above examples will give you a feel for what I am trying to get across.
Doing your homework is a very necessary step on the staircase and if you try to jump over it, you will almost certainly fall down. It is also, very often, a painful step, but as they saying goes: ‘If there is no pain there’s no gain.’ Remember a pro-clo is AWARE forewarned in forearmed.
Canvassing for business
Canvassing for business
Some pro-clo benefit from quality leads through their company marketing departments, some do not. Whichever is the case, a pro-clo is always on the hunt for leads which could generate new business. Here are some ideas that I have always found rewarding.
Hit’ em again Sam
The best source of new business is repeat business from existing customers, so let’s start first of all concentrating on the existing customers/owners list.
1.Seek out referral business from existing customers. Simply pick up the phone and say something on the lines of: ‘Listen, Jim, things are a little slow around here and I was wondering if you might be able to help me out. Can you think of anybody who might be interested in……? They’ll help you!
2.Market survey existing customers. Find out if they are happy, what if anything would they change and, most important, how long they anticipate it will be before they renew or replace. Every product or service has a lifespan – once you determine what it is, for example, three years, contact all customers who are approaching the three-year mark.
3.Contact existing customers whenever you have something new, e.g. new brochure, new price list, new product, new discount or sale, new data, new advanced formula, whatever.
4.Almost every business has an after-sales department that deals with customer complaints, replacement, parts, repairs and services. Your own service or complaints department can provide you with some excellent leads. Customers with problems are worth their weight in gold!
5.Contact the used to be customers the once that all the other salespeople give up on as no-hopers, even if they’re not in your area.
6.Take on any customer that another salesperson doesn’t want. There are always some that the losers want to get rid of, or give away.
The one that got away
As your customer list continues to grow, so will your repeat business. The next avenue for thought and then ground work is the list of the nearly was or could have beens.’
7.Contact all the old enquiries, the ‘could have beens’. These folk obviously had some sparks of interest once. Why not try to rekindle that interest?
8.Get hold off all the company’s cancellations, the nearly was list. Most of these ex-customers bought and wobbled because they didn’t have a pro-clo like you to service them and to consolidate the deal.
9.Swap your dead leads with those of a colleague or competitor.
From a gentle stream to a mighty flowing river
Then there are endless different lead sources right on your doorstep. They are like ripe fruit on a tree at harvest-time –one gentle little tug and they are yours for the talking.
10.Advertise in every newsagent’s window in your area. If you figure conservatively that each newsagent has 1,000 customers per week and there are 50 newsagents in your area- That’s a potential 50,000 prospects reading your advert for around 10 per week. Don’t just use your business card or a normal postcard; use something that is eye-catching like a testimonial letter from an existing customer.
11. Do the same with each post office window, your local garages, video store and the corner shop.
12.Browse through your local newspaper regularly, there are always hundreds of potential leads looking you in the face. For example, when Mr. John Johnson from the street in Any town raises 1,000 for charity by parachuting from a plane- find his address from the telephone book. Write congratulating him on his performance and enclose your business card, should he ever be interested in medical or life insurance. Get the idea?
13.Canvass potential customers from your Yellow pages or Thomson Local.
14.Every public library in the land has on its shelves trade magazines and publications, business directories and company names / addresses, etc, offering a wealth of possibilities. There are also guides to almost everything imaginable. For example, if you sell salt and pepper pots, than you’ll find guides to hotels, restaurants, public houses, nursing homes, youth hostels, bed and breakfast outlets – the list is endless.
15. Advertise on the notice boards of the local council offices, community centers, town hall, health and leisure club, the golf club, and so on.
16. Do some cold calling. There is nothing like knocking on a few doors to get the adrenalin pumping. Yes, you get a lot of rejection but you also get success around to per cent of the time. If you tell the ‘cold calls’ that you’re in the area and will be calling on such a day or a certain evening (drop a leaflet or brochure through the door), your success rate will be lot higher than to per cent. Ask the Avon lady.
17. Organize an exchange programmed with another business (not a competitor) who sells to the same kind of customers you do. As an example, let’s take the home improvements industry. Here there is a huge mass of potentially compatible customers from companies of potentially compatible customers form companies that sell such things as double glazing, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, conservatories, security systems water purifiers, cable television, driveways, patios, textured wall –coating, and so on. You should contact a likely company and arrange to exchange leads or customer lists, like for like.
18. Arrange a direct mail shot or a leaflet drop.
19. Your local estate agents know the names and addresses of hundreds of people who have just moved into new homes. If you sell windows or carpets or water filters or paint, if you sell kitchens or bathrooms or bedrooms or conservatories etc. – maybe it might be worth your while to cross the estate agent’s palm with silver, if business should be generated form any leads he gives you.
It doesn’t stop with estate agents-plumbers know people who need a new washing machine, mechanics know customers who are talking about a new car and vest know of people who are in the market for a new dog. Be creative!
20. Don’t send Christmas cards, send calendars. They don’t have to be
expensive or have to be expensive or have a different picture for each
month as long as they are attractive and presentable. Every calendar should
have your name, your company and your telephone numbers on display in
a prominent position. It will be a constant daily reminder, for the next
twelve months, that you are there for them should they want to upgrade
add on replace, or send referrals. For the best impact and the best results,
make your calendar a personal gift.
There are many other ways of canvassing to generate new business, but to be effective, and be prepared to put in lots of hard work and determined effort. Here is a little story that demonstrates being creative, talking the initiative and making a determined effort to canvass my business.
Although I wasn’t in any hurry, I‘d been considering for some time making a small conversion to a part of our home and so I applied for planning permission. My intention was to save time when I eventually decided to go ahead and have the work done. I didn’t realize that my application went on public display at the council offices, but over the next few weeks I received a total of seventeen letters from builders offering their services, builder’s merchants pushing their wares, a couple of money-lenders selling finance and even a letter from a company who sold drapery.
At first I was impressed at the imitative these companies had shown in an attempt to canvass my business, but when I looked more closely. I saw a different picture. Only four of the seventeen letters had been signed by their author. The rest were either photocopied signatures informing me it was a standard letter, or they weren’t signed at all, or they had been signed ‘pp’ followed by an illegible scribble. Fifteen of the letters were addressed to Dear Sir, Dear Occupier, or Dear (Space) and six of them said ‘date as postmark’.
Only two of the seventeen had bothered to write to me personally, dated their letter and signed it with ink, of those two only one letter was from a builder, the other was from the draper.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many of those seventeen companies would give me the service that I would want. My guess was, only two. As I have explained, I wasn’t in any hurry, so I didn’t respond to any of the letters. Instead, I just sat on them.
Of those original seventeen, only one bothered to contact me again. Guess which builder it was, and guess who my business.
The moral of this story is, you must be professional and be personal and you must follow up to follow through we are now about to move on and look at the actual sales process, but before we do let’s have a quick refresher.
Step 11 Use ingenuity to pull your customer, not push him.
Step 12 Do your homework and you’ll reap the rewards
Step 13 Canvass, canvass, canvass then follow up to follow through.
Some pro-clo benefit from quality leads through their company marketing departments, some do not. Whichever is the case, a pro-clo is always on the hunt for leads which could generate new business. Here are some ideas that I have always found rewarding.
Hit’ em again Sam
The best source of new business is repeat business from existing customers, so let’s start first of all concentrating on the existing customers/owners list.
1.Seek out referral business from existing customers. Simply pick up the phone and say something on the lines of: ‘Listen, Jim, things are a little slow around here and I was wondering if you might be able to help me out. Can you think of anybody who might be interested in……? They’ll help you!
2.Market survey existing customers. Find out if they are happy, what if anything would they change and, most important, how long they anticipate it will be before they renew or replace. Every product or service has a lifespan – once you determine what it is, for example, three years, contact all customers who are approaching the three-year mark.
3.Contact existing customers whenever you have something new, e.g. new brochure, new price list, new product, new discount or sale, new data, new advanced formula, whatever.
4.Almost every business has an after-sales department that deals with customer complaints, replacement, parts, repairs and services. Your own service or complaints department can provide you with some excellent leads. Customers with problems are worth their weight in gold!
5.Contact the used to be customers the once that all the other salespeople give up on as no-hopers, even if they’re not in your area.
6.Take on any customer that another salesperson doesn’t want. There are always some that the losers want to get rid of, or give away.
The one that got away
As your customer list continues to grow, so will your repeat business. The next avenue for thought and then ground work is the list of the nearly was or could have beens.’
7.Contact all the old enquiries, the ‘could have beens’. These folk obviously had some sparks of interest once. Why not try to rekindle that interest?
8.Get hold off all the company’s cancellations, the nearly was list. Most of these ex-customers bought and wobbled because they didn’t have a pro-clo like you to service them and to consolidate the deal.
9.Swap your dead leads with those of a colleague or competitor.
From a gentle stream to a mighty flowing river
Then there are endless different lead sources right on your doorstep. They are like ripe fruit on a tree at harvest-time –one gentle little tug and they are yours for the talking.
10.Advertise in every newsagent’s window in your area. If you figure conservatively that each newsagent has 1,000 customers per week and there are 50 newsagents in your area- That’s a potential 50,000 prospects reading your advert for around 10 per week. Don’t just use your business card or a normal postcard; use something that is eye-catching like a testimonial letter from an existing customer.
11. Do the same with each post office window, your local garages, video store and the corner shop.
12.Browse through your local newspaper regularly, there are always hundreds of potential leads looking you in the face. For example, when Mr. John Johnson from the street in Any town raises 1,000 for charity by parachuting from a plane- find his address from the telephone book. Write congratulating him on his performance and enclose your business card, should he ever be interested in medical or life insurance. Get the idea?
13.Canvass potential customers from your Yellow pages or Thomson Local.
14.Every public library in the land has on its shelves trade magazines and publications, business directories and company names / addresses, etc, offering a wealth of possibilities. There are also guides to almost everything imaginable. For example, if you sell salt and pepper pots, than you’ll find guides to hotels, restaurants, public houses, nursing homes, youth hostels, bed and breakfast outlets – the list is endless.
15. Advertise on the notice boards of the local council offices, community centers, town hall, health and leisure club, the golf club, and so on.
16. Do some cold calling. There is nothing like knocking on a few doors to get the adrenalin pumping. Yes, you get a lot of rejection but you also get success around to per cent of the time. If you tell the ‘cold calls’ that you’re in the area and will be calling on such a day or a certain evening (drop a leaflet or brochure through the door), your success rate will be lot higher than to per cent. Ask the Avon lady.
17. Organize an exchange programmed with another business (not a competitor) who sells to the same kind of customers you do. As an example, let’s take the home improvements industry. Here there is a huge mass of potentially compatible customers from companies of potentially compatible customers form companies that sell such things as double glazing, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, conservatories, security systems water purifiers, cable television, driveways, patios, textured wall –coating, and so on. You should contact a likely company and arrange to exchange leads or customer lists, like for like.
18. Arrange a direct mail shot or a leaflet drop.
19. Your local estate agents know the names and addresses of hundreds of people who have just moved into new homes. If you sell windows or carpets or water filters or paint, if you sell kitchens or bathrooms or bedrooms or conservatories etc. – maybe it might be worth your while to cross the estate agent’s palm with silver, if business should be generated form any leads he gives you.
It doesn’t stop with estate agents-plumbers know people who need a new washing machine, mechanics know customers who are talking about a new car and vest know of people who are in the market for a new dog. Be creative!
20. Don’t send Christmas cards, send calendars. They don’t have to be
expensive or have to be expensive or have a different picture for each
month as long as they are attractive and presentable. Every calendar should
have your name, your company and your telephone numbers on display in
a prominent position. It will be a constant daily reminder, for the next
twelve months, that you are there for them should they want to upgrade
add on replace, or send referrals. For the best impact and the best results,
make your calendar a personal gift.
There are many other ways of canvassing to generate new business, but to be effective, and be prepared to put in lots of hard work and determined effort. Here is a little story that demonstrates being creative, talking the initiative and making a determined effort to canvass my business.
Although I wasn’t in any hurry, I‘d been considering for some time making a small conversion to a part of our home and so I applied for planning permission. My intention was to save time when I eventually decided to go ahead and have the work done. I didn’t realize that my application went on public display at the council offices, but over the next few weeks I received a total of seventeen letters from builders offering their services, builder’s merchants pushing their wares, a couple of money-lenders selling finance and even a letter from a company who sold drapery.
At first I was impressed at the imitative these companies had shown in an attempt to canvass my business, but when I looked more closely. I saw a different picture. Only four of the seventeen letters had been signed by their author. The rest were either photocopied signatures informing me it was a standard letter, or they weren’t signed at all, or they had been signed ‘pp’ followed by an illegible scribble. Fifteen of the letters were addressed to Dear Sir, Dear Occupier, or Dear (Space) and six of them said ‘date as postmark’.
Only two of the seventeen had bothered to write to me personally, dated their letter and signed it with ink, of those two only one letter was from a builder, the other was from the draper.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many of those seventeen companies would give me the service that I would want. My guess was, only two. As I have explained, I wasn’t in any hurry, so I didn’t respond to any of the letters. Instead, I just sat on them.
Of those original seventeen, only one bothered to contact me again. Guess which builder it was, and guess who my business.
The moral of this story is, you must be professional and be personal and you must follow up to follow through we are now about to move on and look at the actual sales process, but before we do let’s have a quick refresher.
Step 11 Use ingenuity to pull your customer, not push him.
Step 12 Do your homework and you’ll reap the rewards
Step 13 Canvass, canvass, canvass then follow up to follow through.
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