PDA

View Full Version : new sales tips



huggytree
03-21-2009, 08:41 PM
i had a small sales class the other day and learned a few new things...i thought id share them and see if anyone has more to add

1. Always deliver your estimate in person and explain it to the customer
2. after the work is done- call up the customer and ask if everything was done to their expectations.

those are the only 2 i can remember right now....both of which i dont do!, but plan to do in the future.

i always just mail my estimates to my customers and do a follow up call 1 week later....i am missing the opportunity to make a 2nd sales pitch. After they are a steady customer its not necessary, but i cant believe i never thought about it before.....ive been told before on this website that my sales technique is an order taker/giver, not a salesman...ive improved on the initial meeting, but i have still been just supplying them with their order instead of Selling them my product.

and the follow up after the job is done is also just common sense...most of the time people wont say anything even if they think you did a poor job, but some will....and that feedback may tell you something you need to improve on..also it shows you care about your work and want to make sure the customer is happy.

anyone have other sales tips ?

thx4yrtym
03-21-2009, 09:20 PM
Huggy,

When's the last time someone called you to follow up like that? doesn't happen very often. You can bet when you do it they will tell half a dozen people. Pretty good advertising.

Bought a car one time years ago from a very big dealership here in town. About 3 days later the manager of the service department called to introduce himself and say that if I needed anything to just call. I've never forgot that.

Biggest sales tip I could give anyone is to ask questions, then shut up and listen and listen and listen. When you get good at listening and watching body language you will be able to help them buy something from you.

If you can get on their side of the table ( figuratively ) then you are both trying to solve their problem. It's a subtle thing but important.

I always try to leave a little money on the table. In other words, in your case I would quote several examples of what they need and I would quote and explain all of the features of the most expensive faucet you can find. Then I would quote several others. They will often buy the one you would prefer to install. They don't want to look cheap and certainly don't need the most expensive one, so you end up in the middle, right where you wanted them.

Do all of that stuff perfectly and you will still have people that won't buy and you will rarely know why. That's part of the process.

If I could recommend one book for you to read and study it would be this one.
Amazon.com: Secrets Of Closing Sales: Fully Revised and Updated: Charles B.; Alexander, Roy Roth: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Closing-Sales-Revised-Updated/dp/B000J4NEAK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237683443&sr=1-9)

I'm on my forth one , I've read it and studied it for years. I've given them away and then forgot where, so I have to by another one.

I enjoy the sales process. It's fascinating and a challenge. When you walk into someone's home and they are suspicious and fearful, and you can turn all of that around to the point of them asking you what they should do, that's a kick. Then the sale or the profit you make is secondary.

I never thank anyone for the business or the sales order. Ever! I thank them for their time. I want to leave them feeling that we both won, not me. Together we solved a problem.

Hope this helps,

Steve B
03-22-2009, 06:11 AM
Thanks for the tip on the book. I've got one on order.

When gas moved up to $4.00 per gallon - I started giving all quotes over the phone. I also got too busy to drive all over giving quotes in person. But, I may need to re-think this.

bwat05
03-22-2009, 09:21 PM
I work for a pest control/ insulation company.
When a customer wants an estimate on adding insulation to their attic, we go out and inspect. We get in the attic, determine the R-value, check for obstacles and fire hazards, and check inside the house for things we may have missed. My manager does much more of this than I do and he is very good at it.
Customers usually get a few estimates and we almost always get the job.
Most companies peek into the attic, write down a price on a business card or tell the homeowner that they will call them in a few days.
We provide a written estimate that explains everything we will be doing as well as provide a scaled drawing so that there is no confusion. We also give the option for a higher R-value and the price. Often the customer will call to schedule the job and opt for additional insulation.
Customers tell me all the time that this is why we got the job so I know that number 1 definitely works for us.

orion_joel
03-23-2009, 02:45 AM
Another option if you like to give a printed quote (which i am guessing is the case if you are mailing them out). You could look at getting a low end laptop, just enough to run office or whatever you use to quote in. And something like the HP470CB inkjet printer. These printers operate on a battery, and have a fairly decent life on the battery.

This gives you the ability to write up a quote and print it out on the spot at the customers place. and hand deliver it without making a second visit. For small projects should not take long at all to put together, may still want to take it away though for big projects. Imagine if you were able to visit the customer get all the details say give me 15 minutes and walk back in hand them the price, explain it in person, and then literally ask for the job. Can be very powerful in closing the deal.

bwat05
03-23-2009, 08:18 AM
Another option if you like to give a printed quote (which i am guessing is the case if you are mailing them out). You could look at getting a low end laptop, just enough to run office or whatever you use to quote in. And something like the HP470CB inkjet printer. These printers operate on a battery, and have a fairly decent life on the battery.

This is a very good idea. When I get my business going in the future I plan to do something like this.
A few years ago when we bought our house the home inspector completed his inspection, went back to his truck, and brought us a complete inspection packet that was typed up and printed out with picturesof the house included.
I was very impressed that it was all done on the spot.

huggytree
03-23-2009, 08:32 AM
i carry contracts that i can fill out by hand. With homeowner projects I always try to fill them out on the spot. Most projects are similar to others i do, so it usually only takes 10 minutes to sit down w/ a calculator and do it for them.

When we had a new roof put on we got 4 estimates...2 were done on the spot, 1 took a week, 1 took 3 weeks.....we had the job done in 2 weeks, so it was funny to get an estimate after the work was already done.....anything over a week is not accceptable to me...it shows they dont care or they are too busy!

vangogh
03-23-2009, 10:37 AM
It's good advice if your clients/customers live somewhere near you. Wouldn't work for me since many of my clients live more than 1,000 miles from here. If I delivered estimates in person I'd be out of business pretty fast.

But if you can deliver the estimate in person it's a good idea. It's a nice touch and it also gives you a chance to be closing while there.

orion_joel
03-24-2009, 01:27 AM
If I delivered estimates in person I'd be out of business pretty fast.

Maybe out of business, but you would be very well travelled.

vangogh
03-24-2009, 12:11 PM
True. Though I'm not sure if the places I'd choose to travel are necessarily the same places where my clients live.

cocoy
03-24-2009, 02:43 PM
Hand delivering estimates is good for contractor/service type work.

While you're there you can walk through the property and explain the estimate with the homeowner.

SteveC
03-29-2009, 12:41 AM
1. Always deliver your estimate in person and explain it to the customer


It is actually better not to leave an estimate, all estimates do is invite propects to price shop... instead why don't you simply talk it through with your prospect agree a price and move forward... it will save you time and you'll actually close around 30% without having to do quotes.




2. after the work is done- call up the customer and ask if everything was done to their expectations.


You should add on to the end of your statement... who else do you know that can use our services?

Just my opinions of course... and I do love sales and I'm exceptionally good at it...

Steve B
03-29-2009, 01:03 PM
O.K. I got the book the other day and I've read a few chapters and skimmed the rest. I have to say I would NOT recommend this book. It might have been good in the 70's - but, I don't think it applies today. The version I got is bragging that it's been updated to reflect the "woman's movement" - I got it used from Amazon (it was printed in the early 80's). Hopefully, they have a newer version, but it basically teaches you to be like the stereotypical used car salesman. They talk about salesman who like to close as much as they like "life itself" - no kidding, I think that's a quote! I think that style turns people off today and, frankly, I think it turned people off back then too. It's the reason I buy cars from individuals whenever possible so I don't have to deal with people that read books like this.

I may try to finish it because I'm sure there are some tips in it that I can apply - but, it's not going to be easy.

When I'm done I'll be glad to send it to anyone that is interested - Free.

thx4yrtym
03-29-2009, 02:08 PM
Steve,

Sorry that you are disappointed in the book. The copy I have is the fourth edition. Don't have any idea how much difference there is.

I'll be interested to hear if your opinion changes at all after you read more of it.

Regards,

huggytree
03-29-2009, 06:17 PM
my best old tip is not to be a salesman....be the information/friend guy

explain to them what all the differences are...educate the customer..

show them whats wrong with the competition and what to look out for...then show them why your product is the best and why you choose it...

most salesman dont take the extra time to do these things....

im in the process of selling a new customer a tankless water heater....its extremely technical and not as easy as slap it on the wall and plumb it...you have to resize all the gas pipe, get a new larger gas meter & choose the right model..

i can tell i will get this job before i even send them the estimate because it sounds like no one else has spent any time with them at all...just 'here's the price'...

they have alot of concerns about being scammed into paying thousands and having a system which doesnt work....im even sending them gas sizing charts (hi lighted) to prove what size the gas line needs to be and that the meter is not correct right now...

doesnt sound like the other guy's going to even change out the meter....the homeowner will find that out next winter when the furnace and waterheater fight eachother...

my bid will be $1,000 higher(guess)....99% chance i get it...im educating them and i know they are the customers who want it done right (they even used those words)

cocoy
03-30-2009, 12:57 PM
It is actually better not to leave an estimate, all estimates do is invite propects to price shop... instead why don't you simply talk it through with your prospect agree a price and move forward... it will save you time and you'll actually close around 30% without having to do quotes.


Not sure about the rest of the people, but I do price shop and will not accept the first guy's offer without comparing to other constractors. I also like have the service person talk about what he/she is going to do.

I had 2 large trees trimmed in my backyard ($1500 job) and one person impressed me more than the other. Not in price, but by how he wanted to go about in performing the job. BTW - I knew nothing about trees, but after talking to several of the contractors and doing some research on the net on what they wanted to do...half gave me plain old BS.

SteveC
03-30-2009, 06:39 PM
It's a sales professionals job to close sales... by your own admission if I leave a quote with you all you are going to do is price shop around, which means that if you go to say four other people my chances of winning are around twenty percent and if my price is not the cheapest (and it never is) then my chances are even less.

Now, by coming to see you and demonstrating first hand why what we do is the best choice for you, why it will give you a much better return on investment and by demonstrating our expertise and then agreeing upon a price... my chances of winning the contract are high. And at no point am I saying BS anyone... with my sales presentations you get the facts in a straight forward and easy to understand manner... and then I back everything I say up with testimonials... and I also invite prospects to contact any of the hundreds of customers we have for a reference.

By doing this and by asking for the order, thirty percent of the time I will close a sale without having to quote... this saves me time and money... and here is a strange fact whenever we quote a custom website, we follow the exact same procedure in that our documentation includes examples of what we have done, it gives lots of testimonials, and details of our successes... it confirms a price however it does not include a website specification... a full large scale website specification is developed once we have the order, this is then approved by the client before we start to design the project.

Why do we do this... simply to stop the client taking our specification and shopping around, it enables us to quote projects extremely quickly and our closing rate is higher than many of our competitors... why? Because we sell ourselves and the solutions we deliver... we then help the client develop a suitable specification with the end result being something far better than the client imagined when starting.

I’ve personally closed thousands of projects and each project, each customer is different and the aim of every sales professional is to close sales (and help customers (never BS)) and the above demonstrates that it is not always necessary to quote and for 30% of the time, you can walk in and walk out with an order.

Now let me take your tree example, if I had come out to your property I would have looked it over and then spoken with you about what we do, how we do it and what you could expect... I would have shown you examples of tress we had taken down and shown you pictures of how we had left each customers yard... I would have then backed all of this up with a list of customers from your area and invited you to call any... we would have then agree a price and I would have closed you. And if you had said, I’m not sure... I would simply have said, what are you considering... and most times price comes up... and I would have simply answered your objection and closed the sale... given the low dollar value it makes sense doesn’t it to visit and close in one... especially if you are a legit company with a proven track record.

Anyway, just something to ponder and to act on only if you wish.

cocoy
03-30-2009, 07:09 PM
I guess if it works for you then good.

I personally wouldn't take the first offer without shopping around. Especially if I don't know what the going price is for that particular service or how it would be performed.

greenoak
04-02-2009, 10:52 AM
i dont see how you could go for say building a house without a written estimate.....thats the norm around here....
for selling i go for the listen listen part, described above...and ,think long term..........weve sold over 15 million over the last 20 years, the hard way!!!... and ive sold easily more than half of it, ...and in pretty small, under 1000$ amounts, often way under....its a real compliment to be heard..and even if the customer says no on a certain item, they might come back and bring more customers ....
my favorite selling quote is ...im in sales, no means nothing......
ann

SteveC
04-02-2009, 07:23 PM
It doesn't work all of the time and it doesn't work well in some industries... but it does work.

Consider this, you buy a car which is normally the second most expensive thing a person buys without a quote, you go in and speak with the sales person and agree terms... sale made (no quote)... when you buy a new house (not build) you go in, look around and if you like it you put in an offer (no quote).

Now, when I go sell a website, I can sit with a client and go through everything that they need... I can even make notes, we can agree a price and then most people will walk away from this coming together of minds to produce a quote... me I'll ask for the order and if they ask for some form of documentation I'll give them a copy of my notes with the agreed price on them... (no formal quote)... this will result in me walking away with a order 30% of the time.

Compare that to the guy that was in visiting the client before me, he did everything I did but closed, he is most likely writing his quote and thinking he did a good job and for 70% of the time he might be right...

Do I still have to prepare quotes, yes... for the others yes...

Perhaps that explains things a little differently... and of course its purely based on what works for me...

vangogh
04-02-2009, 10:21 PM
Steve I remember when I was first getting started in web design and reading a book or two about the business side of things. Several recommended doing exactly what you're saying here. They would say to bring a copy of your contracts with you to every meeting with potential clients and then at the end of the meeting take out the contract and get the signature then and there.

Maybe not exactly what you do, but very similar. You're asking for the order at the moment when the client is most likely to agree to it. There's a good reason you can close 30% of those orders.

cocoy
04-03-2009, 11:34 AM
You're right in some instances it might/will work.

If a printer walks in my office and says I can do this for you and at this price
then there is more of a chance I would sign up since I already know the going prices and have a printing budget. Plus, I know what I'm paying for my current printer and can compare it to that.

So in a case like this it would be possible for me to choose the first or only guy that walks in.

As for the car example most people shopping already know a ballpark price for that car and they know how much they want to spend so this makes it easier to close a sale IMO. I'm not going to go in a Lexus dealer when shopping for a car because I already know I can't afford one. :) Same with houses.

If a customer knows how much they want to spend and your price falls within their budget then your chances of closing are much better.

If they have no idea what something cost to begin with (Me with the tree cutting companies), like most service type jobs where prices are not generally advertised and are not used regularly (plumber, electrician, etc...), then I think there's more of a chance they shop around and compare quotes.

seema
04-14-2009, 03:43 AM
I think every body who involves in business has our own criteria to promote our business & increase sale. Thanks for sharing your idea to promote business & sales skills.