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huggytree
09-14-2009, 05:45 PM
I am building a garage for business storage...i have decided to use strangers this time since ive been so dissapointed w/ using my contractor friends.

I used 2 internet contractor finding services for the heck of it...service magic and bid clerk.....wow....the level of people who are calling me is unbelievable...ive had 5 people contact me...4 of them i would never even consider hiring for anything...let alone building a garage...one kept calling me 'man'.....another studdered and stammered from nervousness to where i couldnt even understand him...then gave me a phone bid...then called back and said 'i forgot something..disregard that bid'....

then i found ONE who sounded confindent....he showed up in 4 hours....gave me a rough price(price was 1/2 what i was expecting)...he was an expeditor for a major builder in my area....i may or may not use him....his price scared me and made me happy at the same...i dont need a great garage just to store my pipes, but i dont want it to fall over either.

I just started thinking of how being a salesman is sooooo important when your starting a business....you may be great at what you do...but if you come off like a studdering fool no one will buy your product....how can a small business afford to hire a salesman? ive thought about hiring a part time guy a few times...then decided i could probably be my best salesman.

bacterozoid
09-14-2009, 06:18 PM
Practice and confidence, I think.

In college (the previous 4 years of my life) I worked at the campus help desk between 8 and 12 hours a week. My job involved talking to customers all the time. When I started I was a babbling idiot. I could talk for hours about technical crap, but when I had to communicate efficiently with the customer, I needed work. My first performance evaluation showed that. After I had some experience and worked hard and listened to people who were good at it, I became fluent at what I did and was promoted to lead technician.

I know, that has nothing to do with sales directly, but with some effort, most people can become excellent at communicating with customers...and that's, in my opinion, 75% of selling something.

I also think it's easier to learn a specific niche in communication. I may be good at help desk communication, but I'm not that great a public speaker. That makes it a little less daunting trying to learn sales...because it's a specific topic.

And of course, listen to those that are good at sales to improve your own skills. Just my 2 cents. :)

Spider
09-14-2009, 07:42 PM
Join Toastmasters. They won't make you a salesman but you will certainly learn how to speak with people, which - as stated - is a good start to good sales.

Toastmasters International - Home (http://www.toastmasters.org) for a club near you.

huggytree
09-14-2009, 08:38 PM
The bid i got tonight by e-mail was just a list of what he's going to do and a price at the top...no contract, no logo, nothing professional at all...like someone right out of high school would think was professional...its unbelievable....

his price was great, but his bid was so unprofessional i could never hire him...zero trust.

i am getting tons of calls..they are giving my name out to like 8 contractors now...and charging them all for the same tip....

the last guy came up with some code issues that the others missed....i dont know if its true or not, but it makes you feel better about him when he's pointing out things the others didnt...it makes me think he knows what he's doing and the others dont have a clue....if his price is anywhere near the average he'll probably get the job...

KristineS
09-15-2009, 09:17 AM
I think this is a lesson that all people, whether they work for someone else or have their own business, need to learn. How you present yourself matters. If you know you have a weakness in a certain area, learn how to shore that weakness up. Also, be aware that every little thing matters, from the logo on your bid to the card you hand out, to the way you answer the phone. People are contemplating spending their money with you, and they want to be reassured that you'll handle their business in a competent manner.

thx4yrtym
09-15-2009, 06:12 PM
Huggy,

Sounds like the last guy is a salesman. He knew how to talk to a trades professional. He found a potential problem that you didn't know you had and probably has a solution for it. I bet he didn't talk your head off either.

I doubt that at this point you need a salesman. It would be hard to find someone you could afford to pay that would know what you know and represent you and your company to your satisfaction.

Sounds like you've learned a lot about what not to do from these other "business people" .

Good luck with your project!

huggytree
09-15-2009, 08:58 PM
so i have 3 guys bidding
#1 is great
#2 is the bad one
#3 sounds good and is coming on thursday

guy #1 showed up again today with one of his subs...he went to the town hall and got the forms and the siteplan from when my house was made.....he is acting like he already has the job...he's pretty much getting it ready to go...and i dont even have a bid yet...he showed me a $ on a piece of paper to let me know where he should be...he's coming back tomarrow to talk to the building inspector about the specific rules from my town....today he brought siding samples, had my roof matched up, brought trim samples....this guy really has it going on....its hard not to hire him....he even did a drawing...

I put alot more effort into people than most, but this guy is on another level..i verified him with another builder yesterday and believe he's legitimate....he is who he says he is...im thinking of asking him for sales lessons....i feel at ease with him and he's just working so hard for me...right now for free.

it really is quite interesting to be on the other end of the table....to be the homeowner with the contractor trying to get my business....im learning

KristineS
09-16-2009, 02:40 PM
I think asking this guy if you could buy him dinner or a beer and pick his brain is a great idea. He sounds like he knows what he's doing and he's doing it well.

There's also a psychological aspect to the whole thing that he's played very well. The more he does, like get plans, siding samples etc, which are probably fairly easy for you to do, the guiltier you feel if you don't give him the job since he's worked so hard for you. I bet he closes a lot of the bids he makes.

Harold Mansfield
09-16-2009, 03:23 PM
I spent years in front of people in the hospitality industry and it was second nature. A while back a worked on the phone for a resort company...not something I wanted to do..they basically shined me on to take it while they were organizing their Internet Marketing dept., which never came about, but I knew I needed some phone experience for later on, so I sucked it up.

I hated talking on the phone to leads..even though it was inbound, but..I learned a lot about my phone presentation, having a basic "pitch" memorized (without making it sound like a pitch) with key talking points, condensing words, using pauses, consistency, and rebuttals....rebuttals are everything in sales.

It taught me a lot and built my phone confidence up big time. I started that job scared to answer the phone, and ended up living for the days when there 200 calls in que.

I still hate sales, especially selling someone else's product and that goes double for cold calling, but, I'm a lot more comfortable selling my own now.

When you are in business for yourself, you have to wear every hat, even the ones you don't like or you will have no shot at survival. Hiring a sales person is almost out of the question.
Offering a base salary is usually not in the budget, and no good salesman will take a commission only job unless it's a good product with high commissions per sale or transactions.
That leaves small businesses in a tough spot which usually means, someone has to sell something to somebody sometime.

billbenson
09-16-2009, 03:57 PM
I agree with eborg. If you want to be successful in life, you have to sell at some level. That may just be selling yourself in an interview.

Also, remember not everybody is perfect at every type of sales. I have a introverted shy sort of personality. It fit well with high ticket relationship sales. I'd be horrible at pitching a MLM at an introduction meeting. Way out of my comfort zone. You always can learn, but also understand your limitations.

huggytree
09-17-2009, 07:39 AM
guy #1 was out here again yesterday...now he marked the locations where the garage will be .....we talk daily and he's acting like he has the job...i do feel guilty...im still getting bids and he hasnt given me a price yet....i asked him to hurry and get me a price before he keeps going....its great to give this level of service, but he could be wasting his time.....im probably going to end up going w/ him because his service is unbelievable

Harold Mansfield
09-17-2009, 10:38 AM
guy #1 was out here again yesterday...now he marked the locations where the garage will be .....we talk daily and he's acting like he has the job...i do feel guilty...im still getting bids and he hasnt given me a price yet....i asked him to hurry and get me a price before he keeps going....its great to give this level of service, but he could be wasting his time.....im probably going to end up going w/ him because his service is unbelievable

I kind of like his style..get in there and start marking territory with a smile. i am always apt to go with someone, or try them out when I see them hustling, even if it is a little more, because you can see the pride and enjoyment in their work.

KristineS
09-17-2009, 12:43 PM
You've got to admire this guy, he knows how to work his customers. I've got to believe he must close a lot of his jobs, otherwise he's wasting a great deal of time.

thx4yrtym
09-17-2009, 01:04 PM
I'll bet he doesn't use this approach with everyone. He probably has several things he uses to qualify the prospect. Only those that meet the qualifications get this treatment and I imagine his closing rate is high.

He takes the assumed consent close to a whole new level. :)

cocoy
09-17-2009, 01:29 PM
I don't see it as working free of charge.

I see it as good marketing. This is how he sells himself and his business.

lav
09-20-2009, 08:38 AM
Lets hope when he prices way over the top and you say "sorry no" that he doesnt send you an invoice for what he has done so far. A sales rep trying to win my business brought some samples of sign materials once and I tested all of them and they were great but when he gave me a price it was way over the top and I said I wont be using it.... he sent me a $300 invoice for the sample materials wtf!

I hope it doesnt turn out like that but be careful.