Coffee’s For Closers!

Anyone that has ever taken a speech class, a communications 101 class or has made it through the sales training sessions of more than one retail establishment has probably heard the old communications dictate that says you should

1. Tell them what you will tell them
2. Tell Them
3. and Tell them what you told them

Well this month, I am living the paradigm with a slight shift in verbage that dictates that you should

1. Sell them on what you will sell them
2. Sell them
3. and Sell them on what you sold them

Looking at the two groups of phrases put together on a single page, it looks pretty obvious, but it strikes me that I have never heard anyone ever say it before.

If you haven’t heard anyone say that before either, drop me a comment. Its rare these days when anyone ever comes across an original thought or even a small innovation in the sales process.

I have been working on selling sales leads. 

Rather fitting for a site that has a tag line of Coffee’s for Closers don’t you think!

The thing is that to sell someone sales leads, you do have to instill in them the confidence that the leads you will generate and ultimately sell them are worth anything. 

1.  Sell them on what you will sell them

Then you have to actually gather up the leads and sell the things over, exchanging ownership and exacting just compensation.  No small accomplishment these days, almost as difficult as the actual sale even.

2.  Sell them

Then after you deliver, you have to confirm with the client and insure that they recognize the value and the timeliness of the sales leads that you have just sold.  You have to go in for that good strong close, re-establishing the personal connection that brought you the business and the sale in the first place.  The last thing you want is a cancellation, reversal, refund, rebate, discount request or a bad referral.  You have to go back and sell them all over again to insure that there is no buyers remorse and no buyers blame that the leads were crap to begin with.

3.  Sell them on what you sold them

I received a lead from the company that I work for to a lot of see two sisters,

each sister lives in a different house.  Both sisters are married, and all four people are retired.  On my lead slip it said that if I was to give a good price to one sister that I would be able to do work for the other sister at her house.  When I arrived at the house to see the two sisters both sisters were very leery of me and what I was going to do, I am a salesman don’t  you know.  I explained my products and services answered all their questions, and did not put too much buying pressure on them.  When asked about my competitors, I answered honestly, however I said nothing demeaning or negative about any of them.

Today I had a follow-up meeting with each sister at their individual homes.  The first sister that I met with Eleanor has a small project that she would like to do to her house.  There is also another project at her sister’s house that she would like to have done and pay for.  When I arrive to see Eleanor and her husband she immediately confronted me with the information she found out from the Better Business Bureau.  She found that in the last 36 months the company I work for has had three complaints.  One of the complaints that she mentioned was about a salesperson, she inquired if that salesperson was me, honestly I answered no.  The other complaint that concern her was about quality of material.  I told her that I was unaware of the complaint and did not have all of the information about it.  I could not tell her why the complaint was made or what was done to resolve it but I knew it had been resolved.

As I sat and spoke with Eleanor and her husband about their project I found out much information from them about the research they had already done.  They had numerous other companies out to their home to talk to them about this project.  She had one other price that was lower than mine, however when asked the same question as she asked me in regards to the salesperson’s competitors he responded with many negative comments and lies.  Today as I sat filling out the contract and receiving a down payment for half of the contract amount for Eleanor’s project she told me the story.  Eleanor informed me that no matter what the other guy’s price would have been because of the way he handled the question about his competitors there would be no way that she would ever do business with him or the company he worked for. Eleanor felt comfortable with me and the things that I had said not only about my company but about other companies.

I take that experience with me and know that I have not learned the lesson but I have only reinforced an old lesson.  Most of us have heard the saying if you don’t have anything nice to say say nothing at all.  I believe that when people run out of nice things to say about themselves or have no nice things to say about themselves they start to say bad things, negative things, or lies about other people.  In a sales presentation most of us would like to keep a positive atmosphere, saying negative, demeaning, or lies only kills that positive atmosphere.  Once that is gone is near impossible to get it to come back.

By saying nothing at all or focusing on myself rather than my competitor I was able to close the deal today and write three contracts.  These three contracts in the big scheme of things are puddles.  However they are puddles I am grateful to jump in because although these three puddles will not soak me from head to toe they will keep my feet wet in my mind sharp.

I expected to a good job on both Eleanor and her sisters home.  Once done with the quality of work that we offer I believe that I should be able to write at least two maybe three more contracts for more work on Eleanor sisters home and Eleanor owns three rental properties that also need work.  My little puddles when it’s all said and done will add up to a pond.

I hope this story helps to reinforce something that I believe most of us know.  Keep in mind as someone asked you about a competitor or about yourself keep a positive atmosphere and if you have nothing nice to say say nothing at all.

T. K.

Remeber as a child when it would rain and you would go outside after and run through the puddles. It didn’t matter if we were allowed to do it or not we did. By the time you were done you would be soaked from head to toe.

If you wanted to there would have been another way to get completely soaked. You could go jump in a lake. It wouldn’t take as long to soak yourself, however it may take longer to get to the lake, while the puddles are right out front of your home.

Keep this in mind as you are out and you are gathering leads and you are working them. Although we want to get to the “lake” and make that big sale, the “puddles” will do the same thing for us we just need a few more of them. So take your time don’t rush to the “lake” enjoy the trip and jump in all the “puddles” that you can on your way.

TK

The new year is a great time for a fresh start. It gives us the opportunity to say to ourselves no more of this, not doing that any more, or I am going to do that again.

The resolutions that we make at the beginning of the year, for most of us seem to be very hard to follow through with. Resolutions are nothing but a fancy way of saying goals. I am sure that every one of us sets goals and follows through with everyone.

In a perfect world maybe.

When you set your goals keep them simple and achievable. Don’t set yourself up to fail. None of us likes to fail and it will discourage the setting of the next goal. Once your goal has been set, make a plan to meet or exceed that goal. Then just stick to it.

One other thing to keep in mind, don’t set too many goals at once. You will find yourself overwhelmed and not meeting any of your goals.

Good Luck and Happy New Year!!!

In just a few days, I officially put my sales hat back on after a 3 year hiatus.  I started this website for some friends that work in sales several months ago.  I thought the site was a great idea back then and still do.  They got caught up in the day to day sales chase of things and haven’t really found the time to write.

I am heading to Las Vegas in pursuit of the infamous leads.  The Consumer Electronics Show is not an easy place to go to close a sale.  That doesn’t mean that its impossible or that you shouldn’t try to close a sale there.  But there are literally a million people, lights and whiz bangs and noises everywhere, scantily clad women, alcohol and more foot traffic congestion than St Patrick’s Day in Savannah.  (Similar number of people, except they get to fill up a town instead of a convention center). 

Then there is the rest of Las Vegas.  More drinks, gambling, shows, scantily clad women, tourists etc.  Its just plain difficult to get someone’s attention there and keep it!

I’ve tried lots of tactics there over the years.  Closing before the show, planning to close at the show, wining and dining till the wee hours in the morning, just to get up after an hour of sleep and hit the show to start all over again.

This time, however, I have the amplified power of social networks behind me.  I know how to reinforce a sale with social networks, keep in touch before during and after the show, and prevent those leads from getting cold.  So this year, I am going to the show to simply gather leads.

Gather as many Leads as I can gather in about 3 and a half days.  I’m heading out there packing my laptop, an air card, a camera, a video camera, a voice recorder and the ever important business card scanner.  The goal is to gather the leads and then organize, disperse, (even sell), those leads to close them over the next several weeks to come.  One thing that is a truism about the movie Glengarry Ross, there is power in leads.  Power not only in the use of the leads, but in controlling the leads themselves.  I’m going to work those leads from every angle imaginable!