The Selling Sherpa

CUT THE CAKE

Last night I caught an episode of “Ace of Cakes”, which is about an incredible bakery in Baltimore that makes amazing cakes. Really, each creation is a work of art, and I can’t imagine how anyone could cut the cake.

I did a little research into the company, Charm City Cakes, and found they are booked solid through March, and have huge chunks of the calendar already blocked out well into 2009. Also, just to have a tasting/design appointment with them, you pay a $100 non-refundable deposit, which they will credit if you buy a cake from them. If you decide not to buy from them, kiss your $100 goodbye.

They are in heavy demand, they are doing it their own way, and they are not cheap. Sounds like the perfect selling scenario.

During the program, they made a wedding cake for a couple that had previously gotten an engagement cake from them. They also hinted to the couple that they are anxious to create a baby shower cake for them when the time comes.

That is a perfect example of what you should be doing with your customers. Even as you are delivering current orders, you need to ask about future needs and even make suggestions about other ways your firm can serve your customers.

Plant the seeds of future sales with every customer interaction, and you will harvest lots of commissions!

COME TOGETHER

Want to really bring strong, positive impact to your pitch? Invite your prospect to have lunch with you and one of your most influential customers.

Your prospect will be grateful for the introduction to an important person in your market. They will also be able to hear, first-hand, a powerful testimonial from a market leader.

Your influential customer may also be benefit by meeting a potential new client for their product/service.

Make it a point to have at least one “power” lunch a week where prospects and loyal customers come together, and you’ll likely get a new customer every time you do!

LUCKY MAN

When a prospect asks if you can meet on a certain day and time, pause to look at your calendar and respond with something like, “You’re a lucky man (or woman)! I just happen to have a little time that morning (afternoon) available and I will make arrangements to meet you then.”

With that kind of response, you’ve indicated you are a busy sales professional (most successful people are busy), but you value them enough to make adjustments so meeting with you is convenient for their schedule.

Chances that your appointment will cancel at the last minute are also reduced.

DON’T LIE

I spent yesterday morning helping a new sales team develop tailored strategies for selling advertising in their publication. It is an exciting time, and I am confident they are going to do a great job for their customers, their company, and themselves.

During our time together, I discovered they had been given disturbing advice by someone calling themselves a sales trainer. This person suggested they get appointments by calling prospects and pretending they are working on a “public service” project.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

Although you can probably make one sale with misleading statements, chances are slim for building a long-term relationship that way.

Your integrity and your reputation are too valuable to throw away.

Whatever you do, don’t lie...about anything!

TIME

A lot of the time, we get caught up in doing a lot of detail work that actually distracts us from higher income activities, such as prospecting, meeting, presenting and closing.

As a selling professional, your time is valuable. But do you know exactly how valuable it is?

To find out, follow this simple formula:
[gross annual income] / 52 = [gross weekly income]
[gross weekly income] / 40 (or however many hours you work in a week) = hourly wage

(Use last year’s income. Or, use this year’s goal, but only if you know you will achieve it.)

Once your hourly wage is determined, you can make strategic decisions about what to handle yourself and what to pay someone else to take care of for you.

Know what your selling time is worth and, wherever it’s practical, hire others to handle non-selling activities.

STORIES

Did you hear about the mother of six who auctioned off an opened pack of Pokemon cards on eBay for over $140? How did she do it?

It wasn’t because she listed features and benefits, and it wasn’t just because she had an illustration of the product. She barely described the product itself.

Instead, she told a compelling story about how she came to have the cards in the first place. It was a fun story, all about what it is like to shop with 6 children in tow, and how much extra always ends up in her shopping cart.

Over 14,000 people read her story, and 800 bidders were involved in the auction.

It should be obvious that a compelling story can help you sell, too. If you don’t have any, borrow some from others who are selling what you sell, and start collecting your own selling stories.

COME AND GET IT

I am making a concerted effort to be sure what I discuss here is positive and good and helpful. But, sometimes, we need to acknowledge and examine negative experiences to learn from them.

During January, I communicated with several media outlets to arrange advertising for one of my clients. I am making sure they don’t buy more than they need and they get the best rate for what they do buy.

With a few exchanges back and forth via phone and email, everything was set up...or so I thought. Since then, I have not had one follow-up from the account executives (that’s media-speak for “salesperson”) to finalize the schedules...or the payments.

It is almost as if I am standing here with a pile of money saying “come and get it” but nobody will.

One of the surest ways to be successful in sales is to follow up with prospects, especially the ones that have called you!

If you can’t get back to them immediately, at least send an email, fax, or voicemail to let them know you haven’t forgotten them.

TOO SHY

Working with a consulting client not long ago, we discussed referrals. He admitted he is a little too shy when it comes to asking for them.

My response: the only thing you’ll get being too shy about referrals is a thin wallet!

Whatever business you are in, referrals are critically important to building it. You literally cannot afford to be shy.

If you are a wallflower, find it difficult to start conversations, or can’t bring yourself to ask clients for referrals, you must take steps now to solve this problem. Ask your colleagues for help. Ask your clients for help. Ask anyone you know who is outgoing to help you learn how to be outgoing too.

That is, unless you enjoy a thinner wallet.

RIGHT NOW

We try our best to make sure every transaction is handled perfectly.

Despite our efforts, somewhere, somehow, problems are going to come up. And, sometimes, those problems are not the little “oops” problems....instead, they will be the certified, super-sized, no-going-back-now, massive screw-up’s that could kill the sale, the relationship and maybe even your reputation.

When this happens (trust me, it will happen to all of us), you have one shot to rescue the situation and the key is this: tell the customer RIGHT NOW!

If you know you have to tell them eventually, or if you know they will figure it out someday, you MUST tell them right now because delaying the inevitable will only make it worse.

Accept the blame, the flame, and the shame that comes with the screw-up, work your butt off to fix it fast, and, if there is anyway, refund their money.

Even if you do all this, you may not be able to salvage the relationship; but, you will have saved your reputation.

Because even the maddest customer can never say you didn’t at least try to make it right.

SHOP AROUND

Until you become a friend, a partner, or at least a preferred vendor, you will have prospects that are going to compare what you offer with what your competition does.

You can minimize, or maybe even eliminate this, but you will have to shop around yourself.

As a professional salesperson, it is your responsibility to already know what the competition offers. I encourage you to find out everything you can about them so you can intelligently discuss the pro’s and con’s of the other options in marketplace.

So the next time a prospect is clearly not ready to make a purchasing decision yet, politely ask them to share whom else they are considering so you can compare and contrast your product/service with those of your esteemed competitor’s.

Giving them comparisons while they are still with you will, in most cases, remove the need for them to go anywhere else and, if you truly sell the best, you are likely to close a sale right then and there.