The Selling Sherpa

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO

You get invitations to meetings, lead groups, workshops or seminar. This could be good networking opportunities, but you also don’t want to spend too much time away from selling activities.

So, how do you decide which to attend and which to pass on? How do you answer the question, “should I stay or should I go?”

I will typically consider three things:

Does the subject of the event address a problem my customers are facing?
Does the subject of the event address an idea I want to pursue but have not had time to research?
Is the speaker or featured presenter someone I want to make a connection with?

If the answer to any of these is yes, I’ll go. But if I can’t honestly answer yes to any of them, I’ll pass.

In this way, I prevent the loss of valuable selling time by avoiding those events that have no direct bearing on my business.

You may want to try using my criteria the next time you find yourself wondering, “should I stay or should I go?”

PROMISES, PROMISES

You’ve wowed your customer time and time again. They're not just satisfied...they are fanatical! And, they’ve given you the name and number of a friend as a referral.

So, how do you handle the call?

Most salespeople might call with something like, “Mr. Prospect, this is Mark Jones with Rock Solid Investments. Bill Smith said I should call you.”

While that opening is very factual, it doesn’t say much about you.

A better idea is to begin the conversation with, “Mr. Prospect, this is Mark Jones with Rock Solid Investments. Bill Smith asked me to call you and I promised him that I would.”

With one statement, you’ve already established that you are the kind of person who keeps promises to your customers, and that makes the idea of doing business with you very promising indeed!

LET ME BE THERE

Whenever I encounter the “we’ll have a meeting next week with the board and let you know” stall from a prospect, I always ask them to let me be there.

I pledge not to make a sales presentation (unless they want one), but I will answer questions that might come up.

Think about it: your prospect probably doesn’t know your product or service as well as you do, so why let them attempt to make the sale on your behalf?

Not every prospect will accept the offer. But, at least I asked them to let me be there, which is something most salespeople wont do. And that’s memorable, too!

PUT IT THERE

Research has proven time and again that, when it comes to negotiating, the person who is first to offer a handshake will generally have a slight advantage, psychologically speaking, in the conversation.

So, use your left hand for paperwork, files, or whatever, and keep your right hand ready so you can be the first to shake hands.

Get in the habit of being the person who says “put it there” before anyone else does and the advantage will be yours.

ONE CUP OF COFFEE

I stopped at one of those drive-thru coffee shops the other day. This one was very near the main road, featured a service window on either side of the building, and was staffed by a pleasant-enough young woman in a summer dress.

She was in conversation with the customer on the other side (obviously a regular) but broke away briefly and asked for my order. I requested a non-fat, no-whip mocha, she turned and went back to the coffee-maker and her conversation.

I overheard her telling the female customer that she was wearing the dress today so she could get bigger tips. She said it usually worked well, but today it hadn’t. Although she had managed to get a lot of extra attention from a guy she described as “creepy”.

She then turned my way and asked me to repeat the order because she had forgotten it. I repeated the order and she started making it.

Her conversation continued about other “strategies” for getting more money in the tip jar. As she was finishing my drink, she turned my way and asked, “did you want whip cream on that?” I had already told her “no whip” twice, but I replied once more that I did not want it.

It is humorous (and a little sad) to me that she clearly spends energy on manipulative acts in an effort to increase her personal income, when she would probably receive more tips simply by doing the best job possible...one cup of coffee at a time.

Don’t fall into using manipulation tactics to sell.

Just take care of each and every customer to the best of your ability, and your sales (and tips, if tipping occurs where you work) will be just fine.

IRON MAN

I’ll admit it. I was kinda into comics when I was a little younger. Okay...when I was a LOT younger!

The pride of my collection was issue #39 of “Tales of Suspense”, which features the very first appearance of Iron Man.

I’ve known that an Iron Man film was in the works since becoming a Marvel stockholder about 5 years ago and I have been anxious to see the result. I’ve purposely avoided seeking out details about the film story, eschewed online trailers, and isolated myself from spoilers.

Last night, I was invited to a special advance screening of the film and IT ROCKS! I had built up a tremendous amount of anticipation for the film and, happily, it did not disappoint.

But I’ve been disappointed before. The Hulk. Elektra. Jersey Girl. (Sorry Kevin!)

Have you ever been disappointed? Isn’t it terrible when you are let down by something you thought would be great? Remember how you felt?

That little twinge you may have just experienced is what your customer feels if you ever let them down. Falling short with a customer, even by a slight margin, can cause them to focus only on their disappointment, even though your solution delivered 99% of the promised result.

Strive to never disappoint a customer. Be an Iron Man (or woman) yourself and follow through on a sale to the complete satisfaction of your buyer.

Do that, and you will always have great buzz, quality referrals, and lots of true fans!

ICE CREAM MAN

This has been a great week for ice cream!

Last night was 31-cent cone night at Baskin-Robbins (with a promotional tie-in to America’s firefighters), and Wednesday was the annual Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops. And, even thought the new scoop shop near my home wont open for months, the Ben & Jerry’s folks parked a portable shop (like the kind used at fairs and festivals) in front of the as-yet empty storefront where they will be and they were handing out free cones all day long.

Both locations were packed during the events, proving that a good promotion can still line up a crowd. All it takes is a willingness to hand out free samples (always the best way to get folks to try something new) or sell at a significant discount from regular retails (which I bet still covers the cost).

Want a double-scoop of new business?

Take a tip from the ice cream man and create something like Free Cone Day or 31-Cent Cone Night for your business.

If you do it right, you can also end up with all kinds of media coverage (AKA free advertising)!

DON’T LOOK BACK

Occasionally, we all blow a sale.

Maybe we missed important non-verbal signals, or perhaps we were too pushy at the wrong time, or maybe we weren’t bold enough.

Whatever the case, it is important to do the forensic investigation on a blown sale to understand what went wrong. Whatever you learn from that effort will help you improve your skills and lower the chance of blowing the next sale.

But is is also essential that you not dwell on the sale you missed.

When you spend too much time focusing on the failure, you actually set the stage for more of the same.

So, once you’ve studied your blown sale and learned what you can from it, move on. Don’t look back at what might have been.

Instead, focus on what will be...and go make that sale!

NOBODY LIKE YOU

A colleague had been agonizing over increasing her rates. She knew it was something she had to do if she was going to reach profitability, but she was also fearful that clients might leave her.

She is a hair stylist, and she used to pack up her car with equipment and travel to the homes of her customers to do their hair. Not long ago, she turned what was her garage into a styling studio at her home.

Now her clients have to spend their time and gasoline to come to her...AND she raised her rates. What do you think happened?

Not only did she keep every one of her customers, she actually picked up 7 new ones, thanks to the recommendations of her loyal fans who think she is great.

When there is nobody like you in the business, your loyal customers will be less sensitive to price...and more likely to spread the word to their friends and family.

Make sure there is nobody like you!

HAVE A CIGAR

Want to be memorable to your customer or prospect? Make a memory by congratulating them upon the successes, accomplishments, or events that merit commemoration.

See a notice about them receiving an award or recognition? Drop in for a quick visit and to say, “have a cigar” or “here’s a bottle of champagne to celebrate with” (but only if you know they enjoy either of these), or some other appropriate token of esteem.

If you see them featured in a news story (newspaper, magazine, trade paper, or online versions), make sure to send a copy to them and tell them how happy you are to read about them. [Believe it or not, I still have a card from my bank at the time who used this technique to congratulate me on my election....to Junior Class Treasurer in High School!] You’ll get extra points if you get the article matted and framed, then present it to them.

When you take the time to acknowledge the milestones in someone else’s life, you set yourself apart from the average salesperson.