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Section 9 – Sales  |
Know how to get past the gatekeepers
Businesses large and small are bombarded by sales people making presentations in person and over the phone. Personal assistants and receptionists now have to do more than compose letters; they serve as barriers or gatekeepers between their employers and potential interruptions. But persistence, coupled with ingenuity, can make even the toughest gatekeeper hand the keys over to you.
Keep in mind that the person answering the phone may be the very person you need to contact, without your even knowing it. Someone at the company may have given you a contact name, when in reality the person on the other end of the line is the important one. First impressions count, so make your first impression a good one.
Your first inclination may be to push harder, but this may aggravate the person on the other end of the line and essentially squelch any chance you may have had of seeing the person he or she was protecting. Instead, “kill ‘em with kindness,” and you will be amazed at how far you'll get.
Look past your clients' business lives
It is easy to see a client as one dimensional. Clients go to work and you go to work (with a shorter commute, of course). But just as you switch to your home-life mode when you finish work at the end of the day, your clients have lives outside of the corporate world. They have families, belong to various organisations, and are in contact with people you will never meet face to face. They offer opportunities for you to increase your business - you just have to look for them.
When meeting with clients in person, take a close look at their offices. Do they have photographs of children in sport uniforms? Are there plaques on the wall to honour the clients' coaching efforts? Be alert to these hints of clients' outside lives and you will see ways to be of further service to them.
Ask your clients if they belong to any associations within their chosen professions. These groups may be in need of your services or products.
Don't be a pest
No matter how well you do your job, no matter how much your service helps your clients achieve overwhelming success, your clients will eventually forget you. You have two choices for addressing this fact: You can call your clients and risk wasting their time, or you can take a soft sell approach to reminding them that you still exist.
Follow the 13-13-12-12 Plan
No one likes to hear the word “no,” much less feel the pain of rejection. Unfortunately, it’s a part of day-to-day business that we all eventually face. The flip side to this pain is that after a while, the “no” can turn into “yes.”
Determination, hard work, and persistence always pay off. It’s the waiting for the payoff that can distract you. Developing a persistence plan will keep you focused and ready to turn any weak “no” into a solid “yes.”
Sell magic moments
Do you remember the feeling you had when you bought your first car or first home? To others, your purchase may have looked like a heap of metal and vinyl or just some bricks and mortar. To you, your purchase represented the culmination of years spent scrimping, cutting corners, and doing without to make the car or house a part of your life.
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone of your customers felt the same way about your product or service? They can, but it is up to you to paint the picture for them.
Describe your service in detail, from your hours of operation to your state-of-the-art equipment. Certainly you want to share the virtues of your service, but remember also that all potential clients want to know what's in it for them. If you take people beyond the product and sell the feeling behind the product, you will be offering something they can't resist.
Send “Love Letters” to the prospects
Testimonials provide a powerful selling tool. You can spend hours telling a prospect about your services and why they should hire you, or you can provide them with solid evidence. When someone hears about your abilities from someone other than you, the recommendation carries more weight. Let your satisfied customers sell you to prospects by providing them with reference letters. When you receive a glowing letter, share it with others, especially prospects. If you have not received a letter but know that your clients are pleased with your work, don't be afraid to ask them to put it in writing.
If your clients are not willing to share their satisfaction with others, you need to reevaluate your working relationship. This is the ideal opportunity to investigate whether your clients are indeed happy with your services. If not, now is the time to rectify the situation. |
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