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Who are you?” If that's what your prospect says the next
time you contact him, you're in trouble. If you aren't unique as a salesperson,
your company isn't going to stand out in the prospect's mind either. I certainly don't mean to propose you stand out because you
have green hair and a pierced tongue. To get more sales, you have to be someone
the prospects will remember and enjoy being with. Often, when a prospect is
ready to buy, there are 3 or 4 competitors in the running. So which does she
pick? The one that has the salesperson she remembers and likes. Top salespeople
are often outrageous in a positive way. Remember special events. I once sent a birthday card to a
video store owner who had never bought from me. It turned out that I was the
only one in the world who remembered his birthday. He signed a long-term
contract with me that very day. Before that, I had called on him several times,
and he always told me that he wasn't in the market for what I had. You should send handwritten thank you notes. This is
especially important in today's computerized world. You can also fax or send a
cartoon or article that applies to that prospect. Establish curiosity. I know a salesperson who calls once a
month on all the people he hasn't been able to get in to see. He takes his pet
pig and asks the receptionist to tell the prospect, “Bill and his pet pig are
here to see you.” He gets in almost every time and is never forgotten. People
are bored and love to have fun interjected into their day. I once got an
appointment with a bank President after several months by sending a singing
telegram with a humorous “Why-won't-you-see-me?” song. Learn their interests. Once, during a sales call, a
prospect mentioned that he liked playing board games. On the next call, the
salesperson brought him an inexpensive game. So, find their interests — golf,
books, etc. — and then give an inexpensive, appropriate gift. You don't even have to buy anything. One prospect always
told jokes to salespeople who called on him. The salesperson asked around for
some good jokes before an appointment with him. The prospect loved trading
jokes. Consequently, he bought and re-bought from that salesperson and they had
a lot of fun trading jokes. Build emotional rapport. A salesperson I knew, had a client
who owned a farm. They always talked about the client's farm first even though
it didn't have anything to do with his business. When he became manager, a new
salesperson took the account. Within two months, the client had canceled. When
the manager called his ex-client he found out that the new salesperson hadn't
talked about the client's farm or built any emotional rapport. The client felt
that the company didn't care anymore — they just wanted his order. When the
new salesperson went back and established rapport and chatted about the farm,
the client came back with the company. Get involved. When I was selling the radio station with the
lowest numbers in town, the agencies wouldn't buy us at first. I found out that
one agency buyer had a daughter the same age as mine. I was taking my daughter
to a concert and asked if her daughter would like to come also. She was
delighted that I had asked, we went and had a wonderful time. The buyer never
forgot that I did something special for her. She included us in almost every buy
after that. Of course, she wouldn't have if our station hadn't fit her needs.
But in a crowded market, many stations fit her needs but now mine stood out in
her mind. Don't be afraid to take risks. You must remember, you can't lose a sale you don't have. For example, a salesperson will try to be a bit different by wearing a louder tie than usual. When a prospect doesn't buy, the salesperson leaves and says, “Oh, that lost me the sale.” Never mind the fact that he was calling on that same prospect for 5 months and never got a sale! Furthermore, he could call on him another 10 months and still never get the sale. The tie didn't lose the sale. The salesperson was never even close to getting that sale. Will you sell more by being different? Absolutely! Will it
work 100% of the time? No! But, if it doubled or tripled your closing ratio,
would it be worth it? Would you make more money? Of course you would. If you can't lose a sale you don't have, then try being more dramatic. Bolder. State your mind. Be more spontaneous. You must strive for an image that will be remembered. |
