Selling a Hesitant Buyer
There’s not a sales person out there that hasn’t delt with a hesitant buyer. Even when you’ve felt that you’ve done everything right in your sales presentation; given the information about your product, answered the customers questions, have gotten positive feedback (head nods in agreement with you), etc., you end up with no sale and leave wondering what the problem is. This is a common scenario for many sales people, but you might wonder what can be done to change the situation.
“If a prospect or customer is hesitatant to commit, then either the salesperson hasn’t offered enough value or there is a hidden objection that needs to be uncovered,” according to a quote by Andris Zoltners, professor of marketing at the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University found in the article, “An Uncertain Situation,” published in the November/December 2007 issue of Selling Power magazine. The sales person needs to be persistant and ask more questions that are open ended to discover the real objection and over come it.
Maybe the sales person didn’t provide enough information, or create a sense of urgency to the buyer. According to Sales Consultant, Myers Barnes, “One way to create a sense of urgency is “to use reverse engineering, which means starting with the commitment and building backwards. (e.g. If a customer wants a certain delivery date, start with what needs to take place in order for that to happen and get the customer to sign to commit to the process.)” He also believes there are four things customers need to have answered before they will make a commitment, which are listed below:
Four things customers need to have answered before they will make a commitment:
- Why should I buy this from you?
- Why should I buy from your company?
- Why should I buy your products?
- Why should I buy today?
Are your sales people asking these questions to make the sale?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Marketing on December 5th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Systematic Sales
At Paramount Granite Company, structured systems, procedures, quality and excellent customer service are what make us successful and stand out from our competition. Over the years, we have developed numerous processes, techniques and forms related to manufacturing/fabricating, to office and customer service work. While it is important to have systems in place for manufacturing and customer service, it is equally important to have a system in place for making sales.
I recently read, “Sales: Pitch or Process?,” an article found in the September 2007 issue of Stone Business magazine that reinforced this philosophy. The article defined a successful sales system as being made up of three components.
Successful Sales System
- Identifying The Primary Customer:
Identify what type of customer that your business wants to go after. (e.g. high volume -low price, low volume - high quality etc.) - Creating And Communicating The Message:
Who are you and what makes you unique to your customers. - Following Up Relentlessly:
After bidding a job, follow up to answer any questions the customer may have. Re-enforce who you are and what makes you stand out from the competition. And most important…give the pitch and “Ask for the sale!”
Obviously this system is not fool-proof. Not every follow up will turn into a sale, but with a system in place to answer questions and re-enforce your company’s mission, you will be well on your way to successful selling.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Uncategorized, Company, Business, Marketing on October 9th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
What’s the real objection?
With more competition and a slower market, a little more aggressiveness and follow up are a necessity when it comes to winning a sale. While beating on doors is a great way to introduce yourself, promote your products, and answer questions, getting the customer to sign on the line often takes a little more effort by a sales person.
Getting drawings, or the opportunity to bid a job is important, but it is only the first step to a sale. The other step involves follow up, asking the potential customer if they have questions regarding the bid, do they understand it, etc. and finally… what it might take for them to close the sale. While this may process may sound straight forward, many customers have objections. A common objection is, “I want to think about it.” This objection, however, can have a variety of meanings.
I recently read, “They don’t think about buying from you,” an article published in the July 2007 issue of Qualified Remodeler magazine that contained a list of questions to help a sales person get to a customers real objection that I found very useful. They are listed below:
Objection: “I want to think about it.”
- I understand wanting to think about it. May I ask, what else do you need to consider in order to make this decision?
- How do you typically make a decision like this?
- What part of what we’ve discussed so far are you still not 100 percent comfortable with and is still in question for you?
- May I ask, what else do you need to weigh in order to feel confident this is the right solution for you?
- It’s great to hear you are that interested. Based on what I’ve shown you, can you share with me what you’re most excited about?
Are your sales reps getting to the real objection and overcoming it?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Uncategorized, Company, Business, Marketing on September 4th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
E-mail Marketing—A Great Tool To Reach Customers!
E-mail marketing has been around for a number of years now, but not every business has taken advantage of this marketing medium. What is e-mail marketing you may ask? Wikipedia defines e-mail marketing as “a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fundraising messages to an audience. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. However, the term is usually used to refer to:
- Sending emails with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with its current or old customers and to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.
- Sending emails with the purpose of acquiring new customers or convincing old customers to buy something immediately.
- Adding advertisements in emails sent by other companies to their customers.
- Emails that are being sent on the Internet.”
PGC has been using using e-mail in general for over 10 years, and e-mail marketing for more than 2 years now. Although we used a generic template for our first e-mail marketing campaigns, I could see the value in communicating with our customers in this way. After further investigation on my part and with the help of Prime Advertising and Vertical Response, we developed a custom e-mail marketing template that had a similar look to our website, which has worked well with our branding efforts. E-mail marketing has proved to be a valueable communication tool for PGC and our customers, while being relatively inexpensive. It also works great to keep our company name visible in todays competitive market.
Have you given e-mail marketing a try yet?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Company, Industry News, Marketing on August 15th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
The More You Tell, The More You Sell!
I’ll never forget my first job out of college. I moved the day after I graduated to be with my then, fiance, from a small conservative college town in Minnesota to Detroit…of all places. There I was—no friends, no family, no more college parties, and NO JOB! I was in total culture shock! I knew I had to find a job immediately, so I began sending out resumes left and right. It took awhile, but I eventually found a job working as an Advertising Sales Representative for a company that published several local suburban newspapers in the Detroit area.
My first days at the company were spent with the owner, Gil, going door to door from one business to another business. We’d stop by, bring them the current issue of the paper, and find out if they’d be interested in running an ad in the next issue. Those first days to me, seemed like they were never ending. We just kept going to more and more businesses, well into the evening. Our last stop was either a restaurant, or bar, where Gil and I would finally sit down. He would then start his famous speech, which always began with, “You know Barb, ‘The More You Tell, The More You sell!’ You’ve got to keep beating on those doors, because eventually someone will say yes.”
And so it began…I found myself walking the streets of those Detroit suburbs, pounding on doors from one business to the next, day in and day out. I thought it was grueling and never imagined myself to be doing such a thing, but then something happened. The company was having a sales contest, which I never really paid much attention to. I didn’t even think I was in the running, but funny thing, I won! I couldn’t believe it. Turns out, that Gil was right. I really wasn’t doing anything special. I certainly wasn’t an aggressive seller. I was, however, persistant and beat on a lot of doors.
I recently read, “Prioritize or Perish”, an article found in the June 2007 issue of Selling Power magazine, that reminded me of this story and my sales experience. The article referenced Martin Papper, Vice President of Sales at C&S Distributors, a wholesale building distributor, who admitted to being very obnoxious when it came to setting priorities for his sales rep’s. He apparently, on a frequent basis, leaves a 3-Part voice mail for each sales rep saying: “Make the calls, make the calls, make the calls.”
- The first reference is to make calls to get new accounts.
- The second reference is to make calls to keep receivables under control.
- The second reference is to make calls to stay in touch with inactive and active accounts.
Apparently, this mantra works for him and his reps, just as Gil’s mantra, “The more you tell, the more you sell,” worked for me and others.
How are you keeping your Sales Rep’s active?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Uncategorized, Company, Business, Marketing on June 22nd, 2007 by Barb | | 2 Comments
New Source For Natural Stone Information
In my last blog, I talked about the importance of branding to stand out from the competition. Funny thing, because this morning as I was paging through the June 2007 issue of Stone World magazine, I came across the article, “Natural Stone Council Develops Web site,” which promotes their new branding message,—
“As Genuine, As You!”
The Natural Stone Council is made up of various businesses and trade organizations within the stone industry and was formed in 2003 to promote the use of natural stone. Their new website was designed specifically for the stone industry and related trades to provide information in regards to stone, and to provide real answers about the myths and misconceptions that are present in the current market.
The site is a great place to send your customers for answers to many of the their questions in regards to stone. It also provides a great branding message for the entire stone industry!
For more information, visit the site at http://www.genuinestone.org/home.php.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite, Company, Marketing on June 18th, 2007 by Barb | | 2 Comments
Branding—A Necessity To Stand Out & Prosper
Everyone is familiar with different brands, especially from larger companies such as Starbucks, Nike, Coke, Pepsi, Domino’s, and Levi’s. Many people, however, are confused by the term and tend to think that branding is just advertising. This is where they are wrong. Branding is much more than advertising.
Wikipedia defines branding as:
“a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the use of the product or service and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to the product and serves to create associations and expectations around it. A brand often includes a logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, and sound, which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.”
According to the article, “What Is Branding and How Important Is It To Your Marketing Stragey,” found on About.com, there are several objectives that a good brand will achieve:
- Delivers the message clearly
- Confirms your credibility
- Connects your target prospects emotionally
- Motivates the buyer
- Concretes User Loyalty
What most people don’t realize is, that everything about your company sends a message. Whether it is a clean professional company uniform shirt an employee is wearing, a courteous greeting from an installer, a clean company vehicle driving down the road with a promininent logo and web address, a neat and tidy showroom displaying company products, an apology when a mistake is made with a resolution to the problem, etc. It is the combination of all of these things, and more, that create an emotion and perceptions in the mind of your customers.
It is also important to keep your branding consistent. Visuals, such as display ads, or a website should have the same feel along with a signature logo, color, font, etc. and be displayed where ever possible. Repetition is key.
I know, at PGC, we work hard everyday to create a positive perception and imprint for our customers. How does your company stack up in the branding department?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Company, Business, Marketing on June 14th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Marketing Your Way To Success
Since we opened our doors, over 10 years ago, we have always strived to be the best at what we do…fabricating and installing natural stone countertops. We are always looking for ways to improve our processes, customer service, and quality to stay on the cutting edge and stand out from the competition. From the beginning, we realized the importance of marketing, and focused on ways to build relationships and identify ourselves in the market to get recognized and bring in new business.
I recently read ” The Marketing Top 10,” a commentary by Linda Case, published in the May 2007 issue of Remodeling Magazine that listed the Top 10 forms of marketing that work best for remodelers, which I felt were great points. 
I am happy to say PGC uses them all. Read through the list below and see how your company fares.
List in Letterman-style (from the bottom.)
10. Direct Mail—Especially postcards that use professional photography.
9. Association membership—Join various associations to network, get referrals, share ideas, etc.
8. Home tours—Show off your work!
7. Publicity—Enter competitions and publicize the wins.
6. Community Profile—Take what you enjoy and let it work to be an advantage for your company. e.g. Go to a golf outing, biking, etc. and meet others with common interests and share what you do for a living.
5. Jobsite presence—Introduce your company to a neighborhood via a postcard, etc.
4. Your website—Use your website to show photos of your work, tell your story, etc.
3. A great image—Design a great logo and use it everywhere! e.g. business cards, signs, letterhead, website, vehicles.
2. Sterling customer service—Constantly strive for improvements for your clients experience.
1. A system for staying in touch—Contact customers, suppliers, trade partners, etc. several times a year. Give them information and a reminder of you. e.g. Newsletters, cards, invitations.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Company, Business, Marketing on May 15th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
