Not Much Of A Salesman?

tinner666

A good thread. I'll probably be in the same boat sometime next year myself. I can't close a sale worth a dang. So most of my clients are " Come and fix such and such" with no sales involved.
I was interviewed and had a photo session while on a job the other day. I must have looked homeless the way I was dressed, but they said it was my 'Office Uniform" since I was on a slate roof.

I marked this thread in favorites to review it if I see a downturn coming.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.

white8

If you don't enjoy sales, hire a salesman who is an estimator, not an estimator who is a salesman. Some people just have a good personality for sales and some of us have to work very hard at it. A couple of things to try are:

1. Ask for the sale. "Mr. homeowner, I have someone available next Wednesday, would you like for me to send him over?"
2. Follow up in a week or two. "Mr. homeowner, I stopped by to give you an estimate a couple of weeks ago and have not heard from you, would you like to get your project on the schedule?"

DanTheMan9727

Rather than trying to "sell" your services, focus on building relationships and rapport with the people you come in contact with or the one who are calling in. You may not get a quick sale, but this way you'll be able to build up a solid funnel of people who know you and when the time comes... you're the guy!

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metal canopy | carports| metal carports

Forry

This thread has been a big help. I'm more comfortable meeting with clients than I have been in a while. Some things that helped:

Listen more, talk less.

Take time with my answers. Stupid just to blurt out the first dumbass answer that comes to mind.

Relax about whether or not I get the job. This one is hard sometimes, especially now when the market's tight, but the urgency screws everything up, so gotta have it under control and project confidence, not desperation.

If in doubt, don't talk $'s at the first meeting, go back to the office and run the numbers. No sense losing $ on the job.

Listen more, talk less.

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now i am scared for my future
i've got all ten
smashed a lot of them stupidly before
-john5mt

Scampf

There are many great tips on this thread. Here are a few things that I use that keep me as the top performer at my company.

1. Listen. The customer has a story to tell in almost every instance. Take your time and really listen. When you speak, focus on the customer. If they are interested they will interject questions during your presentation. If they fall silent and are stealing sideway glances around the room they are losing interest and getting bored. Get them talking again. Almost everyone enjoys speaking, let them go as long as you can. This is always my one biggest advantage. I like people. I like hearing what they have to say. I do not try and one up their stories, they didn't just reveal their story just to have you tell them a better similar one that happened to you.

2. Spend as little time as possible on the phone and get as much face time as you can. Not only do I sell well, I rarely have cancellations because of this method. I work a lot of insurance related claims. Many jobs get a delay while we negotiate valuations with Ins. Carriers. During this lull period I always make it a point to call and talk with my customer even if I have no news. "Hi Mr. X, just calling to touch base. Seems we are still holding and waiting on your insurer to get back to us etc.... When you do this it continues the trust you built when you closed the sale. It proves that they made a good choice by picking you. If you are this attentive now, before the work starts; then you must be a rockstar when it comes to the build.

3. Never badmouth anyone. EVER. Negative energy is negative energy. Even if you are looking at the worst job you have ever seen, keep neutral about that fact. You could be looking at the homeowners handiwork, or a relatives. Even if it's the work of a Contractor keep neutral. They trusted someone to do the work correctly, by pointing out the lapse in that you are only opening up a wound that reminds them of how badly they chose the last time. If someone directly asks my opinion of poor work I always say something like "Their are better methods and materials available now, that were not available when this was done etc.....

4. I never wanted to be a salesman. I never considered myself in that role and I avoided it until 5 years ago. I finally realized I was a salesman. I was just not doing it as a living. I had so much side work on the weekends I started raising my rates just to slow it down. Despite this, I kept closing sales; even when I would quote prices much higher than the going rate. Finally I realized I was selling myself and not the work or a company. Once you get that skill tuned, everything is easy.

5. Don't be shy in prospecting. Even on days when I am busy or not actively pursuing sales I find myself leaving business cards at the gas pump, at the counter when I pay for lunch ETC.. it is much more effective than most people think. It's so effective that I can honestly state that at least 5 to 10 percent of my leads are generated like this.

6. Moss doesn't gather on a rolling stone. It's a fast food culture. Most of the time, when a person calls; they are calling because they want to buy. Even the ones who claim they are shopping. I do my best to get to them as quickly as possible. I move whatever I can on my schedule to get myself in front of them while they are in the buy mind set.

7. Do what ever you can to get an estimate in front of them while you are there. You should know your job and what costs are involved. No reason to wring every cent out of it by running back so you can update your price list before you bid. You sold yourself by now anyway so close the deal now. As someone said before, ask for that signature when you have finished. I love making it fun and using humor when I close. "Sign now and I promise to use my rear view mirror when I back out of the drive" or I am offering a .39 cent plastic pen with every signature on a contract but it's today only. Reading your customer is easy if you work to know them. Some are all business. Most are human and want you to be too.

Many others echoed some of these thoughts in this thread before I wrote this. They know the art of the close and what it takes. I really expect that every lead I get is an automatic sale. Not in a cocky manner, I just know I work at it harder than most and that there is no one out there that can beat my customer service or provide a better product. I had to find a company that cared as much as I do for my customers and would rather realize a lower profit rather than a dissatisfied customer. This type of company makes me a superstar at what I do. Confidence is self perpetuating and it only seems to get better and better for me. The economy is bad. I agree. Even so, I have sold over 1.2 mil in the past 5 months.

BTW, I have never read any "Sales" books. I'm not knocking them, I just think that if your genuine; your sales will naturally follow.

Hope this helps