On March 11, 2014 at 13:55, 3PedalMINI said...
One thing that you also need to understand is that your bread and butter is in the smaller Jobs where there are 5-6 guys doing the exact same thing and sales are absolutely crucial. Dont get me wrong sales is needed especially for the jobs that are in between the much larger projects.
Sales are always "crucial" I don't care what you're doing. So, what you're saying is that you don't need to "sell" larger projects? I don't think you could type anything that is more off base.
Another thing is that most jobs that some of us are focusing on cannot be designed and finalized on the clients kitchen table on the first meeting. There is generally a few days from the initial meeting to when the proposal is completed and a reschedule is required to come back and propose the system, only then is when you can edit things in front of clients and possibly close the sale, this of course requires a program such as D-Tools and your laptop.
Really? So you think you can't close a sale on a large $20-50k project in one meeting? I've done it, can do it, and will do it again. I'm not going to tell you how it's done, because it's just sales puke stuff....It's all non-sense.
The clientele that I now mostly service usually have come from WOM and ive been given such high regards that im not bidding against someone else.
And what about the clients who don't know how big your dick is?
You guys that have your heads in those salesbooks DAILY need to also be very careful of "becoming a sales puke" I have won numerous jobs because clients have said i actually listened to them and understood their requirements and made them feel comfortable rather then just another "client number in a companies database"
Who ever said that sales doesn't require listening? Nobody.
to 98% of the general population AV and the stuff we do is a total mystery and is is "vudu". I have also seen clients completely turned away from doing larger systems because someone from the area that is much bigger and has admittedly said behind closed doors "hes an epic salesmen" scared the shit out of them by over selling.
If he "over sold" them, he's not quite as good a salesman as he thinks he is.
You guys also have to remember MOST of our clients are business owners themselves or in sales and are quite often put off by the usual "by the book" salespuke shit these books preach that everyone else and their brother has read. Its the same stuff written 200 million different ways.
Who said anything about a sales book? We said read a sales book, not use one. Can you please tell me a few different sales techniques since you're an expert on sales? Funny, you're saying sales doesn't work, but you only work for the really wealthy, and they just so happen to be......salespeople? (your words, not mine)
Everyone's clientele is different, the last 3 years of re branding my business has brought me into the group of clients that are extremely wealthy and dont have time to deal with "by the book sales" and are quite often put off by high pressure sales..one of the best pieces of advice that i have ever been given was by a customer of mine that is in the painting business, he does very high end work but to clients a painter is just a painter. It is not uncommon for him to be against Certapro, trunk slammers etc. all those guys are sales guys, he introduces himself and says I am not here to give you a salespitch on what type of paint we use and how our guys are background checked etc. He then says i am here to provide the best possible service and outcome for your project...so before you by the book sales guys jump on him and his ways He is a millionaire and is one of TWO high end painters in the area.
You realize that what he described to you, is actually a tried and true sales tactic right? He literally just gave you his sales "script" but you didn't even realize it. He's selling himself and the experience, not the paint.
I have been blessed that i can read people very well and know when its time to put the sales cap on or back off a bit. Im not saying i don't have room for improvement but like pauls comment and to put it bluntly my type of clientele will and are most definitely put off by these types of sales tactics.
As I already stated, you can't really recognize a sales tactic in the first place, so you probably don't want to give advice on selling. If you want to give advice on bidding and hoping, that's fine, but selling not so much. As I mentioned to Paul, a good sales tactic looks and sounds like conversation, just like what the painter told you.
If you're working on mostly referrals, you're an order taker, not selling. The closing percentage on referral business is ridiculous, the reason? The prior customer sold it for you....you're only their to take the order.
But I'm not getting into a pissing match about this. I couldn't care less. I'm trying to help someone who missed at least one good opportunity. I don't give a shit how rich your clients are, what cars they drive, or how many islands they own.
See ya.
Last edited by Hasbeen on March 11, 2014 15:58.
