Right then and there, I usually ask these people, "Mr. Customer, did you contact my company to inquire about a purchase, or were you looking for some information? If you are interested in a consultation, I'd be happy to meet with you and help you plan your system with the product available from your presonal contacts. Our design consultation fee is (insert some appropriate number, between $500 and $5,000, depending on what the poject sounds like it'd be at retail, and just insert your labor fee AS the design fee). When they balk, WALK THEM. If they bite, then say "Excellent, in order to begin, I'll need the deposit fee up front. We've been burned too many time by people who are just looking for free information. We are a business, and need to make money like everyone else." Then if he writes you a check, you're golden. If not, consider him heading into the sunset.


These are the best kinds of people, cuz I just cut right through the BS with them and say "Look, I know you're an excellent sales guy, so tell me what it is you're looking for, and I'll see what I can do to accomodate you. You probably hate being stroked just like I do. If you're looking for information, (repeat above)."


ANY company should institute a deposit plan. I take deposits on everything over $1,000. Period. You'd be amazed how customers respond when you tell them you need a deposit before you start doing any work. Take a 'retainer' for design, then a deposit for parts, a draw for beginning the labor, then final payment upon completion.


Yeah, the radar goes out sometimes, and on those occasions, you just have to suck it up and take your lumps, but remember to LEARN from it, and put that info into your bank for the next guy. Remember, these guys all talk, and he'll be telling his buddie about the guy as ABC Audio/Video who gave him all this great advice for FREE, then he took it to the internet and bought all the stuff cheaper.....

A great district manager of mine once told me "Once you realize the sale is lost, then forget about it as if it never happened. You'll lose more then that one sale if you continue to dwell on it. Just remember what happened, and watch for it to happen again."

Where's my thread about your closed sale? It's Saturday morning...you've got about 36 hours to close something and make us proud!

Fred

Uh, I just closed a deal today actually! Not a biggee, but hey!

An old sales guy I used to know, who had been in the car business all of his life, had all these great insights and one liners into consumers' actions...

His favorite expression was "Buyers or Liars"...(wait, maybe it was Liars are Buyers)... well, you get the idea anyway!

I used to "shop" competitors all the time, until one caught me red-handed!!! Oops!

Thanks Fred, that is goosd advice, to forget and move on... Even old dogs like myself need occcasional tune-ups!

We get all the $$$ for hardware prior to, or when it hists the client's doorstep. Used to do 20% down 30% at Trim & 30% at Final with a 10% hold-out for all the last little details...

It's just easier for us these days to get paid ASAP after the pre-wire, get prepaid for the gear, and hold out just the final labor until the client is satisfied.

We started being a "Bank" to customers who would have us deliver and hook up everything, and hold out $$ on equipment they had received over some minor detail or issue.

The whole sales closing / capturing thing, along with the hunt, is what still keeps this intersting and rewarding.
|
Thanks, Fred!

I agree with the others. It's part and parcel of selling. The funny thing is that often the ones that are a shoe die and one that you thought was dead comes in out of no place. I recently read some of Tom Hopkins and one of the things that he says is that once a customer always - stay in touch with them. I've got 2 jobs yes they are small but from to clients that I didn't make the sale too.

Marc