Making new business sales calls can add significant dollars to your sales or they can cause much frustration and little else.
"What is your call strategy on this prospect?" the manager asked.
"Well I generally go in tell them about some of our value added services and leave a list of our monthly specials," says the DSR.
The manager probes,"Does that ever work?"
"Work?"asks the DSR.
"Yes,"the manager responds. "Do you ever get a new prospect to buy based on that approach?"
"Gosh no."says the DSR with a slight grin that seemed to say the manager could never understand how complex his selling job was.
The manager presses on, "Based on looking at your monthly specials, has a prospect ever become interested enough to want to fill out a credit application or invite you back to audit his kitchen or cost out his menu?"
"Well no."admits the DSR without the smile.
"Then let me ask this," says the manager looking seriously into the eyes of the DSR. "Why do you still hand out your pricing information to people who have given you no indication they are ready to buy from you?"
"Well it is a way of letting them know what we sell so that when they are ready to buy, they will know who to come to," says the DSR, smiling again.
The manager asks, "And when has one of them come to you in the past?"
"Well," admits the DSR, "I can't think of any right now."
The manager follows up, "This prospect has been buying from the same competitor for the last six years. What do you think are the chances he passes your price list to your competitor?"
Are you NUTS?
Someone once said that, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting something different to happen."
Getting Sane!
While most DSRs would prefer to avoid "untimely" price conversations with new business prospects, few DSRs are doing anything to encourage the prospect to talk about anything else.
When the DSR begins talking to prospects about "specials," he or she should not be terribly surprised when the prospect starts talking about prices. When the DSR begins conversations about products, one of two things will likely happen, the buyer will begin to defend his or her current buying decision or he or she will want to compare pricing. Either way, you lose.
No Dummies Here
When the football coach screamed, "Now all you dummies hit the showers!" all of the players took off, except one. Seeing one remaining player not heading for the showers, the coach approached him and shouted, "Well!" The smiling player responded, "Well, there certainly are a lot of dummies, aren't there?"
A lot of DSRs fail to get the respect or the attention of the buyer because they appear to be just like all of the rest of the "Me too" salespeople on the street, they act like dummies.
If you want to be seen as different than the rest of the DSRs on the street then you have to act different than the rest. You have to give the buyer a compelling reason to talk to you and this won't happen when you sound like you are there to "pitch" a product or cheaper prices.
You and I have to be smarter. We have to have a different plan, one that works.
Be Prepared to Be A Professional
The first things people want to know when approached by a sales person is, "Who are you, what do you want and how long will this take?" You should be prepared with an answer. It might sounds like, "Hi I'm Tommy Tucase of Too Good Foods. I've visited your restaurant several times and I think we may have some business issues in common. I'd like to take about 10 minutes to learn more about your restaurant. Would now be a good time or can we set a meeting for later?"
At this point, the prospect knows who you are and what you want, now he or she just has to make a decision about talking to you. If the prospect says, "Okay, I have a few minutes now," you better be ready to say, or ask, something intelligent.
Someone told me that given the opportunity, most of us are 6 1/2 times more likely to say something stupid than to say something intelligent. The point is, we are better off asking prepared questions than trying to use our "gift of gab."
Ask Good Questions
First, ask questions about his or her business, questions that let the prospect know you are serious and interested in learning about the prospect's business.
Second, ask questions that make the prospect think. Here are some examples:
"What is the strongest part of your menu?"
"Tell me about the part of your menu that concerns you the most."
"How is chain competition affecting you?"
"What would you like to improve in your kitchen?"
"Other than price, what three things do you like most about your primary supplier?"
"What would the perfect supplier do for you?"
"What buying program do they have you on?"
"How is labor cost and taxation affecting you?"
You may only be able to ask a couple of these questions during your sales conversation, as you will probe for depth within each question.
Third, keep your time commitment. If you asked for 10 minutes, keep your promise, but you can offer the prospect the chance to talk for another 10 minutes.
One DSR I worked with took his watch off and set it on the table where he and the prospect could see the time.
At the end of the 10-minute period, acknowledge it, "Mr. Prospect, I asked you to give me 10 minutes and I have discovered a lot about your organization. I need to know even more before I can tell you if we would be a good fit. What would be a good time for us to meet again? I'm in this area on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
The "acknowledgment" of time accomplishes several things; it lets the prospect see that you are serious about keeping your commitments, it says you want to learn more about his/her organization and it keeps the sales process moving by asking for a follow-up appointment. Develop an "acknowledgment" statement of your own, then use and change it until you are comfortable with it.
Do what works
Be prepared with questions that work for you but don't kid yourself. Look at the results and then work with your manager and senior DSRs to develop a probing plan that might be more effective. You want the prospect to recognize you as a professional and different than the other DSRs calling on them. You want the prospect to examine his or her business issues as you ask insightful questions, without conducting a "3rd degree." You want to learn about the prospect's business and his plans. AND you want your questions to stimulate enough prospect interest to be invited back.
Summarize the Meeting
While it is seldom done, I believe it is very important to summarize the meeting before wrapping it up. Take the opportunity to review your notes with the prospect. Point out the three or four most important things you learned from the meeting and ask, "What have I missed?" It's an open-ended question that asks the prospect to add more to your vocabulary of information about his/her business.
Demonstrate that you listened and learned during the meeting.
Gain a commitment for the next step
After you have summarized the call, ask the prospect, for the "Next Step." You might ask, "What do you think our next step should be?" This allows the prospect to feel in control. Let him or her invite you back and even set the agenda for what he or she feels is most important to cover.
If the prospect is evasive or unsure, you should be prepared to ask for the "Next Step." "Mr. Prospect I appreciate the time and information we have share so far but there is a lot more...Can we meet again on...? "
There are only two reasons the prospect will agree to talk to you. He is interested in something or he is lonely. Assume he is not lonely or bored. Be prepared to professionally uncover what he or she is interested in and then let them buy the solutions from you.
Rick Phillips, a veteran of three decades of sales and management, founded Phillips Sales and Staff Development in 1984. His core training philosophy is that much of the training being offered in American business was at best inadequate or woefully misplaced. "People are still taught to memorize words and techniques...instead of understanding the principles. Principles are constants that don't change." Rick has been a featured speaker at the international convention for the American Society for Training and Development. He is a past winner of the ASTD Training Program Design Award. Rick has received Toastmasters International's highest earned honor being named Distinguished Toastmaster and was a featured presenter at their international convention. As a member of the National Speakers Association, he has spoken at the international convention and served as president of the Louisiana Chapter.
