Sales drive everything. Without them, our endeavors are going nowhere! So, here are 10 things I do and I teach my students to do to improve their selling efforts:
Know who your ideal client is and spend time with prospects that fit that description. One of the surest ways to waste time and not make sales is to waste time with prospects that don't fit the mold of your ideal client. You must define who your ideal client is and all the attributes about them so you know where and how to look for them. Sounds simple and actually it is. Identify who your ideal client is and look for more just like that. Hint: They tend to stick to together; where there are some, there are more!
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Sales take time; you have to have patience to get to know the prospect before you ask for the sale. Some of my best clients are ones that took me years to finally get an order from. Don't give up; keep steady and be persistent. Think about the people you enjoy buying from; what are their traits? Chances are, they take their time and are not someone you avoid when you see them coming. Hint: Slow and steady wins the race; just ask the tortoise!
Dress and Groom for Success. I know, sounds silly for me to suggest you dress well and groom well, but trust me, this makes a difference. Wear a logo'd shirt, nice pants, have a nice haircut, a neatly-trimmed beard if you have one, and don't wear revealing clothing. As a rule, I tell my team: we want you to dress like a landscaper would dress, shirt tucked in, hair combed, teeth brushed, and 1 squirt of cologne if you wear it, not 10! The look you present at the first meeting silently says a lot about what's important to you. If you can't take care of yourself, what else is your client going to worry about when they see you? Hint: Always take your shoes off when you are walking on nice floors or carpeting at client locations. (You would not believe how many people will be impressed by this simple one!)
Have a clean vehicle. Again, seems silly and simple for me to share this with you, but this works too. A clean vehicle, preferably one with your logo on it not only impresses prospects and clients when you pull up for a meeting, it also gets noticed in traffic. Through the years, we know that much of Grunder Landscaping Co.'s leads come from our clean, logo'd vehicles. Hint: Place your logo on all 4 sides of your vehicles. The average consumer must see your name 27 times before they will recall your name in a time of need so you need to get your name out there as much as possible.
Be on time. Being late for appointments is a sure way to lose business. If you can't be on time, what else are you not going to be able to do? (That's what a prospect thinks.) And if you are going to be late, as we all know things like that happen, always call. Hint: Call your clients telling them you might be 1 or 2 minutes late, even if you think you\'re going to be on time, it's a way to make a point that you value their time and want their business.
Watch where you park. My sales professionals are taught to never park in a client's driveway. We don't want to block the spouse from coming or going or one of their children. Everything about selling needs to be about the prospect or client, not about you. We strive to be as considerate as possible. When we call on commercial clients, we watch where we park too, making sure we're not taking up one of their customers' private spots or the CEO's spot! Again, this is simple stuff; however, it works. Hint: Carry door hangars and put them on the doors of the places by the property you're calling on; sales come from all sorts of places and we always need to be on the lookout for new business.
Listen and take notes. I can count on one hand the number of sales professionals I have tried to do business with in the last year that took notes. I don't know what's going on, but if you don't take notes, you aren't going to remember everything. And if you don't take notes, you are going to miss a detail and it's an attention to details that separates you from the competition. Hint: Before you leave any call, take 3 minutes and go over your notes and what you heard the prospect ask for. I have done this for 20 years; my sales team does it, and my students do it and it works. Again, think about the best salespeople you encounter; chances are they take notes.
Send a thank you note after your sales call. This is old fashioned and it works. People do business with people they know, like, and trust and a thank you note will start the relationship off on the right foot. Thirty years ago, a thank you note was a given; today it's not done by many and you'll stand out if you send one. Today, sales people want to e-mail, text, tweet, or call; they don't want to take the time to hand write a note. Be the one that does it and you can and will make more sales. Hint: Mention something specific in your thank you note that demonstrates how well you listened or something you had in common with the prospect. If you both are Ohio State Grads, a "Go Bucks" at the end will make them smile! :-)
DWYSYWD. What does this stand for? Do What You Said You Would Do! You will never be successful in sales until you do what you said you would do. In fact, if this is the only tip you follow that I have shared, you will see your sales grow. Hint: Do more than you said you would do and you will watch your sales really take off. Underpromise and Overdeliver, that™ the key, if you told them you would have the quote ready for them by Friday morning, deliver it Thursday, if at all possible.
Use a selling system. I teach the 11-Step Kick-Butt, Bullet-Proof Selling Process. It's a process I developed and have used at Grunder Landscaping Co. for almost 20 years; it works. We can teach you this system, or you can develop your own, just by thinking through the steps you have found you need to take to be successful in sales. A process helps you find a groove and it forms good habits. Large companies like UPS and McDonald's found their success by developing and following systems and you can't argue with their success. Hint: Spend some money on sales training for you and your team; nothing grows sales like a well-trained and well-equipped salesforce.
Sales drive everything. Without sales your company is going nowhere. You can't assume the phone is going to ring; go out and make it ring by being a sales professional people talk about and tell others to call you. Take some time with these ideas and think about what you can do to improve your selling efforts. You don't stand out in a crowded market place by being average; you stand out by going above and beyond in all that you do. Happy Selling!
