14. How do you open new accounts?
"I forgot they were coming!"
"I wonder how long this is going to take."
"My production supervisor is on vacation."
"My office manager called in sick this morning!"
"YIKES! Look at all the stuff they have with them!"
"There are two of them - they will probably never stop talking."
"This is going to take forever - I've got to do something - fast."
"I see they have a price book - good - I know how to get rid of them."
"I'll get a price quote on something and tell them they are way too high.""
If you are having the door slammed in your face before you even have a chance to say hello - you may be doing it wrong.
Let me explain.
Why do you go to the office before an appointment and gather a ton of brochures, fill your brief case with samples, get a complete product list, take your laptop, and ask someone else to go on the sales call with you?
Your first mistake is thinking that the potential customer is remotely interested in you or what you are selling. You mistakenly think that they want to read your brochures (they don’t), listen to your sales pitch (they have a hundred other things that are more pressing) and ask questions about you and your company (they really don’t care). You mistakenly think that you are showing the importance you put on the appointment because there are two of you.
When they agreed to the appointment - you caught them at a weak moment. I am sure you have heard of “buyers remorse”. Let me introduce you to a new concept – “agreeing to an appointment remorse.” As soon as they hang up the phone it starts - "Why did I agree to see that sales person?"
Agreeing to an appointment is like buying on a credit card - easy to make the purchase - hard to pay off. Something you said may have sparked a small interest during your initial phone conversation - that spark has long since gone out by the time you show up.
So the question is: Why do you bring all this stuff with you and why do you invite someone to go along? You might be thinking that the reason is to be prepared.
The answer is - you lack confidence. I know – that’s tough to swallow – but it is the truth. Having all this stuff and bringing someone with you assures you that you will have something to talk about.
Here is a little known secret about selling. Your job is not to talk, but to listen - not to present, but to ask questions.
The first thing you have to do is lower the prospects defenses. You do this by going alone and not taking anything, or anybody, with you. No computer, no brochures, no prices, not even a brief case. This takes courage because most sales people are taught that their job is to "show and tell." When you walk into an account "unarmed" and simply ask permission to ask a few questions, there is very little pressure on the buyer and even less on you.
As a professional, you have to evaluate the account to see if it will be profitable for you to invest your time with them. You have to position yourself to be on the offensive rather than the defensive when making a new account call. If you don't have your price book and someone wants to put you on the defensive by asking for a price – simply say "I don't know" and continue to ask questions about their business.
The process of calling on an account without a lot of baggage is similar to a visit to the dentist or doctor - you would want a complete examination before getting an operation or having a tooth pulled.
The first time you try it you will feel "unprepared." That is a good sign - it means you are trying something new and at the brink of learning a new skill.
I would like to challenge you to make a few cold calls this week completely unarmed - not unprepared - just unarmed.
What are you going to talk about? You are not going to talk - you are going to ask questions.
What person in their right mind would say 'no' to a question like this: I am here to talk about YOU - do YOU mind if I ask YOU a few questions about YOUR business to see if I might be able to be of service to YOU and help YOU achieve YOUR goals?
Comments:
Many times on a cold call I feel as if the customer is not hearing “Hi, I’m Crocker Smith….” but instead hearing “I need to borrow some money from you” or “may I have three or four hours of your time?”. Developing the opening statement is hard to do and the customer is searching for their opening response as you speak to shut you down and get you out of their office.
Also, there are times when bringing a higher up makes the customer feel more important and lets them know that getting their business is important to you. But this is later in the sales process.
Crocker Smith
I like the challenge of approaching new businesses and clients.
My style isn’t one of a pushy sales person so I approach the new business with confidence and questions. I like to find out how long they’ve been in business and what industry. I like building rapport by noticing things in the office that interest them but always bring it back to business. While they are telling me about themselves and their business I take mental notes. I usually ask if I could come spend more time with them at a later date. I ask if I could call them back to schedule a time once I have access to my calendar. I ask for a business card if one isn’t offered and thank them for their time. Once I get back to the office I send them an e-mail thanking them for seeing me.
I usually call the next day to schedule a time to meet with them. Once the meeting is scheduled then it’s time for me to uncover through SPIN questions the challenges the business may be having. (SPIN = Situational, Problematic, Implementation and Need pay off). In closing I ask if I could present them with some benefits that I uncovered that could benefit them.
Becky Akins
To make sure that the client is serious about this and about respecting your time, I always send an e-mailed invitation out of Outlook to drop in their calendar. I think this shows your level of seriousness about you're their time as well as your time. Usually have them commit a 2nd time via e-mail invite shows them you mean business.
I also believe in having a very well thought out approach to taking the client through our cycle.
"PPP", The purpose of this visit is..., The process of this visit will include, and hopefully the payoff to you is.... I think this helps with the 'appointment remorse' by telling them up front what your process and objectives are.
Kristan Wilson
"I agree! Confidence is a huge issue for many people. One suggestion I would like to offer is to NEVER go on a sales appointment to a company with out pulling them up on the net or calling the Chamber and finding out as much as you possibly can about them. This greatly relieves your stress in regard to what you may speak about and makes you look like you have cared enough to do your homework."
Lynn Mosely
"Going to a prospect with the idea that you are there to listen to their needs takes the pressure off of them, but also off of the sales person. If I don’t have a bunch of “stuff” to worry about presenting to someone, and am just there to talk to them, boy what a relief. I am guilty of feeling more confident when there a two of us making a sales call. I think this is because I don’t like telling someone I don’t know the answer to a question. Also, if there is something about our services that I have forgot to mention the other person can fill in the gaps. I had never thought about this being intimidating to the prospect. Definitely some good information to keep in mind."
Lisa Kirchner
"This is probably one of my favorite articles so far. It’s like watching a Joel Osteen program at home – this article was talking directly to me. I completely understand how fun and how different it is to bring someone along with you on a sales call. I call it a crutch. If I can’t think of something to say – well, surely my partner can feel the voided tick tock of silence. "
"This article made me laugh – just yesterday I did finally catch a big client on the phone, after a four month chase, in a moment of weakness, and he finally agreed to meet me in person. AFTER several visits to the guard gate, written notes, emails, and a delivered Christmas card. I WONDER IF HE NOW IS HAVING BUYERS REMORSE and asking – WHY did I finally agree to let Angela in the gates and come to my office? "
"The best advice of this session – to go in and listen and propose this – I am here to talk about YOU and your company to see what I can do for you to help you achieve your goals."
Angela Brewer
Appointment Acceptance Remorse (AAR): Sounds like a serious condition, and it can be. This usually occurs when you accept an appointment with someone you don’t THINK you need to talk to, whether this is the case or not.
Side Effects: Sweating, nervousness, fear of lost time, anxiety over pushy sales people.
The cure: The sales person can calm the fears by showing the prospective client that they are not going to waste their time. In fact, they are going to use this time to learn all a bout the clients needs, and ways to help them make their company run smoothly and become more profitable and efficient.
Catalysts for aggravating this condition: You should always avoid having extra sales-people “tag-along”. This can make the sufferer panic. Also, do not bring every pamphlet that your company has ever published, this just means that you have more “stuff” to show the client, that they really aren’t interested in, plus when you enter the office, you look as if you are moving in. The client booked the appointment with you, not your gadgets and gizmos. Leave your laptop in the car an dif they ask a question that requires it, tell them you have it in your car and you would be happy to retrieve it and show them.
Laura J. Czajka
Boy, oh boy, am I guilty of this one. I especially found the part about bringing someone with you, a trap I had recently been falling back into. I am a very motivated and independent person. I don’t usually rely on anyone to make things happen for me. I am a make things happen for me and not to me kind of person. But a few months ago, I found myself feeling not so confident and I became scared of making the final pitch by myself. I could make the initial contact, no problem, but when it came down to the final decision, agreement in hand, and price discussion, I was having cold feet about my ability to close the deal. So I was bringing that extra person with me. That person to help fill the void in conversation, that person whom I could look to if I got stuck…forgot my name…etc. Then I realized that, I am the person who will be handling this account and I don’t want them to get the idea that “Bob” who accompanied me to the final meeting is really the person they need to speak to if there was a problem. I had to reassert myself as the one and only “the buck stops here” person with whom my clients needed to associate my company with. It’s funny to me, that this was not an issue of laziness, but a maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought I was feeling on my part. I think in sales as in any industry, you constantly have to reassess yourself and remember you will have ups and downs.
Kathie Luttrell
"Your job is not to talk, but to listen - not to present, but to ask questions."