Meeting prospect in 2 hours - confused on how to approach | Warrior Forum - The #1 Digital Marketing Forum & Marketplace

12 years ago

Originally Posted by PurplePeopleEater

She opted to keep the meeting time, but told me "I have had sales guys coming at me from left and right so you can imagine I'm a bit inundated with all the calls. I'm a tough sell so I probably won't be buying."

When people say they aren't going to buy ahead of time.

it is >>> MUSIC TO MY EARS <<<

They are saying that for there own benefit, not yours. they know if you
make sense to them and they can afford it, they will buy.
so they say that to make them selves stronger.

walk in, look her right in the eye, and say

I know you are very very busy today, but your loosing a ton of money
with your new business, because of all the negative press
on the internet, and i am here to fix it for you.

Where can we talk that has a little privacy?

Then discuss a two prong strategy, 1) fix her rep, 2) gain new customers

Good luck today.

and don't forget to ask for the sale ...

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MonteMichaels

12 years ago

I would not worry about her saying that she is a tough sell. From my experience the people that have told me that have been the easiest sales. It seems like they have to let you know how tough they are, because in reality they have a tough time saying no.
That may be why she is trying to get out of your meeting. she probably knows she won't be able to say no easily. Just go into the presentation as you planned.

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MonteMichaels

12 years ago

Originally Posted by kenmichaels

Quote:

Originally Posted by PurplePeopleEater

She opted to keep the meeting time, but told me "I have had sales guys coming at me from left and right so you can imagine I'm a bit inundated with all the calls. I'm a tough sell so I probably won't be buying."

When people say they aren't going to buy ahead of time.

it is >>> MUSIC TO MY EARS <<<

They are saying that for there own benefit, not yours. they know if you
make sense to them and they can afford it, they will buy.
so they say that to make them selves stronger.

walk in, look her right in the eye, and say

I know you are very very busy today, but your loosing a ton of money
with your new business, because of all the negative press
on the internet, and i am here to fix it for you.

Where can we talk that has a little privacy?

Then discuss a two prong strategy, 1) fix her rep, 2) gain new customers

Good luck today.

and don't forget to ask for the sale ...

Darn Ken. You posted while I was typing that out.

Did you ever have those guys that come in and announce to the place "who wants to make some money from me?" Now those are the ones to really avoid.

Posted from Warrior Forum Reader for Android

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Aaron Doud

12 years ago

I too love a person who says they are not buying. "Takes the pressure off". All you have to do is show them why the product or service works for them. I mean they are not planning to buy so you don't have to try and "sell" them.

Trust me if you do that right you end up with buyers. I think a lot of the time because the salesman stops worrying about the sale. he doesn't think he will get it so he stops trying to sell. When you stop selling and start showing the value that's when you get buyers.

Of course I never worry about selling. I honestly could care less if the prospect walks. You'll find a lot of your best sales people have this same additude. The reason? It works. If you know what you have has value and the prospect should be buying all you have to do is show them why. Those that don't buy are making a mistake but it's their mistake not yours.

You get past the negative by not caring. You know you will get rejection but if it is expected you brush it off.

When you care too much about making the "sale" you are worried about yourself. Selling benefits you. Them buying benefits them. It's a small difference but something very profound when you learn it and understand it.

When you take the prospect and the "sale" off the pedestal you will close more with less work. If they walk or say no why care? Are you worse off? No, you are in the same position you were before that prospect.

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Aaron Doud - Sales & Success

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sjohn

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Aaron Doud

I too love a person who says they are not buying. "Takes the pressure off". All you have to do is show them why the product or service works for them. I mean they are not planning to buy so you don't have to try and "sell" them.

Trust me if you do that right you end up with buyers. I think a lot of the time because the salesman stops worrying about the sale. he doesn't think he will get it so he stops trying to sell. When you stop selling and start showing the value that's when you get buyers.

Of course I never worry about selling. I honestly could care less if the prospect walks. You'll find a lot of your best sales people have this same additude. The reason? It works. If you know what you have has value and the prospect should be buying all you have to do is show them why. Those that don't buy are making a mistake but it's their mistake not yours.

You get past the negative by not caring. You know you will get rejection but if it is expected you brush it off.

When you care too much about making the "sale" you are worried about yourself. Selling benefits you. Them buying benefits them. It's a small difference but something very profound when you learn it and understand it.

When you take the prospect and the "sale" off the pedestal you will close more with less work. If they walk or say no why care? Are you worse off? No, you are in the same position you were before that prospect.

Thanks Aaron...so many valuable pointers in your post which can really make the difference.

Thanks

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Preeti

12 years ago

Another thing to keep in mind..make sure your friendly and your personality shines through. With your proposal and and even with your words, make sure it is CRYSTAL CLEAR that she understands that you're there to help her out, not "just another sales guy.."

If you have any past references or success stories of what you've been able to do in terms of helping clients..I would "seed" this during your conversation...don't make it obviously but use your past experience as examples when displaying how you have helped and just be upfront honest. Tell her you're a genuine guy/gal and really interested in helping her out...I think when people see that you're being yourself, their guard comes down unlike when they know they're dealing with a "sales guy/gal"

Good luck!

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PurplePeopleEater 12 years ago

Thanks for the words of advice. The deal didn't go thru.... I'll leave more info when I get back home.
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Preeti

12 years ago

dont give up! learn what you can from this experience and keep on taking action!!!

(btw, your name reminds me of the simpsons episode with purplemonkeydishwasher)

KEEP ON GOING!!!!

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KateStevensB

12 years ago

These things happen sometimes but don't let yourself be affected.

Good luck to you and, yes, keep going!!!

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PurplePeopleEater

12 years ago

I think my biggest issue is I didn't go in there with a singular focus... I think the 2 pronged approach was too much for her.

She seemed "interested" in ORM... I told her $400/month and she damn near hit the ceiling.

She seemed even more interested in SMS marketing however. We spoke to me about her and her husband will be gathering e-mails in the future from current customers and I explained her the benefits of SMS vs E-Mail... she basically took that info and said she could have her husband look into it and do it for them.

I'm glad it didn't go through TBH. I'm sick of dealing with prospects who don't see online has a vision in their marketing. It is FAR TOO MUCH WORK to convince someone to go online.

In regards to her ORM, she says to me "I'm just a pizzeria, no one is going online to look-up our reviews. If I were a 5 star restaurant, it would matter." I'm like yea... tell that to the 8+ people who left you **** reviews on Yelp. And if it doesn't matter, WHY are you leaving yourself FAKE REVIEWS on Yelp & Google places? WHICH SHE ADMITTED TO ME?

WTF.

My first meeting with a prospect who is ACTUALLY ALREADY DOING ONLINE marketing is Monday. This will be my first meeting with someone who has a clue. I hope it goes better. Look out for my new thread asking for advice on that one too! lol

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enterpriseunlimited

12 years ago

Originally Posted by PurplePeopleEater

She seemed even more interested in SMS marketing however. We spoke to me about her and her husband will be gathering e-mails in the future from current customers and I explained her the benefits of SMS vs E-Mail... she basically took that info and said she could have her husband look into it and do it for them.

Originally Posted by PurplePeopleEater

In regards to her ORM, she says to me "I'm just a pizzeria, no one is going online to look-up our reviews. If I were a 5 star restaurant, it would matter." I'm like yea... tell that to the 8+ people who left you **** reviews on Yelp. And if it doesn't matter, WHY are you leaving yourself FAKE REVIEWS on Yelp & Google places? WHICH SHE ADMITTED TO ME?

PurplePeopleEater,

You just dodged a bullet. In one conversation, you uncovered that this woman will lie, cheat & steal. She showed you via her actions that she is not trustworthy and is willing to use your expertise, without paying for it.

She also showed you that she does care about her online reputation- enough to create fraudulent reviews, but not enough to pay you to get the job done right.

This woman would be a horrible, headache of a client... she's the type to NEVER be satisfied and you would end up working your butt off for her for the equivalent of slave wages. Not good client material.

Honestly, I would have politely stopped the meeting once she admitted to the fraud, told her that I could not attach my name & reputation to her or her business, and that maybe she should look into reading more about marketing or take a class/seminar... *(I have done this on more than one occasion.)

Next time, use your meeting time to find out what's important to them. Ask questions that will engage them about what they believe is the problem... (because she never would've set the appointment with you if there wasn't a problem that she wanted the answer to...)

Then, show that the daily demands of running their business are more than enough, without adding the stress of managing a marketing campaign, and how much they need someone like YOU- to do what YOU do, oh-so-well...

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David Miller 12 years ago

You did "dodge a bullet" as others have said. There was a thread not far back about selling to pizza shops. After a while you'll find that there are a very few types of businesses that you won't want to waste you time with. For me, pizza shops where among the first in that file.

I'm sure there are some people selling some things to these neighborhood shops, like menus, napkins, and cheese, but on the whole the best thing you'll ever walk away with is lunch.
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- kenmichaels 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by David Miller
  
  For me, pizza shops where among the first in that file.
  
  yeah they suck man, i sorta fell into that trap myself.
  
  I saw the pizza box as a big empty bill board, so i rounded
  half a dozen pizza shops, set up a CPA / text msg campaign,
  pretty much around the "are you smarter then a 5th grader" theme.
  
  what a waste of money and time.
  
  I made just enough to be tantalizing, and the shop owners
  thought they owned my soul, and were some of the rudest
  pushiest, horrible people i have ever had the pleasure of working with.
  
  Thanks
  
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  Selling Ain't for Sissies!
  
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Andrew H

12 years ago

Well I'm sure some of the other warriors will chime in to recommend how you could have converted her. BUT I would just like to say thanks for posting on your current progress, It's nice to know I am not the only one out there in the trenches trying to make some sales!

Good luck, just keep hammering away and success is just around the corner!

Thanks

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vndnbrgj

12 years ago

The best thing to do is have a print-off of the first page.
Showing her competitors having good reviews and her with bad ones.

Say, I know you don't think it's that big of a deal, (if that is what the objection is)
but if you were looking for a place to get some pizza, *would you pick you?
(*While pointing at their reviews)

If they answer no, you have them.
If they answer yes, move on.

Thanks

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Brian Alaway

12 years ago

You'll probably be glad she's not your customer. Each bad prospect you pass on means more time for the right prospects.

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philipdwyer

12 years ago

I don't know the whole story, but what I understand from your posts is that you just told her what you could do, and then hit her with a $400 price ticket. She didn't yet see the value. If instead you had come to her with results first, then the price tag may not have been as shocking. Just my two cents.

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kat57 12 years ago

hey monte, you are so right!
When that happens to me I go right for the "education" angle.
Be there as her educator: how the new technology can streamline her business and make her more profits.
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mhdeaton

12 years ago

I love it, this is called "taking the bull by the horns" - This is how I live just go for it and figure out the rest later - !! Gotta love it!

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NewParadigm

12 years ago

Before you get a customer to marry you (your service/product) you have to get them to divorce their current situation.

Her objection to your 400/mo for ORM just told you that you didnt show value. You need to get her to divorce her current situation of losing more than 400/mo in business (you need to help establish this number) from poor reviews. The goal is to show people to trade in larger problems (losing more than 400/mo) for lesser problems (paying you 400/mo).

Did she say what kind of other sales people are calling on her? all kinds or did she mean tons of offline/internet marketers?

Overall, its better to work on your marketing strategy to make people come to you and to build your authority. Teach a local community education class on ORM. You'd probably get several businesses come to a 1hr class (you get paid). You tell them about it and steps to overcome it. At the end of class, they say screw it, will you just do it? or they take your card/brochure, go home and try it themselves, then call you a week or two later to hire you.

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Meeting prospect in 2 hours - confused on how to approach

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