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Another sales (thread)

by kemdev
6 replies
First off, just want to say 'thanks' to all those who have commented on my threads in the past. I'm learning a lot, and even if I don't want to believe it, I'm taking all advice to heart.

Since March I've been in business for myself (again) and have landed 17 contracts. These have ranged from $250 (1) to $1,500 (2) but most of my work has been in the $500-$750 range. I can name 6 individual contracts that have taken hustle, uncomfortableness, and persistence to get - the other 11 have been purely referrals or being in the right place at the right time. My work speaks for itself.

In saying all of this, you can't run a business based solely on referrals. If you are, it's not a business, it's a hobby (Claude might have said this somewhere around here, or someone else).

So I've been prospecting - mostly through calls. And out of roughly 600 dials, I've landed 5 meetings. And out of 5 meetings, I've closed 0 sales. And I think I'm starting to figure out why...

Right now, I'm selling a commodity. And as such, that's how I'm being treated. There's no urgency for my prospects to buy, there's no reason for them to act today, and there's no reason why they can't shoo me away but protect my feelings with a "call me in a week." Which I know is bullshit... but nonetheless.

When I get a referral, I know it's a sale. I walk in, ask about previous experience, ask what they want, and give a solution. They ask to see work, I prove myself, and there's the sale. Truth be told, they're sold on me before I walk in. Cold prospects, not so much.

My sales process now follows roughly the same path. I introduce myself and what I can do, determine interest, then proceed by asking questions to find out what they want. Once I've figured out what's needed (not always what they want), I display why I'm the best man for the job (sample work, references), give a price, and ask for the sale. This is obviously the Cliff-notes version of the sales process, but you get the picture.

But no checks are being written. No commitments are being made, and even though my prospects believe (or at least, tell me they believe) I'm the best man for the job, they're not ready to commit.

... I hear things like, "How many pages should my website have" or "How much would you charge for a website" or "I just need a basic website... like a one page thing... can you do that for ____" or "I need to think about what I want on my website before we go further... it could be weeks or months, but I'll call you definitely" or "Hey, I like you. I believe what you're telling me. Hell, I even believe I NEED what you're offering, like yesterday. But you ain't getting a check today son."

...and the problem is, I'm not selling websites. I'm selling online real estate that attracts real local visitors and turns them into leads (an email form submit, a phone call, an online purchase).

And yes, the sites I offer do those things. And do them well. I have a track record of clients to prove it.

But throughout all of my conversations, I keep getting marginalized into the 'web designer' who is just supposed to throw up something pretty. And we can wait on that, right? There's no urgent need to have a pretty looking website. Business owners can wait all year long for that.

So I'm 'cooked in the squat' (JD) time and time again.

Tell me all you want that I need to make more dials... and I'll believe it. I'll actually admit it right now to save you the trouble. I need to make more dials, and I can guarantee that will happen.

But I can't help but think my positioning is waaaaayyyy off. I'm not having the kinds of conversation I need to be having, and my prospects don't see me that way I need them to see me.

So what's the remedy? How can I present solutions to them without selling them a commodity? Whenever the word 'website' comes up on a cold call, I want to break my phone... how can I break this line and shift the conversation to what they actually want (visitors, leads, and sales)?

I guess the big question is... as a one man team, at a very young age (which isn't always a problem), with nothing but my expertise and services to offer, how can I stop getting marginalized in every damn meeting and portray some level - any level - of urgency and necessity to my prospect?
#sales #thread
  • Profile picture of the author iain1066
    The decision to buy occurs when risk outweighs benefit in the mind of the prospect. If you are not closing it's either because the risk (usually price) is too high or because the benefits are too low. Usually it's the benefits and not the price that are costing you sales.

    The trap is to fall in love with features and talk about bells and whistles that the prospect may like, but which wont convince them to buy.

    You know the objection you are facing (next week, next month, next year) is a lack of urgency, so try to focus your presentation on urgency and benefits.

    Remember that people are generally more motivated to tackle a problem than to seize an opportunity. So work your presentation around the customers that the business is losing out on each day, rather than the customers they will attract once the work is done.

    Ask confirming questions during your pitch;
    Do you see how this is a problem?
    Do you see this getting better or worse as time goes on?
    How much is missing out on XYZ customers each week costing your business?
    Other than speaking with me, what else are you doing to take care of this?

    As always, questions are the answer.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      You aren't qualifying well. Asking qualifying questions does several things;
      1) You are now the expert. Who asks questions? Experts.
      2) You find out what they really want. This information allows you to perfectly match your offer to what they want. You become the obvious choice.
      3) It sets you apart from "salespeople". The client gets the real feeling that you are looking out for their welfare.
      4) Because you are asking questions, your recommendations (Use the word recommend) have weight. The obvious conclusion the client comes to is that your recommendations are based on what they tell you. So it must be good for them, right?
      5) Qualifying "Frames" the entire interview so you are leading them. Whoever is asking questions is leading.
      6) Asking qualifying questions builds a connection to the client far better than telling stories, telling jokes, or talking about sports.
      7) Sure, asking qualifying questions shows you care, but far more importantly, it shows you know what you are doing.

      Qualifying isn't just about finding out if they can afford you. It sets the whole sale up. It establishes the direction of the conversation.

      It makes closing almost effortless.

      Kanigan has some great material on qualifying. But for a bare minimum you want to know.

      What are they doing now? Who is doing it? What does the client think of that?
      Have they ever advertised online? (That question spurs off into multiple questions about their experiences. You need this information to match your offer to their perception.)
      How much is a new customer worth? How long do they stay a customer?
      How else are they advertising?

      Sorry, got a customer....but you get my drift, I hope. Good luck.

      Added later: You want to uncover any problems, objections, obstacles, issues..before you start explaining your offer. The absolute worst time to get an objection or stall isat the end. Now you have to defend what you said before. Now you are chasing them. Not optimal.

      I spend at least half of my time asking questions before I propose anything.

      Think of going to the doctor. They ask questions, look like they are really thinking about it, tell you what to do, and you do it. How many closes does a doctor need? None.

      Have you ever said "No" to a doctor's recommendation? No. Nobody does. Positioning is that powerful. Qualifying questions and an attitude of authority are the keys.

      Here is a link to another thread that really gives a great solution to funneling down the client.
      This would be done at the end. This is a real winner. http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...0-seconds.html
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      What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
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  • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
    Originally Posted by kemdev View Post

    So I've been prospecting - mostly through calls. And out of roughly 600 dials, I've landed 5 meetings. And out of 5 meetings, I've closed 0 sales. And I think I'm starting to figure out why

    Tell me all you want that I need to make more dials... and I'll believe it. I'll actually admit it right now to save you the trouble. I need to make more dials, and I can guarantee that will happen. ?
    You say your running a business but your pimping yourself out as a worker, make more calls ? rubbish that is just pie in the sky and you have said it is not working so why keep doing it, your simply wasting time.

    Who here says you need to make calls, ? please do not buy that as the answer it sucks hard, there are better ways / go back to traditional marketing to get your leads.

    Right now look up what a telemarketer wages are and thats the job your buying for yourself, if you want telemarketing leads pay for them, hire someone that loves the phone to do that, just not you.

    Instead get out there and learn the art of selling / spend your day closing leads, thats where money changes hands and the rubber meets the road, go and focus more on that, not this phone stuff, leave that to appointment setters.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post

      You say your running a business but your pimping yourself out as a worker, make more calls ? rubbish that is just pie in the sky and you have said it is not working so why keep doing it, your simply wasting time.

      Who here says you need to make calls, ? please do not buy that as the answer it sucks hard, there are better ways / go back to traditional marketing to get your leads.

      Right now look up what a telemarketer wages are and thats the job your buying for yourself, if you want telemarketing leads pay for them, hire someone that loves the phone to do that, just not you.

      Instead get out there and learn the art of selling / spend your day closing leads, thats where money changes hands and the rubber meets the road, go and focus more on that, not this phone stuff, leave that to appointment setters.
      MAN. With this 'tude...who the heck would ever learn how to call??

      NOBODY likes calling to begin with. It's a skill, just like cooking or writing or scuba diving. You have to work at it to get good. Why do people have a tough time seeing that?

      ****SPOILER ALERT: I'M GOING TO BITCH NOW****

      WHY do n00bs think that they are going to get a million dollar return on a seven dollar investment?
      WHY do n00bs think they are going to make money without doing any work?
      WHY do n00bs think they're not going to have to get uncomfortable to change their results?

      Listen up, n00bs: that shiny new WSO you bought? It's not going to make you a penny. Not until you get off your butt, get out of your comfort zone, learn some new skills and work it until you win.

      Nobody else is going to care.

      Nobody else is going to stick with it.

      Nobody else is responsible for you.

      Get out of the fantasy and into the real world. And in the real world, we do uncomfortable WORK.

      ****END SPOILER****

      Prospecting by phone is an integral part of lead generation. You must meet new people if you are going to grow your business. Even later on, when you're getting referrals and incoming leads from your now-effective marketing, it's still a great idea to call an hour a week. Do you know how confident you'll sound at that point? When your pipeline is already full? Calling is THE fastest way to qualify.

      But hey, if you've got a budget in the $3000 range and 6 months to wait for clients, by all means go use one hide-behind-the-computer marketing method.

      No one method should be used in isolation. And no one method should be cut off because you "don't like it." I don't like solo ads. They scare me. But yesterday I bought two packages. Next I'll add some Facebook marketing, which also scares me since I don't know anything about it, into the mix. Because diversifying my marketing methods is necessary. Who cares that I'm uncomfortable about these methods that are new to me?
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