Aha! Sales makes sense now...
Anyhow, today's meeting was at 10:30AM and I walked in with a clear game plan. At first, a talked to a non-decision maker. This through me for a loop, but I carried on. We went over some details together and then the owner walked in.
Before I did anything else (and I think this was a vitally important step I've been missing) I found out if their was a problem. Not only that, but I got them to ADMIT that they had a problem. This problem was that they lacked any type of web presence, and were missing out on sales because of it.
Next, I asked questions to discover if they had done anything to remedy this problem in the past. They hadn't.
Then, I asked questions to find out what type of solution they were looking for. Basically, the details of their website, how it would function, how they would get people there, and how they would turn those visitors into leads.
Finally, I stole a line off Kanigan - a line I will from now on use in every single meeting I go to...
"Mr. Prospect, I see that you have a problem here. And I think I have a solution for you. But before I give you that solution, I want us to agree on something. If you decide to say 'yes', that's great and we can move forward with the project. If you decide 'no', that's fine too. The only thing I cannot accept is 'I'll think it over.' Does that sound fair?"
I honestly believe this gave me the sale. This also fixed the problems I've had in all of my previous meetings where my prospects would say 'call in a week' or something of the sort. It nailed him down to a decision TODAY.
I gave my solution, gave my price, asked for the sale, and waited. At first, price was an issue. He tried to barter down the sale, but I stood firm and told him there was no way I'd drop price. He seemed uneasy.
When I prodded more, however, I found the price wasn't his objection: value was. So after a couple minutes of back and forth (this was by no means an easy 'give-me' sale) I added more value to the table. He still wasn't ready.
Then, he mentioned something about a second website. Plus marketing work that I was going to do for the first. This changed the game, and I went for the kill.
Long story short, he signed up for roughly double the cost that he was originally uneasy with, contracted me out for two websites, and still has payment due after both websites are up and functional.
I felt very comfortable in today's meeting. I also portrayed confidence in myself and my services. But the biggest sticking point for me - and the biggest lesson I learned from today - was the sales process I followed.
- Find out if there's a problem
- Find out if there's an urgent need to fix that problem
- Find out what they've done in the past, and what they'd like to do in the future to fix this problem
- Offer your solution, with a guaranteed 'yes' or 'no'
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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?
What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?