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Blind Pitching Potential Clients?

by Neodism
25 replies
In my current line of work (sales), quite a few people find that they get better results by blind pitching people in order to set up an appointment and ultimately make a sale. What it really comes down to is that people don't want to be sold anything. So if you hint that you're selling something they'll shut you out like a wet dog. If you blind pitch them to set the appointment (basically deceive them to set the appointment) then you get to make the sales pitch that you most likely wouldn't have gotten to make otherwise.

I hate blind pitches because it hurts the rapport that I'm attempting to build with my customers when they realize that the free gift we offered at the door wasn't free at all. It was just bait. But most people don't get angry about it, they just go with it. Truth be told, if you have product or service that is valuable enough, people will forget the deceitfulness that they were victim of and buy the product. Most of my sales that I've made in the last two months were from blind pitches at the door.

But, I'm pondering blind pitching to set appointments with business owners who don't want to be sold anything until they see the value in it. What do you think about this? From my recent experience, as long as you have something that they see value in then they will forgive the blind pitch (or never even acknowledge it) and buy the service.

I'm not sure what someone would say to go about blind pitching in order to sell a marketing service, but it was just a thought I had.
#blind #clients #pitching #potential
  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by Larches View Post

    But, I'm pondering blind pitching to set appointments with business owners who don't want to be sold anything until they see the value in it.
    Are you, in any way, thinking that you could sell something without the prospect seeing the value?

    I think I know what you're asking.

    I have seen sales people do that. Not say there was a presentation, and even say that nothing was for sale. Yes, it works.

    The amazing thing is that it doesn't work any more than just saying that you have something to sell, and that you are offering a gift for their time.

    But once you get into the habit of misrepresenting what you are doing, it becomes comfortable.

    The one thing I think you are missing is that there really are people interested in what you offer. You can look for them, or you can just try to convert anyone that would listen.

    When I sold vacuum cleaners in people's homes (for 3 decades, very successfully) I tried different approaches. I worked with salespeople that used approaches that were radically different from my own.

    I can tell you this, it didn't matter whether you told them that you has something for sale or not. The sales were just about the same.
    Whether you gave them a gift or not, the sales were just about the same.
    Because there was no way for them to know if they were interested or not, before they saw the product.

    Giving a gift just made it easier for the people to justify letting me do a presentation. So gifts gave me more appointments.

    You said; "People don't want to be sold anything". But that's not true. They love being sold. I love talking to a great salesperson. I love buying from them.

    Telling them at the beginning that you are trying to sell them is stupid. But telling them that they can purchase anything you show them if they want is completely non-threatening. There is a huge difference.

    Personally, I think selling is an honorable profession. I've told salespeople that came in my store, and pretended they weren't selling anything...
    "I'm sorry to hear that. Why else would you be here? I can't afford to waste my time here doing anything except buying or selling. It's a shame you aren't selling anything, because I buy from salespeople every day".

    It's not that they are lying. I've given up trying to cure people of that. It's that they are keeping me from buying something.

    Think of this; The First Half Of Selling Is Buying.. Half of what a business person does is buy. The other half is sell.

    The problem with pretending that you don't sell anything, is that you will occasionally run into an intelligent person. And to them...you are wasting their time.

    You can get by with prospecting with a lie. You'll have enough people not care, not think. But salespeople that think they are being clever in that approach, never get very far. The don't get referrals, and they don't build a business. At least I've never seen it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      You said; "People don't want to be sold anything". But that's not true. They love being sold. I love talking to a great salesperson. I love buying from them.
      I agree 100% I love working with a great sales person. It makes my life easier. I don't know for sure what I need or what will work best for me. I'm not the expert, they are.

      Salesmen get a bad name. But that is because there are a lot of unprofessional and bad "clerks" out there pretending to be salesmen. A big part of that comes from the automotive industry. They hire far more sales people than they need and many dealerships have next to zero training. It's no wonder that happens.

      But a true Sales Professional is a pleasure to work with. And I can tell you right now from personal experience if you are a true Sales Professional you will come to look forward to talking with those who "hate" Salesmen. Why? It's simple really. There experience with you will be so different from what they are used to that by the time you get to the close they will be your easiest sales. They will want to buy from you because they will truly like you and want to reward you for the way you helped them.

      Selling as a Profession has great earning potential. But many get into it seeking that and forgetting that selling is about the buyer and never about the seller.

      To the OP: I am near the end of reading Claude's book and can tell you that I honestly believe it will have value for you. It has been added to my list of recommended books.

      Others I love are:
      4 Hour Work Week: Tim Ferriss
      Secrets of Closing the Sale: Zig Ziglar (See you at the Top is also good)
      Secret of Selling Anything: Harry Browne
      Ultimate Sales Machine: Chet Holmes

      My thoughts on using a Free Gift to get an appointment:
      I believe if you are 100% honest about it this method can have a lot of value. No one believes they are getting something for nothing so merely explain it.

      "Our company believes that the best way to earn your business is to show you how our machine works in the environment you would use it in. Which of course is your home. That makes sense to you, doesn't it Mr. Customer?

      People have busy lives so we have found that it is best to schedule appointments at the time which is best for our clients. We also believe the best way to show you how much we value your time is by offering _____ as a gift to you. All we ask in return is you give us the opportunity to show you how our machine can save you valuable time and money. So Mr. Customer which color of ________ would you like me to bring over for you?"

      BTW as you can see above I am a fan of having some kind of choice in the gift as you can ask which they would like.

      I've gone to free seminars and things like that and I appeciate them a lot. If the services they offer have value I am more likely to buy.

      Claude's book talks about using true gift certificates vs. a coupon and I believe that idea makes it more of a true gift to a potential customer. This would be a way to use gifts like you are used to in vacuum sales when moving into Internet Marketing Sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author Neodism
    I don't mean a blind pitch in a way that I'm lying and saying I'm not selling anything, just kind of not acknowledging that I am selling. Instead of asking to meet to show them a service I'm selling, asking to meet on terms of discussing their business in some manner.

    I mean not to lie! Just beat around the bush.

    Coincidentally, I currently work for a Kirby distributorship. (Vacuums.) If we mention Kirby or selling anything at the door there's a 99.999 chance we won't get in. This is because we have to get in to do the demo in order to show them that they actually want and need it. I know it's a little different with B2B marketing sales, because they know they have to market to succeed, but I'm just considering the idea for the tough guys that are hard to get in with when they are aware they're being sold something.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Larches View Post

      I don't mean a blind pitch in a way that I'm lying and saying I'm not selling anything, just kind of not acknowledging that I am selling. Instead of asking to meet to show them a service I'm selling, asking to meet on terms of discussing their business in some manner.

      I mean not to lie! Just beat around the bush.

      Coincidentally, I currently work for a Kirby distributorship. (Vacuums.) If we mention Kirby or selling anything at the door there's a 99.999 chance we won't get in. This is because we have to get in to do the demo in order to show them that they actually want and need it. I know it's a little different with B2B marketing sales, because they know they have to market to succeed, but I'm just considering the idea for the tough guys that are hard to get in with when they are aware they're being sold something.
      You mean "If you are selling something." Nobody can be sold against their will. It isn't something you do to someone. Selling is something you do with someone.

      You have a tougher time because everyone knows the Kirby name, and most have either had the demonstration or know someone who has. My first year selling vacuums was with Kirby, and I know exactly what you mean.

      And you are right, it will be much harder to get in the door.
      But I found something out that will make a world of difference. If the front gift is good enough, they will still let you show the product. I've even given portable TVs as a gift. (I think I paid $28 each for them).

      And if they know up front that it's a Kirby, and they let you show it? They are already half sold. Believe me, that process is already under way in their mind.

      You don't have that problem with SEO services, websites, or any advertising with business owners. They are used to buying. And as long as you answer their questions forthrightly (nobody says that anymore. God, I'm old!), you won't run into the same prejudices you have with Kirby.

      By the way, you get the same problem with any product that is universally known. It isn't a slam on Kirby.

      I've been through the Kirby training, and know several Kirby salespeople. Some successful, some not. You are going to have to overcome some of the training you have received to sell to business people.

      Wouldn't it be great if there were someone who used to do what you do, and successfully transferred to selling business owners online services? If only that person existed...if only they wrote a book dedicated to that exact subject...if only...if only....Heck man, just buy my book.
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Originally Posted by Larches View Post

      I mean not to lie! Just beat around the bush.
      Why beat around the bush.

      Why not give them information that's genuinely valuable
      to them.

      You might need to be creative but with a bit of research
      I'm sure you could come up with a pile of information that's
      valuable to someone who's interested in keeping their home
      clean.

      Some of it might be related to carpet cleaning...some related
      to other things you can do to keep a home clean.

      By becoming a trusted advisor sharing valuable information
      you dramatically increase your chances of making a sale.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Larches View Post

      but I'm just considering the idea for the tough guys that are hard to get in with when they are aware they're being sold something.
      Man, I keep thinking about what you said. You said this twice.

      They are only being sold something if they buy.
      When I sold in people's homes, I made it a point to let them know that what I had was available for sale, if they wanted it.

      Nobody, in my entire life, ever objected to that.

      When we called to make an appointment (again selling in home), and offered a gift, many would ask "Are you selling something?"

      I would say "The gift is yours just for taking a look, you're under no obligation to buy anything. The gift is for your time and opinion. But yes, we are a business and what we show is available for sale. Does that sound fair enough?" See? Easy. No deception, no trickery, nobody is mad.

      And you aren't relying on the prospect being...well...stupid.

      One rule I had when selling (and offering the gift) was that they got the gift as soon as I started my presentation. I didn't keep it until the end. If I decide not to do the presentation (for whatever reason) they still got the gift.

      Sometimes these gifts cost $20 or more. It's just figured into the sale price.

      I presently don't give gifts to small business owners for a presentation...but I would. Even if they aren't expecting it. Right now, they get a free meal and a group presentation on Advertising for small business owners.

      But a gift isn't necessary. It would just get you in to see more owners.

      For a couple of years, I experimented with knocking on doors with no gift, just a presentation. I did it by asking survey questions, and building some rapport.
      Then they were likely to look at what I had. But gifts made it easier.
      And great gifts made it nearly effortless.

      A gift certificate for a free large frozen turkey in October and the first half of November went over very well. It was really jut a $10 gift certificate I bought at the local Grocery store. No tricks, no "Buy one get one free" gimmicks...just a turkey.


      Anyway, did we lose the OP?
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      • Profile picture of the author ginnysclub1
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post


        When we called to make an appointment (again selling in home), and offered a gift, many would ask "Are you selling something?"

        I would say "The gift is yours just for taking a look, you're under no obligation to buy anything. The gift is for your time and opinion. But yes, we are a business and what we show is available for sale. Does that sound fair enough?" See? Easy. No deception, no trickery, nobody is mad.

        And you aren't relying on the prospect being...well...stupid.
        Nicely put.
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    Originally Posted by Larches View Post

    I hate blind pitches because it hurts the rapport that I'm attempting to build with my customers when they realize that the free gift we offered at the door wasn't free at all. It was just bait.
    You wouldn't have wanted them as customers anyway because they're morons. I mean, who really believes the thing's for free if they have an ounce of sense? That you're simply going around town handing out widgets? All you did was find the real selfish greedy people. But here's the thing. The halfway intelligent lead knows you would like to sell something. They also figure they do have some interest in what you sell it's a no risk way to check you out. So you're not "deceiving" them.

    Besides which, if you're offering a widget no strings attached, then that's the deal and you need to honor it and be willing to do so. Of course this is factored into the economics of the promotion. But since you're willing to let it go if they say no, you're not being deceptive. You're standing behind your promise.

    Now if instead you try to hammer them into buying something, then they'll resent it. Think time share presentations.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Here is what I have learned about blind ad copy, though for no good reason I dont use it much:

    "It will give you 100% more refunds than usual... BUT it can give you 10,000% more sales."

    Do the math.
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  • Profile picture of the author Neodism
    I'm still here!

    Well, our gift is a bottle of Oxy stain remover. Too many times, though, do we hand it to them at the door pitch and never see it again. People will shut the door with it in their hand. -_-

    I got a pretty clever call yesterday here at work. Some business with a very serious sounding (Federal something something) asked to speak to the owner. Without hesitating I took him the phone. I thought it was the govt! They were just a company trying to sell something, though.

    I guess I need to quit trying to find a strategic way to set appointments and just set appointments. I think my main problem has always been fighting rebuttals. They say "I'm not interested" and I apologize and hang up. Maybe this is why I'm terrible at Kirby canvassing, too, haha.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Larches View Post

      I'm still here!

      Well, our gift is a bottle of Oxy stain remover. Too many times, though, do we hand it to them at the door pitch and never see it again. People will shut the door with it in their hand. -_-

      I got a pretty clever call yesterday here at work. Some business with a very serious sounding (Federal something something) asked to speak to the owner. Without hesitating I took him the phone. I thought it was the govt! They were just a company trying to sell something, though.

      I guess I need to quit trying to find a strategic way to set appointments and just set appointments. I think my main problem has always been fighting rebuttals. They say "I'm not interested" and I apologize and hang up. Maybe this is why I'm terrible at Kirby canvassing, too, haha.
      Two things. You need a better gift, and you need to go to better areas to sell. Also, I never handed them the gift until I was in their home and had my vacuum with me. In other words, I was ready to sell. Then I gave them the gift.

      The people that just keep the gift and close the door? If you showed them a vacuum, they are also the kind that will keep the machine after they are turned down for bad credit.
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      • Profile picture of the author John Durham
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        Two things. You need a better gift, and you need to go to better areas to sell. Also, I never handed them the gift until I was in their home and had my vacuum with me. In other words, I was ready to sell. Then I gave them the gift.

        The people that just keep the gift and close the door? If you showed them a vacuum, they are also the kind that will keep the machine after they are turned down for bad credit.
        A good gift is to offer to shampoo one of their rooms for free while you demonstrate or something. Nothin' sells like a test drive.

        Thats how my dad use to sell hotels into his carpet cleaning service. He would offer to do the worse spot in their entire place.... If course it wouldnt all come up but it would look 100% better, then he would explain to them how getting on a regularly cleaning schedule would eventually clean it all up to where it looked new again.

        He also showed them pictures (he was an artist) that he'd created in a flip folder, of how dirt is like glass at the bottom of your carpet fibers, and how it eats away your carpet and cuts into it... He built a really significant company company in the Dallas area that did all the major hotels. Sigh..., that man was a really great salesman.
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

          A good gift is to offer to shampoo one of their rooms for free while you demonstrate or something. Nothin' sells like a test drive.

          Thats how my dad use to sell hotels into his carpet cleaning service. He would offer to do the worse spot in their entire place.... If course it wouldnt all come up but it would look 100% better, then he would explain to them how getting on a regularly cleaning schedule would eventually clean it all up to where it looked new again.

          He also showed them pictures (he was an artist) that he'd created in a flip folder, of how dirt is like glass at the bottom of your carpet fibers, and how it eats away your carpet and cuts into it... He built a really significant company company in the Dallas area that did all the major hotels. Sigh..., that man was a really great salesman.
          John; Sorry, I wouldn't recommend it. A free room of carpet shampooed leads to incredibly bad closing. They move the furniture out of the room (no matter what you tell them on the phone), the husband isn't there, the wife is making supper while you are shampooing.

          The single worst gift I ever gave for a vacuum demonstration, was a room of carpet shampooed for free. And...if you get there, and they aren't qualified...you still have to shampoo the carpet, and then clean your demo machine. Two hours gone.

          Really, I understand why you suggested it, but it's a bad idea.

          My closing rate for vacuum cleaner in home demonstrations plummeted from 80% to 15% because I wasted time carpet cleaning.

          But as a way to save a few dollars on a gift? Sure. But it's bad selling.

          Selling shampooers? Absolutely! Selling carpet cleaning services? Sure. Selling vacuums? No.
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        • Profile picture of the author max5ty
          Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

          A good gift is to offer to shampoo one of their rooms for free while you demonstrate or something. Nothin' sells like a test drive.

          Thats how my dad use to sell hotels into his carpet cleaning service. He would offer to do the worse spot in their entire place.... If course it wouldnt all come up but it would look 100% better, then he would explain to them how getting on a regularly cleaning schedule would eventually clean it all up to where it looked new again.

          He also showed them pictures (he was an artist) that he'd created in a flip folder, of how dirt is like glass at the bottom of your carpet fibers, and how it eats away your carpet and cuts into it... He built a really significant company company in the Dallas area that did all the major hotels. Sigh..., that man was a really great salesman.
          John, with all your ideas you should be very wealthy.

          Having ideas and implementing them is not the same.

          Frankly, I'm tired of your ideas that are just that, ideas.

          I know you run to the mods anytime anyone goes up against you...but I don't care...I'm calling you out.

          Quit spewing out stuff that you haven't tried. And if you have tried it, you wouldn't be broke now...would you?

          I'm all for giving out advice, but you seem to love to give it out to everyone, but obviously you don't use it.

          Let's get real here John.
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          • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
            Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

            John, with all your ideas you should be very wealthy.

            Having ideas and implementing them is not the same.

            Frankly, I'm tired of your ideas that are just that, ideas.

            I know you run to the mods anytime anyone goes up against you...but I don't care...I'm calling you out.

            Quit spewing out stuff that you haven't tried. And if you have tried it, you wouldn't be broke now...would you?

            I'm all for giving out advice, but you seem to love to give it out to everyone, but obviously you don't use it.

            Let's get real here John.
            I don't see the problem. John told us about his uncle selling carpet cleaning services. That's how you sell those services. John never said he used this idea to sell vacuum cleaners.

            It's an idea that sounded like it would easily transfer to selling vacuum cleaners. And it does. Demonstrations are the backbone of vacuum cleaner sales. But...and few know this...shampooing isn't the best way to prospect for vacuum cleaners.

            By the way, the Kirby company...after several decades...still offers a room of carpet shampooed free for a demonstration. So, the suggestion has real merit. But for a ...well...seasoned salesman like myself, it's a hindrance. It slows me down. John just didn't know that, and neither did virtually anyone else here.

            I wasn't slamming John, or his idea. It just wasn't a perfect match.

            You know what I learned in school today? Playing nice.
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            • Profile picture of the author max5ty
              Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

              I don't see the problem. John told us about his uncle selling carpet cleaning services. That's how you sell those services. John never said he used this idea to sell vacuum cleaners.

              It's an idea that sounded like it would easily transfer to selling vacuum cleaners. And it does. Demonstrations are the backbone of vacuum cleaner sales. But...and few know this...shampooing isn't the best way to prospect for vacuum cleaners.

              By the way, the Kirby company...after several decades...still offers a room of carpet shampooed free for a demonstration. So, the suggestion has real merit. But for a ...well...seasoned salesman like myself, it's a hindrance. It slows me down. John just didn't know that, and neither did virtually anyone else here.

              I wasn't slamming John, or his idea. It just wasn't a perfect match.

              You know what I learned in school today? Playing nice.
              Claude, I don't have a problem with you.

              You've been there in the trenches and worked your way up to where you are now.

              I read your book...I'd recommend it to everyone.

              I've been out there having doors slammed...hang ups...laughter...etc...

              ...it's not an easy life.

              It takes work and a lot of it.

              Don't give me a big story about how easy it is when you're struggling to get by. I'm not in the mood.

              The problem I have with people who want to give all the advice in the world to everyone in the world, is this...

              I don't want advice from you if you're not making it now.

              It's tough out there...save me all your book talk.

              If you use to make it...why aren't you now?
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          • Profile picture of the author af7850
            Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

            John, with all your ideas you should be very wealthy.

            Having ideas and implementing them is not the same.

            Frankly, I'm tired of your ideas that are just that, ideas.

            I know you run to the mods anytime anyone goes up against you...but I don't care...I'm calling you out.

            Quit spewing out stuff that you haven't tried. And if you have tried it, you wouldn't be broke now...would you?

            I'm all for giving out advice, but you seem to love to give it out to everyone, but obviously you don't use it.

            Let's get real here John.
            Yes I agree with you max5ty, the only people who should be allowed to have an opinion are those terribly successful few who are demonstrably superior to the slobbering masses. Even they should only start or contribute to topics of which they have proven supreme mastery.

            I'll enjoy reading your thread titled, "How to drive a Bentley while being a horrible c?nt."
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  • Profile picture of the author ebizman
    I agree I see John trying to give a lot of advice which is great but hes never tested anything out, you should be super rich will all of these systems in place...
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    I think the right kind of free gift has to be thought through. In the spirit of full disclosure, I've run the gamut of free gifts. Plus I've heard many ins and outs about it, which I've tried to incorporate from time to time. Getting it just right is a science.

    Which is why I think something like Joe Polish's free room cleaning with carpet audit is genius. A plain ol' free gift with appointment, where you turn over the free gift, is not the way to go.

    Say you sell life insurance and the free gift is a set of steak knives with an appointment. People will grab the freebie. Then they'll have their brother in law call you to come on over he can get a complimentary set of steak knives too.

    And their ravenous need for steak knives doesn't qualify them as to your actual service. The one you want to sell.

    Whereas, if you could use getting a room cleaned, you probably could use getting other rooms cleaned too. So it makes sense in that it helps to get at least people who could need your service to raise their hands. And the freebie gives you the time and opportunity to set up the sale. The audit creates the opportunity to educate and sell the prospect. Genius.

    And that's about as much as I know about it, except that he gets you entrenched into the audit (more genius), and the only way it could be even better is if there's a way to turn the freebie into a self liquadating offer on top of selling the job. As in, "thank you Mrs. Jones for agreeing to let us clean your other five rooms for $XXXX. And by the way that room we cleaned as a free gift is on us as promised, but we do have a special where normally that room would be XXX, but if you reimburse us only $ZZZ for it, we'll thank you by giving you Yadda Yadda for the entire house which is worth $XYZ. You'll save $ABC." Actually I think part of his cleaning agreement is kind of like that now that I think of it, in that he turns it into a annual cleaning contract. So there you go.

    That just so beats "Hello Mrs. Jones. Where would you like me to leave your free bottle of Oxi Clean?"
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      I think the right kind of free gift has to be thought through. In the spirit of full disclosure, I've run the gamut of free gifts. Plus I've heard many ins and outs about it, which I've tried to incorporate from time to time. Getting it just right is a science.

      Which is why I think something like Joe Polish's free room cleaning with carpet audit is genius. A plain ol' free gift with appointment, where you turn over the free gift, is not the way to go.
      You've studied Polish's stuff? Me too. Yup, offering a free room of carpet cleaned is the perfect gift for carpet cleaning services...or selling carpet shampooers. The only reason it isn't great for vacuums (even ones that will shampoo the carpet) is that the prospect's expectations are that you are there to clean carpet. It's impossible to change that perception. Believe me, I've tried. Cleaning carpet is also the way to get tons of appointments with home owners. That's why Kirby loves that program. But I hated it (after giving it way too much time as a test) because I can't leave if I decide not to stay, it's labor intensive...and it doesn't build sales momentum. During the 20-30 minutes you are taking to clean their carpet...the desire to buy is oozing out of the room.

      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      Say you sell life insurance and the free gift is a set of steak knives with an appointment. People will grab the freebie. Then they'll have their brother in law call you to come on over he can get a complimentary set of steak knives too. And their ravenous need for steak knives doesn't qualify them as to your actual service. The one you want to sell.
      Ahhh. And for many services, that would apply. But vacuums? Almost nobody I've sold a vacuum cleaner to, in their home, thought about a new vacuum cleaner before I got there. I had to create that sale out of thin air. Once, I mailed out 10,000 postcards to try to appeal to people who were thinking about a vacuum cleaner. I got three responses, and one sale.

      And these prospects are qualified... for credit. They had to have a full time job, and own their home (for me, anyway). That brother in law you mentioned? I would have shown the vacuum to him, assuming the first ones bought. I never asked for referrals from non-buyers.

      When I sold life insurance, I gave away calculators (If I remember) for appointments. But I noticed that it was much harder to build interest in insurance cold, like I did with vacuums.

      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      Whereas, if you could use getting a room cleaned, you probably could use getting other rooms cleaned too. So it makes sense in that it helps to get at least people who could need your service to raise their hands. And the freebie gives you the time and opportunity to set up the sale. The audit creates the opportunity to educate and sell the prospect. Genius.

      And that's about as much as I know about it, except that he gets you entrenched into the audit (more genius), and the only way it could be even better is if there's a way to turn the freebie into a self liquadating offer on top of selling the job. As in, "thank you Mrs. Jones for agreeing to let us clean your other five rooms for . And by the way that room we cleaned as a free gift is on us as promised, but we do have a special where normally that room would be XXX, but if you reimburse us only for it, we'll thank you by giving you Yadda Yadda for the entire house which is worth . You'll save ." Actually I think part of his cleaning agreement is kind of like that now that I think of it, in that he turns it into a annual cleaning contract. So there you go.

      That just so beats "Hello Mrs. Jones. Where would you like me to leave your free bottle of Oxi Clean?"
      Absolutely. And for carpet cleaning, it's a perfect fit. By the way, I tried using vacuum cleaner related gifts to get appointments selling vacuum cleaners.
      A free tune-up on the vacuum they owned, a free pack of vacuum bags for their vacuum, even a hand held vacuum cleaner to clean out their cars. Nope. It didn't help at all. To this day, I don't know exactly why. Maybe the perceived value wasn't high enough. But a case of Pepsi (or coke)? Much better response. Weird.

      Oh, it helped enormously with referrals (from buyers) if the person I was going to see knew a lot about what I was going to show them. Prices, everything.
      It even helped if they had their defenses up when I got there.

      "I'm helping out my sister by looking at this. But I just want you to know, we aren't buying anything". You see, they were already price conditioned before I got there. And, they know that people bought from me. They were already 40% sold before I got there. And my sales results showed that.

      But if I were selling carpet cleaning services? A case of Pepsi would be a stupid gift. Besides, it's far easier to say "Yes" when they guy is already there...and the equipment is already set up.

      Oh, when I sold vacuums that also shampooed carpet, I did use the shampooer. I would shampoo a spot, or a walk way...maybe 5 minutes. What I didn't want was the prospect to expect me to shampoo a room of carpet.
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      • Profile picture of the author misterme
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        The only reason [offering a free room of carpet cleaned] isn't great for vacuums... is that the prospect's expectations are that you are there to clean carpet. It's impossible to change that perception. Believe me, I've tried.
        Which underscores my saying that the freebie works best if it's related to the service you want to sell. Cleaning the carpet is related to carpet cleaning services. Apparently, it's not actually related to selling a vacuum cleaner. Though one might think so from outside appearances. But evidently, not so.

        Cleaning carpet is also the way to get tons of appointments with home owners. That's why Kirby loves that program. But I hated it...
        Yes my friend but you see the nuance here is that Kirby doesn't care about you. Their view is, "let's do the thing that gets the sales people into the most homes. It doesn't cost us for the sales people (or is a minimal cost). The more people they're making demos to, the more product we'll sell, because someone in all those demos wants to buy a vacuum cleaner today." Then they leave it to you to fight and win the battle in finding those people out of everyone. It doesn't matter so much if you're the one who gets the deal or if Joe Schmoe gets the deal. Someone will get the deal, that's all that matters to Kirby. They don't care if most don't get a sale. They'd love it if it happened, but that's the safety net: They understand most won't. The bottom line is no matter who gets the deal, Kirby gets the money. So all they're interested in, is getting salespeople in front of people.

        Ahhh. And for many services, that would apply. But vacuums? Almost nobody I've sold a vacuum cleaner to, in their home, thought about a new vacuum cleaner before I got there. I had to create that sale out of thin air. Once, I mailed out 10,000 postcards to try to appeal to people who were thinking about a vacuum cleaner. I got three responses, and one sale.
        I laud you for your ability to build desire. My personal belief is that desire isn't created out of sheer nothingness however; that there needs to be a molecule of desire, the nucleus of it, for additional desire to bind itself to and build upon. You're probably very adapt at doing that. At ferreting out that molecule and knowing how to build on it.

        Maybe that ability doesn't translate to writing copy on a postcard? I don't know. Maybe. You go from dealing one on one to one on masses and no longer can you zero in on that one molecule anymore. I know direct mail is "salesmanship in print" but direct mail IS another dimension with way other factors involved beyond what face-to-face selling involves.

        I would think in addition to the ability to buy, they need to be either fed up and disgusted with the dust piles growing in their home, or they have to be a Felix Unger type squirming at the stains they see; they need to have an under performing vacuum cleaner that sucks all their time up to use - but not so much the dirt - and they hate it; or a busted cleaner. In other words, they need motivation. Who dreams of buying an iron? What makes a person buy that? Same principles.

        I tried using vacuum cleaner related gifts to get appointments selling vacuum cleaners. A free tune-up on the vacuum they owned, a free pack of vacuum bags for their vacuum, even a hand held vacuum cleaner to clean out their cars. Nope. It didn't help at all.
        I'd think of those more like after market items to the cleaner being sold, not freebies given ahead of the sale. I'm blank as to what would be a good freebie for a vacuum cleaner. It might not even be a thing, but an offer.

        But a case of Pepsi (or coke)? Much better response. Weird.
        Because it didn't depend on them actually having any iota of wanting a vacuum or needing a vacuum? So, like Kirby's carpet cleaning freebie, it gets you into the most homes?

        "I'm helping out my sister by looking at this. But I just want you to know, we aren't buying anything". You see, they were already price conditioned before I got there. And, they know that people bought from me. They were already 40% sold before I got there. And my sales results showed that.
        So there's that pre-existing molecule and some, going in.

        You know I'm just brainstorming here. I'm certainly not telling you your business. I'm not that presumptuous. Just giving you my thinking, which obviously will be different than yours. And this is a good thing because as you may know, Einstein once said we can't solve our problems with the same thinking that created those problems. And like my mom once said two heads are better than one. Unless you're born that way like your cousin Theodore, poor thing, then you only live a few days and die. Ummm. Let's stick with the Einstein quote.
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by misterme View Post

          Yes my friend but you see the nuance here is that Kirby doesn't care about you. Their view is, "let's do the thing that gets the sales people into the most homes. It doesn't cost us for the sales people (or is a minimal cost). The more people they're making demos to, the more product we'll sell, because someone in all those demos wants to buy a vacuum cleaner today."
          That's truer than you know.

          Originally Posted by misterme View Post

          I laud you for your ability to build desire. .
          well, you know what they say "You can't spell "Claude" without spelling "Laud"".

          It's an old saying.

          Have you ever gone to a movie because someone asked you to go with them? Not knowing anything about the movie? And as you are watching it...discover that you really like it? It was like that selling vacuum cleaners.

          If it was a cold call, all they knew was that I was going to show them something, and they were getting a gift for their time. If they asked what it was, I would tell them that it's a vacuum cleaner.

          But, on those calls I sold about half. Really, everything was created after I got there. For years I knocked on doors and gave them a gift for their time.
          Sometimes they didn't know it was a vacuum cleaner. Sometimes they did.
          But it didn't help or hurt my chances of making a sale.

          I would leave my home at 5:30 or 6PM...drive to a nice area, and start knocking on doors. One in six would let me in...maybe half of those would take a look at what I had (sometimes I decided not to do the demonstration).
          And half of those people would buy. For years I averaged 4 hours of effort for every sale I made. It was like clockwork. For a three year stretch (if memory serves), I never went an 8 hour period (in a row) without a sale.

          Creating sales out of nothing is the hardest way to sell. At least that I've seen.
          I sell about 80% of the people I talk to (meaning I'm presenting, not small talk) my online marketing program. But they virtually all either showed an interest before I met with them, ore when I got started asking questions.

          An interesting experiment would be to offer the small business owner a gift blind...for 10 minutes of their time.
          Ben Feldman (World's greatest life insurance salesman) would hand a secretary $500 and say "I'll give your boss this for 5 minutes of his time".

          I don't know if I have the nerve for that, but I may try an experiment like this when I close my store and sell full time.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    User CP> Edit Options> Edit Ignore List> Add Member> Okay = No more having to see that members posts.

    That should help, Max.

    -John
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  • Profile picture of the author Huskerdarren
    Being the cautious consumer I am, I see the free gift as a hook and I don't want to be hooked. Giving someone something creates a social contract with them. I recognize this and therefore usually decline the gift (unless we're talking Costco samples), because I do not want to give them anything in return.

    I found tremendous value in Brian Tracy's Psychology of Selling, the Art of Closing the Sale. I picked up the tapes at a thrift store for 99c. They must be from the 1980's because he uses selling mainframe computers as the product. Anyway, they are some of the best selling materials I've ever heard. He tells you to call prospects for the sole purpose of making an appointment. He stresses that you should tell them it will only take 10 minutes of their time. To get the appointment, you have to solve a problem they have. In the case of IM, we're selling leads and more customers buying their product or service = profit and money. If they're already advertising, they clearly want business. Now they'll try to get you to give up the goods over the phone, but insist on the 10 minute in-person meeting, the only thing that will do your offering justice. Then once you're in the door, Brian give you the techniques to make the sale. The most important thing is that you believe in the product. You know it works and is worth what you're selling it for. There's no conflict within you then. So you don't have to feel like you're tricking them into anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Huskerdarren View Post

      Being the cautious consumer I am, I see the free gift as a hook and I don't want to be hooked. Giving someone something creates a social contract with them.
      I always explained that the gift was for their time, nothing else. I never felt that they thought that they were obligated, or owed me, because I gave them that gift. It's all in the presentation. Of course, the people who said "No" to my offer? I have no idea what they were thinking. To this day, it amazes me how many people would let me in their home.

      What would make them feel obligated is if I bought something from them first. If they had a small part time craft business, or sold candles, or toys, (just about anything under $50), I would buy it. And I would do it before I showed my vacuum cleaner (if possible). Even if they didn't buy from me, I still bought from them. And I would never bring up the fact that I bought from them. That would be suicide, and not my way.

      And...(I know this will sound like a lie) I can't recall anyone ever not buying from me if I bought from them first. And I mean I did this hundreds of times. It wasn't until my later years in selling that I attempted to discover why this happened.

      Weird.
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