Assignment selling
Do any of you folks use assignment selling? Basically, you give prospects homework before you'll sit down with them. Marcus Sheridan explains it here using his pool company.
assignment selling, sales techniques information age
If they don't do the homework, he cancels the appointment. Here is the meat of it:
"Often times prospects will excitedly call my store or send us an email requesting to have someone out to their house so as to give them information and a quote on a pool. And in most cases for just about every swimming pool company across the world, the process of setting up this appointment, other than a few ‘find-out’ questions, is rather pitiful.
I say pitiful because I used to be pitiful in my approaches with customers as well. They’d call, we’d talk, and bam—appt made. But before long I realized I was making one grave mistake—the homeowner didn’t have enough responsibility on their end. In other words, they were looking for someone to teach them in their home what they could already learn from the countless pages of content on my website.
Teaching vs Selling
Because of this lack of responsibility, I found myself spending too much time teaching prospects on sales calls and not enough time selling. And regardless of what anyone in the world might say, selling, and not teaching, is what ultimately pays the bills.
Upon realizing the error of my ways, I became much bolder with clients. In fact, I started giving them ‘homework’ before I’d come out to their house.
Yes, that’s right, I did just say homework.
For example, before I go on a sales appointment with an inground pool prospect I’ll send them the following information.
More references:
http://blog.skodaminotti.com/blog/ma...gnment-selling
http://angelabooth.com/wp/2013/03/11...ify-prospects/
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/conn...?autoplay=true
assignment selling, sales techniques information age
If they don't do the homework, he cancels the appointment. Here is the meat of it:
"Often times prospects will excitedly call my store or send us an email requesting to have someone out to their house so as to give them information and a quote on a pool. And in most cases for just about every swimming pool company across the world, the process of setting up this appointment, other than a few ‘find-out’ questions, is rather pitiful.
I say pitiful because I used to be pitiful in my approaches with customers as well. They’d call, we’d talk, and bam—appt made. But before long I realized I was making one grave mistake—the homeowner didn’t have enough responsibility on their end. In other words, they were looking for someone to teach them in their home what they could already learn from the countless pages of content on my website.
Teaching vs Selling
Because of this lack of responsibility, I found myself spending too much time teaching prospects on sales calls and not enough time selling. And regardless of what anyone in the world might say, selling, and not teaching, is what ultimately pays the bills.
Upon realizing the error of my ways, I became much bolder with clients. In fact, I started giving them ‘homework’ before I’d come out to their house.
Yes, that’s right, I did just say homework.
For example, before I go on a sales appointment with an inground pool prospect I’ll send them the following information.
- Our company reference list of over 600 customers.
- A 50 page eBook all about swimming pools and options.
- 3-5 Significant Articles from our company blog."
More references:
http://blog.skodaminotti.com/blog/ma...gnment-selling
http://angelabooth.com/wp/2013/03/11...ify-prospects/
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/conn...?autoplay=true
http://www.prospringlaunch.com/Akbar786
- Jack Trout
Mike
Mike