Doing business NOW

Have you ever met someone who just wakes up one morning, has a cup of coffee, and decides, “Today I’m going to go spend $50,000 on a car, boat, stock, trip, or home…”? No one in their right mind makes high-value purchases like these spontaneously. They spend time researching and finding a seller to help them with the selection process and, ultimately, pricing. Think about it, how long does it take to buy your first home? Traditional sales methods have always focused on closing the sale, NOW. As a result, many customers feel pressured and uncomfortable with the salesperson. And, by default, with the business or store, and they leave. Interested parties become buyers and the company misses opportunities to create long-term customers who will return again and again. The question is, “Is your business or store trying to get business or just trying to get business now?” What is the objective? The answer should be, “to build clientele who will come back and buy repeatedly, not just to close a quick sale NOW.” Keep in mind that if a customer doesn’t do business with you now, it doesn’t mean they won’t do business with you later. A serious mistake in the world of sales is that the business must be processed immediately – NOW. As a result, sales professionals – many of whom actually know better – scare away customers by peppering them with questions, ultimately ending up with “What would it take to buy the product NOW?” No matter how hard you push to buy now, the result is the same: if it’s not the right product for the customer, nothing will make them buy it, not even the price. In the world of sales, there is only one true definition of COMPANY. It is when the customer is willing to buy and take home the product.

All successful sales are made up of three elements:

• Help customers select the right product that meets their needs and wants.
• Grow business by creating an experience that makes customers feel like they are in the right business and working with the right salesperson.
• The right price. Let’s apply this to customers shopping at a clothing store. If a piece of equipment is attractive, the customer goes to the fitting room and measures it. If the look, feel and fit are right, then the customer considers price. Price is often the last thing considered when something looks good. It’s the same with any sale. A customer is interested in the right product, the right features and fit, and then the price. NOW, that artificial feeling of immediacy has nothing to do with the sale. It has no place in the sales process and is a hindrance rather than a help. The question is: Is your business looking for business or just looking for business now? When opportunity strikes, the goal should be to develop, acquire and maintain your business. Whether you buy today, now, next week or next month, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they buy, that they buy from you, and that they do so repeatedly. If buyers choose to consider purchasing, it is imperative that the seller obtain sufficient information before the buyer stops contact. Especially in the first 72 hours after the visit. At a minimum, the seller must collect and record standard detailed data; Find the right product for the customer and present the best possible deal before leaving. Then, they must develop and execute a follow-up plan designed to bring the opportunity back to close the sale. As well as to expand sales opportunities and build the relationship. This approach not only allows the salesperson to get the sale, but also positions him or her to convert someone into a customer and to generate referral sales to additional income.

Create lasting relationships

Of the lost sales opportunities that a business leaves without completing a transaction, 91% never received a follow-up call or letter from the company, according to one study. That’s almost 100%, meaning sellers are almost perfect at not following up. The biggest sales opportunity for every salesperson is accelerating into “lost” sales. Both sales and warehouse management personnel should leverage established processes to develop follow-up plans for each opportunity based on their needs, wants, tastes, and other information gathered during their first visit. As new information is obtained that can help close a transaction based on the information collected, sales teams must contact the opportunity and bring them back to the store. Automated management systems give the possibility of checking the status of each opportunity at any time. For example, it may be the store’s policy that each salesperson sends an e-mail and/or letter within 24 hours of the visit. The director makes a follow-up call the next day. And the seller makes a confirmation call to set up a second visit in 48 hours. The Le Creuset utensils store in California has this process mastered. Unfortunately, it is not commonplace throughout the chain. Within 24 hours of the visit, each client receives a thank you note. Whether or not you have purchased. When customers return they are greeted by name. Recipes are often shared that work well with your previous or current purchases.

Practices

Once the opportunity has been moved to a customer, the salesperson can develop a communication plan aimed at building trust and making incremental sales. Focusing on business and creating long-term customers can be a simple process if companies and their sales teams adopt these basic practices: Collect and record detailed data, standardized for all occasions. Present all the reasons why the customer should buy from the company. Leverage technology to develop a follow-up action plan designed to bring the opportunity back and close the sale. Focus on building relationships with existing customers with the goal of converting them into repeat customers and generating additional revenue referral sales. Always leave the door open so you can create a “Be-Back.” Always give the customer a reason to return.