Sales Advice - Be Part of the Solution
Monday, August 27, 2007
You may be a plumber (or a builder, or an architect) but you have a second job. You're also a salesperson. You may love or hate this second job, but it a necessary part of any service professional's business. Every time you talk with a prospective client, you have to sell your services, your products, and your self. Project owners are inviting you into their lives and their homes or businesses. They want a company they can trust and who will do the best job.The tricky part of your salesperson job is not the service you're selling. What makes it hard is how you sell it. Many tend to talk about the products and services they provide. They talk about all the features of a new countertop or replacement windows or a remodeled bathroom. They are actually selling... nouns. A renovated kitchen is a noun. A new roof is a noun. But you should focus on selling what your services and products will do for homeowners and business owners. Start selling verbs. Actions. Results. Solutions.
Replacement windows may have UV protective glass, brass hardware, and between-the-glass blinds but those are just the features of a particular product. Telling a potential client about the energy savings, the improved value of the home, the ease of cleaning and maintenance, and the beauty and durability of new windows will flip those nouns to verbs. When you let people know how their lives will be changed or that they'll be much easier, you've stopped selling and your started informing.
By providing a solution to a need or a problem, you'll make your second job as a salesperson much easier and maybe even more fun. You'll begin to think of your job as helping the people in your community and that's what being a service professional is all about.
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Labels: Contractor Advice, Sales Advice, Small Business Advice
