For those of you have followed my speaking, articles and blog, you know I am a major proponent of delivering more to your clients and prospects than just product. The opportunities that exist in the marketplace are tremendous yet often overlooked. Why is that? I contend that we generally are in such a hurry to "get the order" that we fail to ask the questions that may uncover substantial opportunities and lead to larger, more profitable sales.
For those of you who do not buy into this concept, you can stop reading here. But for those of you who want to explore additional avenues for sales and profits and are open to the many possibilities, read on!
As a consultant, I work with numerous folks who are truly open to seeing this business from a different vantage point. While it's true that they still sell promotional merchandise, awards and apparel, they search for then seize the opportunity to deliver more for their clients and prospects. They understand that by delivering more than just the "stuff" we sell, they can exponentially grow their sales and, more importantly, their profits. This mindset positions them levels above their competition as clients who recognize the value they bring to the table.
There is a ton of speak about being a million-dollar salesperson, but what is most important is being a profitable salesperson with loyal clients who value what you do. Case in point: one of my clients runs a successful and profitable business, driving 700K+ in sales and a 54 percent gross profit! This is how it’s done.
Preparation Lays the Groundwork
Most salespeople do less than adequate homework when preparing for meetings with clients and prospects. Research your prospects AND clients before meeting with them. You might be amazed at what you'll uncover. One sales guru who I follow suggests that a salesperson have 40 questions prepared for a 20-minute meeting. Is that you? I embraced that concept and still do it today because:
• It shows your client you are more interested in helping them than earning a commission
• It builds trust, which eventually begets loyalty
• It solidifies a long-term relationship
• It leads to a stronger bond and partnership
Solid preparation is critical and formulating questions – and the right questions are the next key step to uncovering opportunities.
Questions
Probing questions are they key! Most salespeople lead with very surface and superficial questions: When is your event? How many do you need? And what's your budget? These questions do not go deep enough to open additional doors of opportunity. Better questions, more probing questions will more deeply engage the client and lead to more opportunities.
Example: If a client is attending a trade show and calls and wants "some stuff to hand out…" don’t ask what’s your budget. Or how many are you looking to get? Rather ask; why are you attending the show? What is the purpose or goal? What are you trying to accomplish? Who are the people attending? What are they like? What would success look like for you? These types of questions are just the beginning and depending on the answers you receive additional questions will ensue. At the end of the day it may be just selling a product but you'll never know unless you dig deeper.
One tactic an attendee at one of my presentations shared was brilliant. After doing his homework to learn about the prospects company/products/services, one of his first questions is, "How would you sell your company's products and services to me?" After a brief explanation, the prospect inevitably, says “…this is our problem” – and that is where the opportunity lies!
It could very well be that the solution is just a product and that’s good, but at least you’ve taken the steps to ensure there is not more that you're leaving on the table.
Ears Wide Open
Stage three is listening – intently! I once sat on a panel with Vera Muzzillo of ProForma at a trade and when asked what she felt is the one skill distributors should really develop, she said, “listening… God gave you one mouth and two ears. Use them in proportion to one another.” Brilliant advice! When you are an active and intentional listener you can pick up on key words, phrases and innuendoes that lead to additional questions. The questions are the answer, these answers lead to opportunities.
I tell a story of a client who wanted me to do a T-shirt order. I asked questions on who was the audience? How were they being delivered? Who would be doing the fulfillment? Long story short, all of those probing questions lead to a massive order that included the custom packaging, fulfillment and mailing – all total the order went from roughly a $21,000 order at 43 percent gross profit to an order of $29,000 at a 62 percent gross profit – just by asking a few additional questions and then selling the value!
Your role in this business should not be that of an ORDER TAKER, and if you’ve read along this far I know that’s not your way of thinking. As a creative marketer and strategic partner keeping your ears wide open is a critical skillset that will set you well above the competition – so take action now, you can do it.
Prepare, question and ears wide open – the rewards will astonish you!
Until next month, continued good selling!
Cliff Quicksell, MAS, has been involved in the promotional marketing industry for over 30 years. He is the recipient of over 25 international sales and marketing awards for innovation, creativity and his contributions to the industry. He can be reached at cliff@quicksellpeaks.com or 301-717-0615.