Every month I receive a variety of questions from salespeople and their managers. These come from a variety of sources - my live seminars, the monthly phone seminars, questions that are sent into my newsletter, and issues that arise in the course of my consulting work. Out of all of these, I select those that I think have the most universal application, and respond to them here.
In your recent phone seminar on handling objections, you talked about using "Proof" like letters of recommendation and testimonials. How do you get them?
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The short answer is that you ask for them. That's overly simple, however. It's a bit more complicated than that. First, make sure that your customers are satisfied with the product or service you sold them. So, shortly after experiencing your product, call for an appointment and visit the customer. Ask them if the product or service did what was expected. Find out how well they like it, and what impact they are seeing on their business. Take notes during this time, and write down, word-for-word, the comments that you customers make.
Assuming your customers are happy with what you sold them, ask, "If I could make it very easy for you to write a little letter of recommendation, would you?" If you hear a yes, then offer to write the letter, using the customer's words (which you have noted), and deliver it to them. All you customers have to do is sign it and give it back to you.
Borrow a couple pieces of letter head, write the letter as if it were from the customer, using the words that you collected, and bring it back to the customer. He signs it, and bingo, you have a letter of recommendation.
There is an additional fringe benefit. You also gain some additional currency with the original customer, who is flattered that you asked him/her to write the letter.
Do this a few times, and before long you'll have a folder full of "proof."
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If you have any comments or questions, email them to me. I do, of course, reserve the right to edit.
Here are a few articles by Dave
that you might be interested in reading:
- Your Most Powerful Sales Tool... Mastering the use of good questions is the salesperson's single most powerful interpersonal tool -- every aspect of your sales interactions will dramatically improve your results.... {Read More}
- Dealing with Difficult Customers... Difficult customers come in a wide variety. There are those whose personality rubs you the wrong way. They may not be difficult for someone else, but they are for you. And then there are those who are difficult for everyone: Picky people, know-it-alls, egocentrics, fault-finders, constant complainers, etc. Every salesperson can list a number of the types.... {Read More}
- Taking Your Sales Performance Up-a-Notch... "Selling is more difficult now that it was just a couple of years ago." Most of the participants in my sales seminars nod solemnly when I make that statement. And then they begin to fidget in their seats when I follow that up with this: "And it will be more difficult next year than it is today." They become really uncomfortable when I extend that idea: "And it will be increasingly more difficult every year thereafter." That's a sobering truth that we don't like to face.... {Read More}
There are also many other action-packed articles for sales professionals that offer how-to solutions to every day sales problems that you can read online at www.davekahle.com/article.htm.
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