Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells Something

A couple of weeks ago I went to fill up my car with gas at the Costco gas station across the street from my office.  When I went to swipe my membership card for authorization it read as “card expired”.  This was not really a surprise to me as I had just renewed my membership online the day before.  I still had a quarter tank of gas so I decided that I would go into the store that  afternoon and get it straightened out with customer service (member services I think they call it.)

Late that afternoon I trekked to the Costco near my home to get my card activated, fill up with gas, and do a little grocery shopping.  I had my three year old daughter with me so I loaded her up in the shopping cart and stood in line, waiting for member services.  A few minutes later I’m called up to the counter and I explain my predicament to the Costco customer service rep.  I explain my recent renewal and that I understand that the “expired” hold probably hasn’t been removed from my account.  In a very “matter in fact” way I’m told that my payment had not shown up in the membership system and that I’d have to wait several more days before I’m able to use my membership.  At this point I’m starting to get irritated.  I had checked my checking account and Costco took the money from my account shortly after I hit enter to renew the membership.  I had purchased and paid for this renewal but here is Costco telling me that I must wait to use the service I had paid for.  The Costco customer service representative told me that my only option was to purchase another membership and then when the first one became activated, I could come back in and they would refund the amount of the second membership.  Not really my idea of how to service the customer.  In sales we’re programmed to solve the customer’s problem.  Real, imaginary, big, small, it doesn’t matter.  What problem do I need solved at this point?  A working membership card?  An explanation as to why my card won’t work?  No, the problem that I need solved is my inability to purchase groceries and gasoline.  Plain and simple.  We’ve probably all seen the “one-day-shopping pass” that Costco gives out, many of you have probably used one at some point in the past.  Had one of these little gems been proffered up at this point, I would have been happily on my way loading up a shopping cart full of goodies and filling up my vehicle on the way out.  But sadly this was not the case and Costco lost out on those sales.

So why am I telling you this?  Two reasons

1)  To vent, to bitch. As petty as it may be, it is rather cathartic to get it out and it’s my blog so I can do as I please.

2)  More importantly, as a sales “teaching moment”, or a reminder that every interaction with a customer is a chance to sell, or lose a sale as the case may be.  Up and down the organizational chart, we’re all in sales, all the time.

In conclusion, what now.  Will Costco lose my business?  More importantly does Costco care?  The answers are no and probably not.

I’ve had a long relationship with Costco, unblemished until today.  I’ll cut them some slack.  You never know when you’ll need 8 gallons of mustard, a fishing boat and a coffin on the same shopping trip.

“Would you like fries with that?” 

This is exactly what a lot of the dealer sales reps I work with sound like.  That’s their idea of selling.  These are order takers, not salespeople.  “I’ll be by on Tuesday and if you have an order for me I’ll pick it up.”  Now don’t get me wrong, I like McDonald’s just as much as the next fella.  There’s nothing wrong with being an order taker if you work in the fast food industry, retail, or deliver soda pop to convience stores.  If you want to be a success at sales, if you want to consistently surpass your goals and build relationships with your clients, you need to start making your questions do the work for you.

Questions are the most powerful sales tool that exists, period.  Customers use the questions that you ask to categorize you into either “valued resource”, or “sales-flunkie”.  Ask good, insightful questions and you’re the former.  Ask thoughtless, mechanical questions that show you haven’t done your research and you look like you got your sales training at the local burger hut.

So you ask “What makes a good question?”

• A good question challenges the buyer to engage, to think, to evaluate new information.

• Ask questions that your competition doesn’t.  Differentiate yourself with your questions.

• Ask questions that will have to be answered in terms of your product.

Examples:

“What’s most important to you when you buy  a ________ (whatever it is that you are selling)?”  

“How do you use PPV fans?”   “Aggressive fire attack, Post Knockdown, just for Overhaul, etc ?”

“How would you know if you’re paying more for your chainsaw chain than you should?”

“What’s one thing you’d improve about your current (hose, nozzle, helmet) ?”

“What made you choose _______ as your current PPV supplier?”

Ask for their opinion.  Do it often.  Buyers aren’t looking for you to “hold court”.  They don’t need our opinions.  Ask the question then shut up.  Let them talk.  Listen.  Better yet, listen and write down their answers.  Not only will this show that value their answer,  you’ll have notes to review later as you develop your next step.

To become adept at asking Smart sales questions you have to work on it.  These aren’t questions that just “pop-up” in every conversation.  You need to develop a list of good questions and write them down.  Practice them.  Get comfortable with them.  Once you’ve used them for 30 days, revaluate your questions and “tighten them up”.

It’s said that all things being equal, people buy from people they like.  This is only half true.  People buy from people they like, and people that are like them.    Buyers will tell themselves, their bosses and others that they thoroughly consider all aspects of sales proposals and carefully make their buying decisions based upon their findings.  Computers can do this but people can’t and won’t.  So what does this mean to those of us that make their livelihood selling stuff?  If you’re a jerk you should probably find another profession.  More than that, we need to realize that our message is at best, of equal importance as the messenger and probably less important.  How do you insure that the messenger (you) is in the best position to impress the buyer?  These are a few of the factors you need to consider.

1)  The way you look.  We all have to “play the hand we’re dealt” when it comes to appearances.  Some are gifted with good genetics, natural good looks.  These folks tend to be pharmaceutical reps and they can probably skip this one.  For the rest of us, it’s important to do our best and keep our appearance in mind.

Napoleon Hill  wrote about “sound physical health” in Think and Grow Rich (1937).  Nothing has changed since then.  Good health, being fit is a key factor in your appearance and has a major effect on having a positive attitude.

The way you dress.  Dress the way your customers dress, or the way they expect you to dress.

2)  The way you speak.  Speak intelligently, but not over the customer’s head.  Try not to use slang or curse excessively (this may be industry specific).

Most importantly, be friendly.

3)  Product Knowledge

4)  Attitude

What do these fire service companies have in common MSA, Scott, Globe, Hurst, Pierce?
A Powerful Brand
As salespeople we will never have the marketing resources to build an enormous brand image like the companies listed above, but it is vital that all salespeople develop their own personal brand.

Salespeople must develop and build their personal brand to be successful.Why is this so important?  Because if you don’t, you’re just like everyone else.

I can’t think of an industry in which this is as important as fire equipment sales.  Everyday you walk into chief’s offices and you see your competition’s business cards and catalogs on their desks.  How often do you run into the competition calling on the same department you are calling on?  Do you want to be just like them, look like them, be remembered just like them?

How to create a strong personal brand?

If you think that “I’m with XYZ Fire Equipment” is going to cut it in today’s world, forget it.  In today’s internet driven world the fact that your company has been around since fire was invented, or that you carry “the top lines” means little if any to most buyers.  These factors provide little or no differentiation between many dealers.People buy from people, not companies.  They buy from people they like, people like themselves, people they trust.  Most importantly, people that add value to the relationship.  So how do you add value to your relationship with your clients?  I’m glad you asked.1)  Bring them new products and ideas.  Everyone loves a new toy, especially if it makes their life/job safer and easier.2)  Provide knowledge beyond your own products.  You’re expected to be an expert on your own lines, but to be of value to your customers you’ve got to be able to speak to how and when the products are used.  Become a “clearinghouse” for information.  Develop your network so that you refer your customers to subject matter experts outside your own areas of expertise. 
You might be able to wax poetically about the fabrics and types of thread used in the turnout that you sell, but being able to help the  PPA committee understand the latest NFPA regs will paint you in the light of being an “expert”.
3)  Build your online presence…..NOW.  Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+, blogs, websites, etc.  This is where your customers are online, if you’re not, you’re missing the boat.  I’ll bet you that one of your competitors is.  You don’t need to have a webpage, (you can, there are many free services out there that will help you lay one out.)  Start out with Facebook or LinkedIn page and go from there.  The main thing to remember is that you have to give people a reason to visit you (see above), update your posts frequently.  Once you lose the momentum of people coming to your page to see what’s new, it’s hard to get it back.
4)  Be Creative.  Do things the completion doesn’t;  Hold an open house with live demos of equipment, serve lunch.  Email out a quarterly newsletter with new product highlights, offer to schedule demos with factory reps.  Offer to provide technical assistance with equipment during trainings.
By leveraging your personal brand you position yourself as an expert.  
I think that Jeffery Gitomer says it best “Personal branding is sales.  It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.”