I arrived in Louisville at 9:30 AM. Todd picked me up at the airport, and we went straight to the hotel. I knew that it was early, but I was hoping to be able to check in and have a room to meet in with Todd. Sitting in the lobby would work, but it wasn’t my first choice.
At check in I was greeted with a warm “good morning.” Nancy looked up and smiled. I explained my situation, and Nancy went to work on her computer. “I have two rooms available to check into,” she said. “A regular room, or for only $19 more I can put you into a suite.”
I thought momentarily and then opted for the suite. Nancy was really trying to work with me. She was giving me choices. She also was moving me up to a more expensive room.
Nancy had developed some great sales habits. Her habits led to increased sales and greater profits. One of the quickest ways to build your business is to develop great sales habits. Below are three powerful sales habits you can develop and use.
1. The habit of increased profitability
When you go into McDonalds they ask you if you want fries with you order, if you want to “Super Size” your order, or if you want an apple pie with your order. They always want to increase the dollar amount of the transaction and grow their profits.
The first sale is the hardest to make, but it doesn’t say anywhere that you have to wait a certain amount of time to make the second sale. You should always have an item or two that you can add on after you make your sale. You have your client’s trust, and they want to do business with you. Make the most of your time and resources. Always look to increase your average sale. By adding products or services to the sale, you are increasing the value that you deliver your client and growing your profitability.
2. The habit of assuming the sale
Ever hear the expression, “I picked up good vibes from her?” We sense what others are feeling and thinking. You need to be putting off the vibes that you believe in your product and service, that it is right for your client, and that you are anticipating that the transaction will move forward.
When you approach a selling situation with an outcome-positive mindset you will be confident, persuasive, and trusting. Your clients will pick up on your commitment and, they will believe in your solution. You will close more sales.
Persistence is one foundation of a great sales professional. Your level of persistence will be significantly higher if you enter your sales relationships with an attitude of assuming the sale.
3. The habit of telling the whole story
I was working with a sales manager of a large equipment rental company. He shared with me an incident that he experienced with one of the members of his sales team. It seems that his sales professional lost a three million dollar client. The sales manager asked the sales professional if he knew why he had lost the sale. The answer was, “no.” So, the sales manager took the representative back to the client to find out this critical information.
It turns out that the client went with the competition because the competition had a field service representative and service was of top importance for this client. Well, my client was sick. The client had offices all up and down the east coast of the United States. The competitor had one service representative allocated to cover that entire region. My client had a field service representative in each town they had an office in. My client was in the best possible position to provide field service but lost the sale because the field sales representative did not properly educate the customer.
Never assume that your client knows what you k now. They probably don’t fully know about your product, your company, you as an individual, or the services your organization provides. Educate your client, and you will make the sale.
Every day you should work to hone and improve your sales skills and habits. It takes twenty-one days to effect a habit. Work on these three sales habits for the next twenty-one days, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.
