I am going to share 4 basics tips with you that will ensure you maximize ” face ” time with your clients and create real value in your deals.

1. Tell them what you are going to cover and how long it will take.   These are the very basics.  Always give your client an outline of 3 to 5 basic points you will cover with them.  These points should be laser focused on areas that will positively impact their business and help them achieve their personal goals.  Tell them how long it will take to go through your presentation,  then STICK TO IT.   Sometimes when my clients get engaged they lose track of time and start asking questions.   I will remind them of the time and ask them if it is okay if we continue.   Shows them you respect their time.
2. Go over the points individually.   Go through your points with the client, using pictures whenever possible to illustrate your point.  It is easier for us to remember thoughts or ideas when we can tie a picture to it.    Be clear an concise in your presentation.  Don’t ramble or use alot of industry jargon.
3. Review.  Tell them what you have just told them.   Go over the summary of your bullet points.   Something like this, “Mrs. Client I have just shown you how First Cleaning Service has a need for single source cleaning product provider, secondly how we have positioned Cleaner ABC as the best choice to fill this need etc.”
4. Finally.  You always need a call to action for the client.  Whether it is asking them to do business  or commit some energy or resource for your next steps.  This will help you gauge your customers level of interest.   If your customer is not willing to extend some reasonable energy to make your deal come together, you might want to reevaluate your opportunity.

I have showed a very basic but effective structure to help you plan your client meetings.  Make sure you and colleagues can agree on a basic outline before walking into a meeting.  This will help you win more deals and ensure you are prepared.

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Mac Jackson

Sales Professional

www.macjacksononline.com

Today in gym class during a game of  War Ball (similar to Dodge Ball I guess) another boy hit him in the face with the ball.  When he asked him”Why did you do that. “  The older boy hit him again with the ball.   My son said, ” I just lost my cool.”  ” Next, thing I know we where fighting.”

My son learned some very valuable lessons today.  It made me think about how we some times lose our cool in business.   Has a vendor or service provider ever made you so mad that you made a decision that you came to regret.

Scenario:

Client becomes frustrated over pricing, service or other issue and decides to look into other providers.   The new global economy we live in has made it easier for companies of all sizes to compete in the market.  This is great for consumers.  It can create a free for all buyer’s market. 

There are some  pitfalls to watch out for.  

• Loss of functionality.
• The other is effeciency.  Having to work harder to achieve the same result.  

Have you ever heard a vendor say ” Why do you pay for 100% of your current system and you are only utilizing  on average 33% of the system?”      ” We can provide you with service that will get you what you need for less than half the cost.”    That sounds like a great deal doesn’t it?   Momma always said if it sounds too good….

Here are some key points to consider:

1. Always be sure you are not throwing away the parts you need to make your engine run.   In other words if  you move to another vendor or source make sure they can give you the same functionality you use to drive your business or reporting  that monitors those profit indicators.   If you lose that in the 67% you give away the 50% you save won’t matter.
2. Start out right.  When looking for a vendor look for a partner.  Always be sure you have an advocate in your sales rep who can navigate her company structure for you if need be.  If you have ever had a problem and had to call 20 different people you know how important this is.
3. Communication.  Find a company and representative that is easy to communicate with.  The advent of social media has made it easier than ever to get answers from the people you do business with.  Look to see if they offer live chat help,  United States call centers,  Twitter Feeds, Facebook and other social tools.   If you find that a company is hard to cummunicate with when you are in the”courting ” stage you should slow down and take a long look before jumping.

These are 3 things to consider before blowing your stack and making a decision that could cost you a ton in time, money, effort and effeciency.

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My first official job in the auto industry was working as a salesperson in Little Rock, Arkansas at one of the oldest Dodge dealers in the state. My manager was a good guy. He did his best to train us “green peas” on how to sell cars. This usually meant he would just teach us what someone else had told him. A lot of the methods where crude at best and disingenuous and dishonest on many levels when it came to negotiations with customers.

I came across this method a few years back. I taught it to sales associates. We all had similar results:

Better customer satisfaction scores.
Less stressful negotiations with customers.
Increase in per unit profits.
Shorten negotiation process.
So if you need to change any of these things , take a look at what you’re doing. Then ask yourself ” How is that working for me?” Insanity is doing the same thing expecting a different outcome. The method below is simple and can be mastered with a little practice.

After you have your numbers for the customer, in what ever form your dealership prefers . Your proposal should include some basics like sale price, trade in amount, initial investment (cash down) and monthly investment (monthly payment). This process is about isolating objections and minimizing the back and forth between sales guide, client and sales manager.

You are going over the numbers with client. When you are done you look at the client and say” If this looks good, then I just need your OK right here.”
Clients signs. Your done.
If not and clients says” No way! That won’t ever work.”
Don’t panic. Calmly say ” I hear what your telling. Let me just make sure I understand what your telling me. What exactly is it that is keeping us from moving forward? Is it the sale of our vehicle, the initial investment, trade in or the monthly investment.”
Now read these responses carefully. No matter what your client says is the problem this will help you.
“Man your killing me on my trade.” ” Ok so your telling me the trade amount is the only thing keeping us from moving forward?”
“Yes” So if I can get you “a little more for the trade” is the monthly investment amount ok?
” No,I don’t think that will work.” “Which part, getting you more for you trade?”
” No you are going to have to do a lot better.” Ok so if I can get “you a lot more for your trade” is the initial investment amount ok?
“No I just don’t think it is going to work out. You aren’t giving me enough for my trade.” I understand what you are saying. Let me ask ,if I can get you “exactly what you want for your trade’? I just want to make sure that the initial and monthly investments meet your approval.
“Okay. What do you want for your trade? $5000. So if I can get that done we will move forward.”
Just initial here to verify what you want for you trade.
That is it. It is the ” a little, a lot, exactly” negotiation. It will work on every moving part of the deal. Practice it, role play it , do it and let me know how it works.

A couple of notes here:

This was all on my first pencil.
I am more consultative in the sale versus adversarial.
Every time your sales guide gets up to talk to the sales manager, he gives up respect and profitability. (Think about it.)
I know this was like a crash course if you have any questions or want more detail on how to carry this out, just let me know.

Mac@macjacksononline.com

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Mac@macjacksononline.com