The Secret to Selling to More Sophisticated Homeowners
The old ‘good, better, best’ choice theory given to customers is probably getting a little long in the tooth these days. Many customers – especially yours – are becoming too savvy, thanks to the Web, and are tuning out salespeople/technicians who deliver the same tired line that the generation before them used on their customers.
The selling tools of yesterday are very different from the selling tools of today. The question is: have you been able to keep up? We can all agree that some characteristics need to remain constant and don’t change at all. It is important that your salespeople and technicians have a good personality, have good hygiene, and the ability to make a strong presentation with an even stronger closing. Some things don’t change.
But technology has put many customers on the same level, perhaps even higher than the very people who are trying to sell them goods or services. Imagine the embarrassment of a salesperson or tech who can’t answer his or her customer’s questions, even though they’re supposed to be the expert. Don’t laugh, consumers who research using the Web often know more about a subject than people trying to sell them on that subject – maybe even your people?
Make sure your sales staff are the absolutely most educated in your community. How do you do that? You should constantly be investing in training for your people. Most contractors should have training at least once a week, and in reality, it should be closer to two or three times a week.
Your meetings should consist of:
- Role playing and objection/question handling
- Going over real life situations your sales force is facing each week 3. Product training – the industry is changing so much; your people must know what’s out there.
By putting a strong emphasis on training, your salespeople/technicians will be better able to educate homeowners, handle objections, and close more sales.