One of the best ways to increase your profit margins is to increase the conversion of incoming sales calls. That’s why today we want to discuss how to close more of the calls that come into your office or general sales. There are 2 key parts here. Neither of these are complex or difficult, but you must do both of them.
They are:
1) Innovate and change what you offer slightly.
2) Educate and communicate effectively with the customer.
Okay, so step #1 is innovation. What can you change about your products and services to make it more likely (or a no brainer) for people to choose you versus your competitors? You can quickly do this by calling 5 of your competitors and playing “prospect.” Find out if they offer a warranty. If they offer a 30 day warranty, offer a 45 day warranty. If they offer a 60 day warranty, offer a 75 day warranty! Yes, this might cost you some money, and you do have to track this to make sure it is economical, but chances are almost always you will make more money over all by doing this on the added sales you will make.
Now, the key here is that you must communicate this effectively, which is #2. If the customer doesn’t know you have a longer guarantee then it does you no good when they compare you to your competitors.
Changing just a word or two can mean the difference between a yes or a no in sales.
When someone calls up you need to instantly build rapport. Do this by first listening to their problem and then by asking more questions to get to the pain this problem is causing.
Here is an example:
Ring. Ring. Ring.
“Pest Control, May I help you?”
“Yes, I wanted to find out the price on having my house sprayed for spiders.”
“Okay, sure, we can certainly handle that. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions so I can better serve you and make sure we solve your problem right the first time?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, first of all how long have you been seeing the spiders?”
Then, you get the information that is needed for your specific industry. Now, one of the last questions you need to ask is:
“Have you received any other prices from anyone else?”
If they have, then you ask them this:
“Did they offer (insert your fancy warranty/guarantee name here)?” If you have innovated and are the only one to offer your specific warranty or guarantee, then the answer you should hear is, “no.”
“Did they offer a 37 point checklist?” (You have one or something like this, correct?) Again, the answer you should hear is, “no” if you have innovated and are the only one to offer your specific warranty or guarantee
You see, we always think price is the #1 objection. However, if you show that you provide more value when the prospect is hearing your competitors say that they don’t have a 75 day warranty or a 37 point checklist, then you will generally make more sales, despite your price.
Now, what if the prospect hasn’t called anyone else for quotes yet, but is planning on it? Then you need to educate them on what to look for. For example,
“Mr. or Mrs. Prospect, while we may not be the cheapest, we certainly offer the best overall deal and value. If it is okay with you, we’d like to share 3 things you want to look out for so even if you don’t choose us, you still get your problem taken care of. Do you have a pen?
Well, there are approximately 284 different pest control companies in the metro area, and from our research we are the only one who offers a 75 day warranty, while others offer a 60 day warranty. Also, before you get other quotes you want to make sure they offer X, Y, & Z.”
As always, test these things. But, where else in life can you make more money by changing what you say by just a little bit?!
If you close 1 extra sale per 10 from doing these tips and tricks, then you will make, over the next few years, thousands upon thousands of dollars. If it takes a minute more of your time for you to make an additional $100, $500, or $1000 that is a pretty good return on your investment. We look forward to hearing your success stories as you implement these strategies!
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