If you build it they will become, Clients

Do you feel like you are doing everything you can to build value in your Company and in your solutions? Frustrated by the fact that you continue to lose sales?

Are you getting blasted with price objections, bid objections or “ we need to think about it” objections?

The objection might not be about price or bids or even needing more time. It might just be a TRUST objection.

Let’s dive right in.If your client doesn’t trust you, does it really matter what solutions you have to offer or what your price is?

The answer is NO.

An important story:

I am thinking back to a call that I ran many years ago. It was a training call with a new hire. When we arrived it was painfully obvious that the client, the husband, was not happy about us being there. See, the wife had booked the appointment off a marketing piece that she had received from our company.

The husband on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the discussion of investing in a new HVAC system and he made that very clear from the very beginning.

When we sat down, he sat with arms crossed, visibly frustrated. He told us “I am really not sure why you are here because I have recently retired and I am not interested in investing thousands of dollars into a new Heating and Cooling system.”

Now, if we can speak candidly here, many selling technicians or even trained sales consultants would have attempted to adjust his thinking. Discussing the benefits of a new system along with a discussion about Return on Investment. I have to say that my initial thoughts fell right inline with this line of thinking.

Thankfully, my better judgment won out. I noticed as I sat down that he had a certificate on the wall from a local Fire Department along with pictures of his retirement ceremony. So, I asked,” how long were you a Firemen”? He told me 20+ years. I asked what made him decide to become a fireman. He said it was in the family. His father and his father’s father were also firemen. He told me he was raised to serve.

I then noticed a picture of 3 boys, his sons it turns out. Two of them followed in his footsteps and became firemen. One didn’t though and when I asked what that son decided on as a career he laughed and said “that knucklehead is an accountant”. His body language suggested he was loosening up a bit at that point.

I then asked, “ you look to be in great shape so why did you retire?” The client, a bit chocked up said, “ I have seen a lot and done a lot. I have saved some and lost some and the ones that are lost stick with you.”

As we talked the wife realized that the husband seemed relaxed and more conversational so she decided to join the conversation. One of the first things she said ,was to remind her husband that their granddaughter would be spending the day with them the following day. She then told me their granddaughter had Downs Syndrome. I shared with them about my uncle with Downs.

All in all we talked for over 45 minutes and not once did Heating and Cooling ever come up.

3 hours later, they became clients and invested over 14k in a new heating and cooling system. Building the Relationship sounds like work doesn’t it? It is but…

If you build it, they will become clients!

They did not become clients because of my technical knowledge or because of a bunch of talk about HVAC “widgets”. They didn’t become clients because of system efficiency or return on investment. Sure that stuff helped seal the deal but…..

They became clients because they liked us and trusted us.

There is one additional detail about this story that you need to know. Someone else from our company was out 18 months prior to this call and he was not able to gain agreement with the client! Same training and same steps! Why?

Ever heard this saying, “people could care less what you know until they know you care”?

So, how do you build a STRONG foundation? How do you build it so that they will become, clients?

3 Steps to Building a strong foundation

1. Take the Blinders Off– As you approach the neighborhood and the home, pay attention. What you see can tell you a lot about your potential client.

• What they like to do- boating, hunting, fishing, golf, sports, music, art
• What they do- what they do for a living
• How They Buy- sometimes what we see tells us a lot about buying habits, how they make buying decisions ie; security, convenience, peace of mind, value minded.

If we are paying attention, this can be a great way to strike up conversation. It is good to get your potential client talking. What do you like to talk about? Well of course, your favorite subject, you. Would this help you to feel more confortable and confident in the buying process? Of course it would and is your client much different than you are?

2. Speak their language– Identify the communication style of your client. Are they task or process focused? Are they relational? Are they fast paced or slow paced in their communication style.

There is a difference and you must be able to identify the difference and tailor your communications to best suit your clients.

Ever had someone tell you as soon as you walked in the door “common, let me show you to the problem, it’s right over here”? He or She probably wants to get down to business. How do you build a strong foundation with someone like that?

By getting down to business.

As you tailor your communication style to match the clients they will begin to open up. Why? It’s called reciprocity. The more you give to them the more it creates a desire on their part to want to give back.

It’s ok to get down to business with the DRIVER client, you know that in doing so the client will begin to trust you and your intentions.

 

3. Relate to the client– You are a husband, a wife, a daughter, a son, a brother, a sister, an uncle, an aunt, a grandfather, a grandmother and a consumer first! Relate to the client. Create similarity. How?

• Share Experiences– Talk about recent purchases. Talk about the great service provider that you used recently at your home. Talk about the appliance tech that made 4 trips to your home to fix a freezer and still couldn’t get it fixed. Share how the right tech came out and thoroughly and correctly diagnosed the problem and fixed it with just one call. SHARE! Create similarity! Put yourself in their shoes! 

 

Scripting example: “Bob and Betty, I am a consumer like you and I find myself making decisions just like this one for my home and for my family.

“I have found that it is important that I get 4 key questions answered, to my satisfaction, before I would feel comfortable moving forward with any one particular company.”

“I want to be sure that that we are choosing the right company, a Company that will exceed my expectations and deliver what they promise. I want to make sure the services or products meet ALL of my needs. I want to make sure that the service or product that they are offering is of good value and lastly I want to make sure that there is flexibility in how I can pay for it.”

‘My job while I am here today is to do my best to address these same questions for you and your family. Does that sound fair?”

In the end, what we are talking about here is not rocket science. It is however one of the most underutilized principles in Sales.

Product, Service and Price matter very little to a client that does not like you or trust you.

Take the time to build the foundation.

 

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BECOME, CLIENTS!

 

Our next topic is going to be, Evaluating the Needs.

See you soon!