I’ve come to realize over the years that one of the keys to success in sign sales is simply to think like a winner. Most sign salespeople don’t. They think of themselves as “second class citizens” who have to take a subservient role to their customers and prospects. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard salespeople talking about “finding an excuse to call on a customer.”
Know Your Objective: The starting point to this sort of confidence is to always know your objective – your specific objective. Obviously, a sign salesperson’s general objective should be to sell a lot of signs and make a lot of money, but there are specific things you need to accomplish along the way.
Winners know that not everyone is a real prospect, and they don’t want to waste their time and effort on people and companies which are unlikely to provide a solid return on investment. They also know that it’s important to be looking at new “suspects” every single week.
Middle Stage Objectives: I think most sign salespeople would agree that the most important middle-stage objective is to get that first appointment. The winners tend to approach this objective differently than the others, though. First of all, winners don’t beg anyone for “just a few minutes of your very, very valuable time.” Winners offer to spend some of their very valuable time with potential buyers of custom neon signs, even though these types of customers can turn into demanding and time-consuming prospects.
That’s Why …As I said earlier, “I want to sit down and talk with you” is reason enough to call to ask for an appointment, at least from the salesperson’s perspective. From the buyer’s perspective, though, there may need to be more of a reason. OK, that’s why winners are always prepared to tell the buyer why he or she needs to agree to the meeting.
Negotiating Value Another area in which winners operate differently is when a customer or prospect raises a price objection. At my sessions in Las Vegas, I’ll be teaching that there are three things up for negotiation any time that happens: value, cost and price. The winners address a negotiation in exactly that order, and the first thing they do is explain – confidently! – why they’re worth more money. “
Working Hard and Smart Winners are generally hard workers, and they’re generally smart workers too. They’re not too smart for their own good, though, which is a characteristic I see far too often in sign sales underachievers. There are salespeople who are always looking for shortcuts, and the truth of the matter is that there are very few shortcuts in selling.
- courtesey David Fellman, David Fellman & Associates
