[Mike Osbourne]

Ricky

Sounds good. Hopefully my question was an opportunity for you to let people know that you have 'walked the walk' and have a lot of experience to impart.

I've done a lot of work for sales companies in the past. Who did you work for I may well know them?

[will_turton]

 age 11 milk round 15months
 age 12 paper round 3 years
 hm forces 6 years
 8 years wanna be carpet cleaner
 
 serious you can be the best salesmen but be crap at cleaning carpets, its only when you know your job can you chat poope to customers

[mark shannon]

All the decent custys know when their getting the hard sell, just go round and see the ones who seem worthwhile, if they like and trust you you'll get the work.

Don't need scripts and sorry ain't obsessed with closing, but do OK, its all about building relationships and trust IMO.

mark

[derek west]

You all know the situation. you can just tell they are about to put the phone down without committing to you.

So a direct way of (not necessarily) closing the deal but preventing it being lost is to try the following:

Me: Are you buying purely on price or if not what other factors are you taking into consideration when you make your decision?

same as roger only a different language.

"are you shopping for the lowest price or are you after a decent job doing"

i'm not as posh as roger,
derek

[Mike Osbourne]

I would class that as a qualifying question, not a last ditch rebuttal question. Ask it early on, save both of you some time - it also gets attention!

[Ricky M]

Billy , must of been right hard work delivering milk up ur way with out getting robbed
papers fine , no 1 can bloody read 

[james roffey]

Okay Jim, your points are correct but in order to sound like you are not selling you need to obtain answers from the customers to some key questions.

eg. What sort of carpet is it Mrs Smith

ans "oh I don't know"

Is it a good quality carpet?

"oh yes, it was quite expensive"

ans, I see, so an investment worth looking after then.

Can you see where I am going with that? I'm sure you can but getting that response from the custy "it was quite expensive" is a classic example and makes it so easy to do a very soft sell and shape the conversation, buy credibility, build rapport I could go on........

Pete

A very good point and clever too  one thing i have noticed is sometimes when they say the cost is higher than expected and i  give my usual reply quite often saying "i know i am not the cheapest" but explain what i will be doing, it clinches the deal  with most its not the cost so much as value, quality and  trust, enevitably a few just want the cheapest but those are often ones you dont really want to do anyway         

[malcom1961]

Hi sit down and write a script( write down the questions you want to ask etc )  when you think you are happy with it read it to a few people see what they think when you think every thing is right then memorise it or make it into a questionnaire and wright the customers answers by your question,  if you get the job you can always take it with you for reference to what you were told.
you can always chop and change it as you go on until it is 100%
Malcolm

[Ricky M]

Malcom your on the right track there but IMO scripts are more guide lines that Should be deviated from as much as possible so your speech is more free flowing .

Vocal Interaction is from both parties is key but thats IMO.
the recipient most talk as much as the person throwing in the the ice breaker , they should feel like they own the conversation .




   

[Mike Osbourne]

What is a sales script?

A sales script is a researched and tested goldmine because its results cannot be beaten. It means that someone has tried all different approaches and found the one that on the average gets the best response. Therefore deviating from it is a bit silly, unless you are very skilled and have all this in your head anyway.

OK that said - most scripts are crap, most people can't be bothered to own them and most scripts don't have the flexibility to cope with any response. And worst of all most sales people are worrying too much about what they are going to say next rather than responding to what the person just said in a way that makes sense.

I had a call from a YP rep the other day. I felt sorry for the guy. He was like a robot. I could have said his head was on fire and he still would have said. well sir did you know we are also offering...

But when you deal in numbers you can get away with it 60-100 calls a day you got to find the odd mug. How many people do you put yourself infront of a day? I think I want something better than that.

[derek west]

all you need is a bit of paper which lists the benefits of your business, the benefits of having your carpets cleaned, what makes you better than the opp, and a few other bits and bobs of interest on it, then when you get a call, its something to jog your memory while your giving your usual speel. if you feel your losing your sale, pick one of your benefits off your piece of paper and throw it at them.
by the way, i don't do that, i just talk to them like i talk to my neighbours.
good old friendly banter wins hands down for me,
i texted a second time customer today, "just leaving now, be there in 30 minutes, not to much butter on my toast, i don't want me egg to slide off"
derek

[Mike Osbourne]

Derek

Don't know about you but I think the sales side for carpet cleaners is all very well, but what everyone seems to want is to get the phone ringing more.

Sure if it's a 3 quotes job you need to work it, but for most if you haven't got to heads and the price is reasonable you get the job, has that been your experience?

[Ricky M]

What is a sales script?

A sales script is a researched and tested goldmine because its results cannot be beaten.

What a load of pure crap

[Ricky M]

Mike what are your creds then ?

[Mike Osbourne]

Ricky

My credentials are 10 years as a 100% commision only Headhunter recruiting mainly Sales Engineers/Account Managers for blue chip technology companies. I ran my own firm for 5 years hiring and firing salespeople/headhunters. To say I have a good nose for salespeople econimical with the truth when it came to their sales figures is an understatement, it's surprisingly common as I'm sure you know.

My questions always revealed the bullpoopters.

If you think what I say about a  professional scripts is crap then I really feel you need to go back to the drawing board if people are going to pay good money to learn sales from you. Sorry mate but that's my view.

[Ricky M]

Mike 5 years with your own firm eh 
mm
and your now in the cleaning industry with how many staff ?

I humbly bow down to the blue chip mover and shaker  :
 

[Mike Osbourne]

Ricky

In some ways it's a come down, but I'm happier now than when I had the stress and all the rubbish that went with it.

I'm sure you have turned over the numbers in your time, but if you are teaching people to wing it, well that's plain wrong and any professional sales person at the top of their game will tell you that.

[R-CLEAN]

sorry but i read the first question and the last answer.

more then likely there price shoping so there gone before ya started. (unless ya cheap).

me personally would say simple terms "you get what you pay for, if ya want a 40 pound job done(like the others) i can do that, if ya want a through job £100 i will do that. (example) thats for the price shoppers, the rest will come naturally. the end

ok not the last lol

[james roffey]

Sometimes the customers quite capable of figuring out by themselves, when i explain  to them what  process i will use the length of time it will take and how thorough i will be, they often understand why i may be a little bit more expensive, i would be interested in taking a look at one of these "scripts" though to see what they may offer when i got started i read  many books on marketing mostly american but it definately helped not with selling over the phone but leaflets
My only criticism would be i  myself cant stand the feeling that i am being sold something and often thats how these methods come aross. but i would like to see one.

[Mr Dvae]

How many of you 'Ask for the order'?  sales people would never sell anything without asking for the order, and did you know that the best thing a potential customer can say to you is NO!



Dave