In this slowing market, simply being a good salesperson is not enough. When you get down to it, customers will remember the builder who makes the greatest mental impact.
Here are a few ideas to help you become memorable in the eyes of your potential clients:
1. Stand out from the competition. If your competition sends out Christmas cards, send out Independence Day cards. Yours is likely to be the only one they’ll get. If your competition meets prospects at their home, have your prospects meet you in your office, where you can show them your staff, and perhaps a gallery of photos of past projects or industry awards. If your competition sends out thank-you notes, send a thank-you bouquet of daisies. It will show you take that extra step to please. Don’t just do the opposite of your competition, do something better. Make it unique and memorable and let it convey the class, style, and individuality of your company.
2. Refresh your routine. You may not even recognize your monotonous selling routine. Examine everything you do to keep it fresh. Can you make a sales offer in a completely different manner than you currently do?
Rather than asking standard discovery questions, try to determine how your prospects best process information: Are they visual or verbal; intuitive or logical? Once you have the answer, tailor your presentation to their way of thinking. Take stock of the way you dress, speak, close, and offer advice and seriously consider doing the opposite … or at least trying something radically different.
3. Talk about what your company doesn’t offer. Openly admit your shortcomings to your prospects before they bring them up to you. For example, as a custom home builder, you could start your sales conversation with something like, “Our homes are not designed for people with simple lifestyles. We just don’t build homes with an assembly-line philosophy.” There are many reasons to do this. Your prospects may already be thinking about what objection, concern, or issue they have with your service. Why not acknowledge it in advance?
You can use this technique as a sales tool. Tell them what is not going to happen and then move forward with what is going to happen. In this way you can pre-qualify your prospects while telling them they can expect to pay more for your home. You have taken control of the sales process by opening up the price conversation. Take a moment to figure out exactly what your product or service does and then write down the exact opposite. Most sales training tells you to focus on the benefits; I am only suggesting that you acknowledge the obvious by stating what your prospect is already thinking.
4. Ask your customers what makes you unique. You would be amazed at what your current clients think about you. Find out what sold them on you and then run with it. Your customers will tell you how you communicate, how you ask questions, if you are knowledgeable, if you seem genuinely concerned about their welfare, if you are creative, and if they like doing business with you. This critical information is the foundation for your sales success.
Paul Montelongo has been a builder for more than 23 years and is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant to the construction industry. Visit him at www.paulmontelongo.com.
