How to make less sales calls and write fewer sales letters

Simply, stop making your communication about you. It’s not about you; it’s about what your buyer wants and needs.

There is an inverse correlation between a buyer’s need/ want and the number of contacts it takes to make the sale. In this case, to get Mr. Owner to take our call and either make an appointment to see us or delegate the meeting. (You can see the diagram showing this relationship in a report available at http://bit.ly/aJaDax.)

The more Mr. Owner needs or wants what we are calling about at the moment at which we are calling, the more likely he is to take our call.

Put another way, when need and want is high, you need less contacts. The catch is that you need to be there when the need is high.

This is true even if he doesn’t know us. Use this to your advantage when dealing with gatekeepers and turn them into partners (and heroes). Make it a point that you are calling or writing with information the boss will want.

Let me illustrate with a story.

There’s a joke making the rounds about a man whose car breaks down on a desert stretch of road. After walking for miles in heat of the day, he comes across a small store. Dizzy from the sun he stumbles into the store and asks the owner for a drink of water.

The owner apologizes, “I don’t have any water here. I’m sorry. But there is a restaurant just over the next hill.” He adds, “I do have ties. Would you like a tie?”

Our sun-beaten man gives the storeowner a funny look and heads out the door in the direction of the restaurant.

A few hours later our thirsty man returns covered in dust and looking ready to pass out.

Concerned, the storeowner asks, “Didn’t you find the restaurant?”

Wiping the sweat from his eyes and visibly weary he replies, “Oh yes. Thank you. The restaurant owner won’t serve me without tie.”

In this story, the man wants a glass of water. To get the glass of water he needs a tie.

Instead of saying, “Would you like a tie?” the storeowner should have added value by explaining why the man needed a tie. He would have sold the tie anyway; and because he provided the thirsty man with important information about why he needed the tie to get the water, he would have significantly increased the odds of the man purchasing a few other items from his store.

The point is to listen carefully to what the customer says he wants in order to figure out what he really needs. Then, make sure you address both in your communication with the prospect, sandwiching the “need” between your opening and closing statements that feature the “want.”

Be the Hero,
Mark

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Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax
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Mark H. Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.