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 How
the Tree Specialist Made the Sale:
It Works in Any Industry
They
started as tiny plants – just a few years ago – and then they
grew and grew until they were tall trees. Her neighbor was
concerned that they might topple onto his garage, so, on a
cool evening in October, a tree-removal specialist knocked on
the front door of Shelley Sterling’s house in Burlington,
Ontario. She had asked for a quote on cutting down these two
trees in her yard and this led to an interesting experience
that illustrates the use of several effective sales tools and
three questions that closed the sale.
The Customer’s Viewpoint
My friend Shelley sells imaging parts and supplies to
resellers and is one of the best salespeople I know. She is
usually in the role of a sales representative, but that
evening in early October she became the customer.
After her experience, Shelley sent me an e-mail describing
what had happened, and her e-mail is too good not to share.
With Shelley’s permission, here is what she wrote:
“I called a tree-removal company from a flyer that I had seen.
He came over last night and as I showed him the two birch
trees I wanted a quote on cutting down, he said, ‘We will take
them down and remove them for $200.’
“Then he asked, ‘How does that sound to you?’”
Shelley said:
“Ann, I smiled because he was using the trial close that you
described in one of your books, but it really worked – it
allowed me to vocalize my concern.
“I said, ‘Well, actually I feel these trees are on the small
side and that price sounds a little high.’”
How He Won
the Sale
He then came back with: ‘Oh, did you want the stumps
removed too?’
(Making me feel like the $200 he first quoted was a good
deal).
Then he essentially asked for the order by saying,
‘Do you want me to write you an invoice up right now and
get this all taken care of?’”
(A good direct close.)
Shelley said, “Yes,” and the tree specialist had his order.
As Shelley wrote in her e-mail, “It’s not easy to sell to a
salesperson unless you do it right.”
Are You
Missing Opportunities?
If you are not using trial closes or checking questions, you
may be missing out on some golden opportunities. Instead of
using a direct close and asking for the sale before knowing
how the prospect feels about your sales presentation or your
products, use a trial close to get feedback from the client
and “test the waters.”
How You Can
Do This
Example: After your prospect expresses an interest, but
hesitates and doesn’t place an order, you can say:
l
“We can
start your auto-ship program next month and you will receive
four cartridges every other month. Does that sound like a good
plan for you?”
or
l
“We can ship
these products out today and you will have them tomorrow,
how does that sound to you?”
As Shelley said, the trial close used by the tree-removal
specialist allowed her to “vocalize her concern.”
So, if your prospect expresses a concern, you can address it
and then move on to a choice or direct close.
Try using a checking question – at least once a day – before
you ask for the order. Chances are, you will increase your
sales and the trial close will become a habit for you. It can
work for you just as it worked for the tree specialist.
Ann Barr is a consultant and sales coach who has written eight
books on sales and marketing. Email Ann at
Ann@SellingSupplies.com Get a free E-book when you sign up
for her free Weekly Sales Tips e-mailed newsletter at
www.annbarrblog.com
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