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When Sales Idle
Ask Chuck
By Chuck Piola, For The Bulletin
Chuck, I’m at a standstill. I’ve approached every possible prospect I can think of and I’ve made presentations, yet things are at a standstill. Nothing’s closing, and I’m losing ambition. What do you recommend? – Jim, Havertown
Take a deep breath, put cold water on your face. Realize who you are and what you’ve accomplished so far, which is probably great. If your accomplishments aren’t great, tell yourself that they are. Fake it until you make it.
Take inventory of the clients and customers you already have, and go visit them. Ask them why they like doing business with you. Not only will it make you feel good, but it will also uncover problems that you can fix. It will reaffirm in their mind why doing business with you is beneficial to them. Then ask them for a referral.
Or, take your current clients to breakfast or lunch, or meet them at whatever clubs they belong to. Ask them if they’ll help you out. Tell them you’re looking to expand your business, especially in this climate, and you know there are needs out there but that everyone is running scared.
Meeting friends and associates of your clients at their club or golf course will, in a subtle way, make you accepted and expand your network. Ask for business cards and be sure to get an assistant’s name. Write it on the business card and circle it so that when you call, not email, call, you already know the assistants name. Say, “so and so told me to call to make an appointment to come in and speak with him/her.”
While you are going to visit an existing client, no matter where they are located, you will pass another business, another potential prospect. Stop in, but make sure you know what you are going to say. Most sales people don’t know what to say.
I have met prospects getting my shoes shined in airports. I have met prospects sitting on a plane. I have met prospects standing in line at Disney World. I have met prospects in fancy steak houses at the next table. I have met prospects at Irish bars on St. Patrick’s Day. Oh, and by the way, I subsequently sold them.
Another idea is to hold a breakfast. Invite existing clients to talk about issues that concern them in today’s environment. Make it a brainstorming session. Bring all your clients together. The theme could be “How can we make it better?” Ask them to bring a friend who is struggling or just wants to stay current.
Every now and then you should dig back into all the business cards that you’ve acquired over the years and stuffed in a cigar box somewhere. Look at the notes you’ve written on them. Hopefully, those notes contain: the location where you met them; the name of their assistant; a little tidbit about your conversation and what interested them; and the date you met there. You’ll need that info when you call them.
If you still have sales pending, go back to those and humbly ask them, “Excuse me, I wonder if you could help me out?” That’s my standard opening line. It breaks barriers, and most people are willing to help out.
When they respond, “Sure, what is it?” Ask, “What am I doing wrong.” They’ll probably say you are doing nothing wrong and ask what you mean. Then respond, “I can’t understand why we’re not doing business.” They may tell you, what the objection is, what’s keeping you apart.
Once you find the source of hesitation, you can work to fulfill the need. Then, wrap it up.
Chuck Piola is an entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, and the author of Going In Cold | How To Turn Strangers Into Clients and Get Rich Doing It. Learn more at www.ChuckPiola.com. Have a question to Ask Chuck? Send your question to askchuck@thebulletin.us or Ask Chuck, PO Box 212, Swarthmore, PA 19081. To book Piola as a speaker or to find out about cooperative marketing opportunities with Going In Cold visit PR Coordinates at www.PRCoordinates.com or call 610-338-0229.
Take a deep breath, put cold water on your face. Realize who you are and what you’ve accomplished so far, which is probably great. If your accomplishments aren’t great, tell yourself that they are. Fake it until you make it.
Take inventory of the clients and customers you already have, and go visit them. Ask them why they like doing business with you. Not only will it make you feel good, but it will also uncover problems that you can fix. It will reaffirm in their mind why doing business with you is beneficial to them. Then ask them for a referral.
Or, take your current clients to breakfast or lunch, or meet them at whatever clubs they belong to. Ask them if they’ll help you out. Tell them you’re looking to expand your business, especially in this climate, and you know there are needs out there but that everyone is running scared.
Meeting friends and associates of your clients at their club or golf course will, in a subtle way, make you accepted and expand your network. Ask for business cards and be sure to get an assistant’s name. Write it on the business card and circle it so that when you call, not email, call, you already know the assistants name. Say, “so and so told me to call to make an appointment to come in and speak with him/her.”
While you are going to visit an existing client, no matter where they are located, you will pass another business, another potential prospect. Stop in, but make sure you know what you are going to say. Most sales people don’t know what to say.
I have met prospects getting my shoes shined in airports. I have met prospects sitting on a plane. I have met prospects standing in line at Disney World. I have met prospects in fancy steak houses at the next table. I have met prospects at Irish bars on St. Patrick’s Day. Oh, and by the way, I subsequently sold them.
Another idea is to hold a breakfast. Invite existing clients to talk about issues that concern them in today’s environment. Make it a brainstorming session. Bring all your clients together. The theme could be “How can we make it better?” Ask them to bring a friend who is struggling or just wants to stay current.
Every now and then you should dig back into all the business cards that you’ve acquired over the years and stuffed in a cigar box somewhere. Look at the notes you’ve written on them. Hopefully, those notes contain: the location where you met them; the name of their assistant; a little tidbit about your conversation and what interested them; and the date you met there. You’ll need that info when you call them.
If you still have sales pending, go back to those and humbly ask them, “Excuse me, I wonder if you could help me out?” That’s my standard opening line. It breaks barriers, and most people are willing to help out.
When they respond, “Sure, what is it?” Ask, “What am I doing wrong.” They’ll probably say you are doing nothing wrong and ask what you mean. Then respond, “I can’t understand why we’re not doing business.” They may tell you, what the objection is, what’s keeping you apart.
Once you find the source of hesitation, you can work to fulfill the need. Then, wrap it up.
Chuck Piola is an entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, and the author of Going In Cold | How To Turn Strangers Into Clients and Get Rich Doing It. Learn more at www.ChuckPiola.com. Have a question to Ask Chuck? Send your question to askchuck@thebulletin.us or Ask Chuck, PO Box 212, Swarthmore, PA 19081. To book Piola as a speaker or to find out about cooperative marketing opportunities with Going In Cold visit PR Coordinates at www.PRCoordinates.com or call 610-338-0229.
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