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Answers.
Salespeople want answers.
Jeffrey,
I sell construction services, aka construction management. They
call us business developers. I spend my time developing relationships,
earning trust and chasing construction opportunities. I struggle with
trying to sell a service not a product. I can't promise that the building
will be completed on time and in budget and still keep a straight face. A
lot can happen during the construction of a 20 million dollar building
that takes 14 months to build. What's the difference between selling a
service or selling a product in regards to your philosophy? How would you
close the sale of a service like construction?
Reid
Reid,
There is only one way to close a construction deal. Take your prospect to
a finished building in person and let him talk to the developer. That way
he'll get the truth about the good and the bad of construction and you'll
get the order in a manner that builds a long-term relationship. In short
this means no euphoric promises combined with no major surprises. This
will generate not only a satisfied customer but also a loyal customer.
P.S. If you don't have such an example, switch jobs.
Best Regards,
Jeffrey Gitomer
Jeffrey,
How do you get avgerage salesperson to be a very good one?
Eric
Eric,
An apple a day. First you have to dedicate yourself to wanting to become
the very best you can be. Second, you have to love sales. And third, you
have to study an hour a day without missing for five years. At the end of
those 5 years you will have become a world-class expert at the science of
selling. Guaranteed.
Best regards,
Jeffrey Gitomer
Have a question for Jeffrey? Ask him at
www.gitomer/phase2/havequestion.cfm and look for the answer here!
Click here to purchase our Earl Nightingale CD special. Get all three of
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Willie Jolley - How to turn your Mega Setbacks into Magnificent
Comebacks!
Has life ever thrown you a curve ball?
Has life ever knocked you down?
Over the last few years I have criss-crossed the country researching the
topic of turning setbacks into comebacks for a new book entitled "A
Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback!" I met a lot of amazing people who
shared their stories about turning setbacks into incredible comebacks.
Some were celebrities like Tina Turner, Vanessa Williams, John Travolta,
Lee Iacocca and Wally "Famous" Amos. But most were everyday, ordinary
people like the man who had a small business, two small children and lived
in a small town. He had a financial setback, got behind in his bills and
eventually had to file bankruptcy. He lost his business, his home, his car
-- everything. Many thought that would be the end of his story, but it was
not. He came back and built a business called DaMark, which has become the
biggest merchandising company in the country.
Or the ninth grade English teacher, who was diagnosed with terminal breast
cancer. Her doctors told her she had six months to live, but she refused
to accept it and said she was going to live 25 more years! All the doctors
thought she was delusional. Well, she is now at 28 years and counting. She
has beaten cancer four times (outliving most of her former doctors)! She
shared a wonderful quote I love: "I might have cancer but cancer does not
have me!" Then there was the lady who had worked her way up the corporate
ladder only to be told she was now too old and not needed any more. She
was fired and kicked to the curb, but she came back -- and bought the
company! From these and other stories, I found that a setback truly is
nothing but a setup for a comeback!
I learned that:
1. Setbacks are never the end of the road, they are merely a bend in the
road. The only ones who crash are the ones who fail to make the turn --
the ones who resist change.
2. Your perspective is critical in the comeback process. Like looking at a
glass of milk as either half empty or half full. Do you see the setback as
a "setback period" or a "setback, comma?" The answer will determine how
you respond to the setback. If you see it as a "setback, period" most
people will stop, pull the plug and give up. Yet, when you see it as a
"setback, comma" you come to realize that it is just a brief pause in the
action, and there is yet much to be accomplished.
3. There is a formula that all comebacks possess. It is called the VDAD
(Vision, Decision, Action & Desire) formula. It works with business
setbacks, personal setbacks, career setbacks, financial setbacks and
relationship setbacks. Just as if you take two parts hydrogen and mix it
with one part oxygen you always get water, the same is true for the VDAD
formula. If you use these four elements you will be able to turn your
trials into triumphs, your problems into possibilities, your pain into
power and your setbacks into comebacks!
Four Quick Tips for Turning your Setbacks into Comebacks:
1) Stay focused on the goal, the vision. (If the dream is Big enough, the
problems don1t matter).
2) Stay calm, do not panic! (When you panic you cut off the air to your
brain and cannot think clearly).
3) Look at your options (You always have options, just take a few minutes
and think positively).
4) Take action! (You might have lights, you might have cameras, but
nothing happens until you take action!)
5) Take responsibility, whether you created it or it was thrust upon you!
(Face it, trace it erase it and replace it.)
6) Use the 3 Fs (Faith, Focus and Follow Through). (Make a commitment to
win in spite of the problem, and keep going until you do!)
Willie Jolley is the author of It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life
and A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback! and was named the "1999
Outstanding Motivational/Inspirational Speaker Of The Year" by
Toastmasters International. He can be reached at 800-487-8899 or via email
at willie@williejolley.com or www.williejolley.com
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