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Please
remember my columns are copyright-protected.
Feel free to print a copy for
yourself but please do not reprint
them for distribution without
contacting me first. Thank you.
 SAVVY
SELLING - MAY
15, 2007
I Repeat:
It Pays to Repeat Yourself
by Michelle Nichols
EXECUTIVE
OVERVIEW
Offering
your customer the same information
in different ways can help get
your message across and close
the sale
I saw an
exhibition of Andy Warhol paintings
recently, and what struck me
most was his use of repetition.
I know most folks think of Pop
Art when they think of Warhol,
but what resonated with me were
those repeated silk-screened
single images that varied slightly.
Of course, I'm a salesperson,
so I left the museum thinking
about how to use repetition
to sell more. Five strategies
follow.
1. Listen
for repeated complaints from
customers. Sales trainer Mark
Hunter recommends that you listen
to your customers for the "pains"
they repeat (see BusinessWeek.com
Podcast, 5/11/07, "Deal
Breaker or No Big Deal?").
By "pains," he means
complaints such as how they're
putting in too many hours at
the office or how their insurance
costs are out of sight. Hunter
says if your customers only
complain about a problem one
time, it isn't really urgent.
However, if they complain about
it several times, that means
it's truly causing them pain.
If your solution reduces that
pain, you have a strong benefit
to use to close the sale.
2. Repeat
your benefits. After you've
heard your customer complain
several times, it's time to
create a pitch that repeats
how your proposed solution solves
their problem. Plan to explain
this problem-solution combination
in several different ways—that
is, repeat yourself. This helps
ensure that they see it from
several different angles and
can explain it to their business
associates in ways they will
understand, too.
Many novice
salespeople present the entire
list of their product's different
benefits to every customer.
Savvy sales professionals know
that it's smarter to find, and
of course repeat, the three
benefits that address their
customers' problems, than to
go through the laundry list
of all the benefits when most
of the benefits don't matter
to that particular customer
and frankly just confuse them.
3. Repeat
your prospecting calls. Direct-marketing
professionals have found that
it's better to mail once a month
for six months to 1,000 targeted
prospective customers than to
do one mailing to 6,000 customers.
The same idea applies to sales.
It's better to call repeatedly
on a smaller, targeted list
than to make only one sales
call each to a larger audience.
Your customers
need to become familiar with
you and your offering. But that
only comes with repetition.
This also reduces the pressure
on you for each sales call.
One-call selling is very high-pressure
on both the customer and you.
4. Ask
for the order repeatedly. Let's
say you're in front of a qualified
customer and you've gone through
your standard sales process.
At the end, you confidently
ask for the order like you always
do—and they say no. All
is not lost. Find out what's
holding them back, try to overcome
the objection or compensate
for it, and ask again. Repeat
this process, with variations
of asking for the order until
the customer says yes, or gives
you a logical reason for a firm
no.
And don't
be shy about asking for the
order repeatedly. Researchers
for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
personality system found long
ago that 60% of customers they
surveyed are quick decision
makers, while 40% find deciding
is painful, so they put it off.
That explains why many customers
have to be asked repeatedly
to buy, even when the facts
point clearly to buying from
you.
5. Encourage
repeat customers. One of the
sweetest phrases in the English
language is "I want to
buy some more from you."
Of course, sometimes you have
to ask for another order—not
all customers will think to
do this on their own.
How do
you do it? Start with understanding
their perceptions. Then move
into asking for another order.
Try a combination of "How
is the widget working out for
you? Is it solving the problem
you were telling me about? What
else do you like about it? Is
there anything about it that
you wish could be improved?
So overall, are you happy you
bought it? Would you like to
buy some more? Would you like
to buy the accessories that
give you an even better return
on your initial investment?"
Warhol
was an artistic genius. If you
put my five strategies into
action, you can become a sales
genius. Happy selling!
Michelle
Nichols is a professional sales
speaker and consultant based
in Reno, Nevada. She is also
the Savvy
Selling podcast host for
BusinessWeek. She welcomes your
questions and comments. You
can visit her web site at www.savvyselling.com
or contact her at michelle.nichols@savvyselling.com.
Her toll-free number is (877)
352-9684 and direct line is
(775) 303-8201.
Copyright
2007. All rights reserved.
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