Local Sales Don’t Work Anymore (or so they say)

It’s true, local sales just don’t work anymore. At least, not in the way that many businesses attempt to do their local sales. Funny thing , though, jobs are still being referred to businesses by local relationships…..every day….and if you’re not receiving your fair share of those jobs, don’t fool yourself and blame it all on “how the industry has changed”. People who should be YOUR customers are referring their work to competitors that they know, like, and respect. Especially when those companies can also show value in using their company over another company.

Local sales is far more than filling candy jars and delivering note pads. I’ve read that according to a U.S. Census Bureau report, there are 71 insurance covered residential floods per 100,000 people….per month! That means if you are in an area of 250,000 population, that equates to 2,136 insurance covered residential floods per year. How many of those are you getting through your “vendor program” and adjuster relationships? How many of them go to your competitors who do have a local sales program? How many are referred to your competitor by plumbers and contractors because your competitor has an effective local sales program?

Fact #1—Business owners often focus on operations more than sales.

Fact #2—Sales staff who are not given accountability and focus can be “busy being busy” but not achieving results.

Face #3—Many sales staff lack a formal sales process, do not know the unique values their company offers, and often spend most of their time on the easy/comfortable prospects while ignoring target customers with the greatest potential.

Fact #4—Asking sales staff to sell varying services (such as cross-selling janitorial, disaster restoration, commercial cleaning, etc.) can be confusing unless clear objectives and priorities are outlined and regularly measured.

The good news is, we can make local sales work…and we must…because your competition is getting far too much of that work. And chances are, your competitor is doing those jobs at better prices than you probably are getting. Contact Jerry Winkley at jwinkley@business-by-design.biz for an overview of how you can start making sales work…today! Just one more job can pay for months of training & support!

Sales Coaching & Accountability – 25 Minute Overview Demos

Join one of our Sales Coaching and Accountability Overview Demos today and learn how we can make your sales work!

In this demo presentation, Jerry Winkley, Founder of Business by Design, will discuss and overview how he can help you find sales success with his training system. Don’t miss out!

Simply pick one of the times below and use your computer, tablet or phone to connect.

When:
Thursday, March 19th or March 26th, 2015
8:30 AM, 10:30 AM or 3:30 PM, Central Time

Monday, March 30th, 2015
11:00 AM or 4:00 PM, Central Time

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015
11:00 AM or 4:00 PM, Central Time

How to Join Our Demo:
Simply connect via computer, tablet or phone
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/727228805

Call (646) 749-3112
Access Code: 727-228-805
(No need to RSVP, just join a call…ASAP!)

In one hour per week, I can make your sales work…selling is far more than filling candy jars. – Jerry Winkley

Making Sales Happen Through CE

Research claims that most people fear speaking in public more than they fear death. Many sales professionals avoid C.E. (continuing education classes) because (1) they’re afraid they will have to teach the class, or (2) they’ve had a bad experience or heard about a bad experience with C.E.

Continuing Education classes are very effective in building relationships of trust and credibility…as long as you follow the designs of success, and they can be very affordable to pull together if planned and executed with the principles we teach. Continuing Education classes can also be effective joint efforts, market-wide efforts between ServiceMaster owners from different businesses….you might surprise yourself at how well you can work with other businesses and their sales staff if you follow the designs for success.

Business By Design provides a variety of classes and topics for C.E. and can also coach you on how to prepare before an event, how to deliver your message to the right customers, how to execute the event on an affordable budget, and how to follow up properly after the event.

If you’re already doing regular Continuing Education classes, discuss with Jerry how to improve your results. If you’re not doing Continuing Education, look at some of the topics C.E. Business By Design provides and contact us about starting plans for a future class. Marketing and serving a meal is not enough in today’s competitive marketplace. Learn the designs of success for creating and hosting events that generate work through repeat job referrals for years to come.

Determining Sales Potential

There are obvious signs and hidden signs which help you determine the volume of work an agency may refer to your business. Using your time wisely is important in achieving growth and increasing the number of job referrals you get each month.

The design for success in sales is not to be popular or “liked”; your job is to build relationships between your customer and your business which generate ongoing repeat job referrals. Following the designs of success by doing your homework will pay rich dividends.

Begin with the obvious signs of potential. Look around, how many people work in that office/agency? How busy are they when you walk in? If they have a large staff, they likely have a large “book of business.” Another simple way to find “low-hanging fruit” is to simply check your records & see which offices sent you one or two jobs last year. That’s a good starting point because perhaps they are sending you “some” of their referrals and sending some to your competitors. Determining their potential allows you to hone in on places where you are already liked…then follow a sales design process to increase the number of referrals they send to you, not your competitor.

Hidden signs—this may take some homework and information digging. One way is to ask the agent or their staff and see what their PIF count is (PIF=Policies In Force). Learn effective & tactful ways to ask about their PIF count and what percentage of their business is property vs. auto. Learn how to ask the volume of property claims they have per month…and how many of those are program vs. self pay (or other). There are other highly effective ways to determine agency potential; be watching for an upcoming sales tip on ways to discern sales potential.

Building relationships is not about getting people to “like you”, or “taking them to lunch”, it’s about building referral sources which generate multiple jobs on a regular basis.

Winning at Home

Who really understands how hard you work? Do other employees understand the critical role you play in the company or do they simply think you “deliver candy, go out to lunch every day, and drive a nice car while they slave away on nasty job sites all day”? As a sales professional, you can help drive the culture of teamwork in your organization. Maybe you’ve heard it said, “Sales solves many problems”, or “It all begins with the sales department; nothing happens unless something gets sold today.” Those statements are true, but most people focus on “operations” rather than “sales.” No game is won by play defense (operations) alone; winning teams must combine a strong defense (operations) AND a winning offense (sales).

Creating a culture of teamwork, one that keeps everyone focused on your customer satisfaction score, engaged in your company’s profitability, and causes them to work together to grow your organization, that culture can begin with you. You need “operations”, you need the people who serve the customer with diligence and passion. You need those who manage the office and make things run well. You need file handlers and estimators who meet tight deadlines on uploading program jobs every day. We all need each other….but it takes someone to demonstrate that and begin to build that kind of a culture into your business. And that person needs to be you, the sales professional.

Little things matter—like knowing each technician’s name. Speak to them by name. Know all the office staff by name. Look for times when people do things well…then thank them. Once in a while, slip a candy bar to someone who worked extra hard on a job your agent referred to you. Look for ways to appreciate and pull your team together. And watch your attitude…negativity is contagious and what you say matters greatly.
 
Never forget what we talk about on our weekly calls….winning at home matters and it can start with you!