International Door & Operator Industry

MAY-JUN 2013

Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.

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SaleS&MarkEting; (continued from page 41) Making the Presentation Does this sound familiar? A customer requests a price on a new replacement garage door. The sales person pulls up in the driveway, measures the door, scribbles down a price on the back of his business card and attaches it to a brochure and hands it to you. The whole process takes less than ten minutes. As I said quoting is quick and easy. In this scenario you would expect the price to be low matching the level of service you are receiving, right? Selling takes longer. Especially when you have higher quality products that give the customer good value and provide the perfect solution to their problem. Remember, people buy solutions, not just stuff. They can buy stuff at the big box stores. Your knowledge and selling skills are part of the solution they are seeking. Selling solutions requires more time and interaction. The selling process is a seven step process. 1.Establishingrapport 2. Qualifying the need 3.Productselection 4. Presentation 5. Revealing the price 6. Overcoming objections 7. Closing the sale While the other six steps are important, I believe it's the presentation that infuences the purchasing decision most. Take our example above, how much of a presentation did that sales person make? Effective presentations get attention and take time to do correctly. Your sales presentation is a three part process that should be done in this order. Sell Yourself - Spend a few minutes to summarize your qualifcations and how your experience can help the customer make a successful buying decision. No need for chest beating or boasting, just a quick bio and your product and industry knowledge. Briefy discuss why you like selling door products. Your enthusiasm will build the customer's confdence in your ability to help them. Anticipate inevitable questions. If you've properly prepared for the meeting and done some research about the customer's needs you should be able to answer many of their questions on the spot which also builds trust in your ability as their sales rep. You are the face of the company and their personal consultant. They have to be able to trust you before they can trust your company or product. The rapport you begin building in the frst fve minutes will set the tone for the rest of the business relationship. Be professional but also personable. Sell Your Company Chances are the products you sell are of similar quality and value as the next guy's. Throw in the big box stores and door products look more and more like commodities to the consumer. We all know that isn't true but you have to convince your customer of that. Your biggest unique selling proposition is your company. Sell it before selling the product. Come up with aTopTenListofreasonswhythecustomershouldconsider doing business with you. The list should be specifc to your company but could look something like this. 1.Locallyownedandoperated. 2.ServingtheXYZareafor20years. 3. Fully accredited, licensed and insured. 4. 24 hour emergency service with live telephone support. 5. Customer design services. 6. Industry certifed technicians. 7. Shop online 24/7 on our website. 8. Complete showroom - see products before you buy. 9. Dedicated account representative. 10.CustomerSatisfactionorMoneyBackGuarantee. Sell Your Product - As I said people buy holes, not drill bits. So your presentation should focus on how your company and product will provide the solution to their problem. The easiest way to do this is matching the products features and benefts to their needs. For example, let's say their attached garage faces the street and does a poor job of keeping the weather out. Your mission is to provide a product solution that addresses energy effciency and street appeal. Do not bombard them with industry jargon or specs to demonstrate your technical prowess. It will only confuse them and makes you appear to be talking down to them. Stay focused on how they see the product. Rather than pitching the door, highlight how its features will solve their problem. Involve the customer in the selling process by giving them something to do. If possible put the product in their hands so they can "kick the tires" and examine the product up close. Continued on page 45 42 International Door & Operator Industryâ„¢

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