Foot in the Door

Getting your foot in the door. Sounds kind of spontaneous and impulsive — maybe reckless. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The successful sales call itself has less to do with your refusal to take “no” for an answer and more to do with a thorough understanding of what it takes to make your customer say “yes.”

The effective sales call is a process. Yes, you heard right — a process. Not a page torn from a book on successful confrontation...or a macho test of wills. It is a thoughtful, painstaking process that can drive a company’s success in the best of times or keep it afloat in the face of economic illwinds.

Simply getting in to see a customer is more difficult today than ever before, says Jerry Fritz, director of sales and customer service for the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business’s Executive Education program. Successful salespeople understand how the customer’s needs have evolved, and they tailor their sales-call strategies accordingly, Fritz says.

“The customer’s environment has changed. They’ve got a lot more to do than they did before. Their 60-hour work week is spent not only doing what they’ve been trained to do, but part of other people’s work,” says Fritz.

The state of the economy has impacted people’s responsibilities and duties, but this is also part of a larger national trend — people simply don’t have the time they once had.

With that in mind, customers are less interested in small talk, and more eager to hear how salespeople intend to bring value to the organization.
“The sales call used to be you’d come in and build some rapport, talk about stuff — find common ground outside of a business nature. Ninety percent of that has gone away,” Fritz says. Sure there is still some of it, but it has changed. “It’s about being professional,” he adds. The relationship is no longer based on “common ground.”

The tactics come into play only after the salesperson tracks down the decision-maker. With gatekeepers screening calls, voicemail messages, and visits, it’s a wonder salespeople get in to see any new customers at all. This is where a solid statement of purpose can open doors, says Fritz. For a customer to agree to a meeting — or even to talk to a salesperson on the phone — they have to be thrown a bone.

“The salesperson has to have a very clear purpose when they go in there, and they need to convey it to that customer,” says Fritz. The same goes for first-time phone conversations, letters, direct mail — however the company approaches it, the salesperson should have a clear statement of purpose. “It has to include what the salesperson believes they’ll be able to bring this company that will help them to be successful,” says Fritz, who teaches several courses to sales professionals throughout the year, including, “Intensive Training for New Salespeople,” with co-instructor Chuck West, of West and Associates, St. Paul, Minn.

“Customers won’t see you unless they see a reason to see you,” he says.

The Right Model
Fritz and West, in their “Intensive Training” seminar, reveal a sales model that they feel takes today’s time-challenged customer into account. It is this model on which all their teaching is based.

1. Trust — “There’s a psychological stage the customer goes through before they make a decision,” says Fritz. During this stage, the seller builds trust with a customer by being prepared, knowing the customer’s business and knowing their own business. “You’ve got to show up on time, dress appropriate to the customer, and the salesperson has to build and maintain trust throughout the relationship.” Everyone who is part of the seller’s organization must also be a part of the trust-building phase.

2. Motivation — “The second stage used to be needs analysis, but you’re no longer there to fill a need,” says Fritz. The customer’s needs are being filled by somebody else. “Now what you’re looking for in your questioning is you’re uncovering their motivation.”

Whether a customer hopes to lower costs, increase margins, or any other number of things, that person agreed to meet with the salesperson for a reason. Finding that person’s motivation is the seller’s job, and to do that, he or she must have a prepared list of intelligent questions, and they must listen, take notes, and summarize what the customer is looking to do, Fritz contends. Ask, “What will motivate this customer to choose a new supplier?” to uncover customer needs.

3. Information — “The third stage is to offer the customer information that says, ‘We have a package of value that will meet or exceed the goals you have within this organization,’” Fritz says. A salesperson needs to show the customer the value they bring, and doing that requires visual proof. Eighty-three percent of learning is done visually, Fritz explains.

Therefore the salesperson needs to go in with a customer-focused proposal that includes charts, third-party statistics and examples. If the presentation includes a product demonstration, get the customer involved. “If they experience it, they take ownership,” he says.

4. Decision — If a salesperson has done everything right, they’re 95 percent of the way home, says Fritz. “There’s pressure on [the customer] to make sure they’ve made the right decision.” Fritz says many closing strategies don’t work anymore. That type of “manipulative” closing created buyer remorse. Customers often went away feeling they’d been tricked into something.

Instead, gain a commitment to do business. “You reiterate the key variables, the key benefits they’re looking for, and show them visually how your solution will meet or beat their expectations,” Fritz says.

Time Will Tell
Building trust with a customer — the first stage in the sales process — can be extremely time-consuming, and every little thing a salesperson does along the way contributes to building the trust level that could lead to the sale.

David Rusk, president of Certified Chemical Co., Easton, Pa., sets the ambitious goal of having his four salespeople bring four new customers on board each month — a feat that requires foolproof trust-building skills.

Though Rusk says that getting the first appointment with a customer is the most difficult step, there are numerous other steps that the company employs to convince a customer that its products and services are worth a try.

Nothing results in a salesperson being turned away quicker than talking to the wrong person. Salespeople need to make sure the contact information they have is correct.

“Always call first and find out a person’s name so you can get that person direct,” Rusk says. “If you can get that, then you’re one step ahead.”

Salespeople can often leverage the testimony of another customer. “The second-party proposal is a great thing; it’s not coming from you — it’s coming from someone else,” Rusk adds. (Make sure to get permission before using a customer as an example.)

And once a salesperson gets an appointment, asking intelligent questions that prompt the customer to reveal goals and objectives becomes the challenge.

Rusk’s company does a survey to figure out what a facility’s needs are. “The main thing you want to find out is what they’re using and how much of it,” he explains. “You go back and get your information together and see what you can sell him that’s better. For example, ‘We can save you money by getting it there quicker and having a better product.’”

Time is the biggest issue for big-account customers, Rusk admits, so being concise and professional in their approach helps salespeople identify needs more quickly and provide solutions that fit the needs of a particular customer. Sometimes a bigger customer can take a year or more to win over.

Trust Us
Gaining a potential customer’s trust requires the utmost level of professionalism, and that trust-building function must continue throughout the length of the relationship.

“All [customers] need is somebody they can trust — who they know will take care of them when they’re in need,” says Trent Smith, national account manager for Jim’s Maintenance & Sons Inc., Choctaw, Okla.

“They want a salesperson they can trust and count on to deliver. When you get a call at one o’clock in the morning from a customer that’s upset, you need to listen to everything they say, smile and say, ‘This is a great opportunity to shine and to win their trust,’” Smith reasons.
Smith’s philosophy on selling can be seen in how he puts out customer fires.

“You don’t have a good relationship with an account until you have your first big crisis. Then you get it taken care of promptly and you’ve won the customer.”

Consistency is also a must for any sales organization, Smith adds. That can mean calling on a customer on a systematic basis, perhaps sending them an e-mail tip or giving them a business benchmark from a satisfied customer. The salesperson must be consistent throughout the relationship as well.

During a meeting, Smith often brings a tidbit of information about the customer’s competition, or an idea that a comparable company in the industry is using.

“If you can be a good resource for people…they’ll put a huge value on that compared to the next guy,” Smith says.

To be a good resource, research and preparation are again vital. These are tasks that, if ignored, can seriously injure a salesperson’s case.

“Customers are much more pressed for time,” says Dave Kahle, president of DaCo Corp., and author of How to Excel at Distributor Sales, published by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. “As a result, they’re much less tolerant of the salesperson who might be unprepared or not focused on their needs,” he says.

“The days of the salesperson coming in and winging it are gone. They have to know much more about the customer and they must view themselves as consultants who are there to uncover customer issues and respond with appropriate solutions.”

Research might include perusing a potential customer’s website. If it’s an existing customer, you should have been taking notes all along.

Not focusing enough on the customer is a common problem for sales professionals, says Kahle.

“[Salespeople] don’t listen well enough and they come in with their own agenda of what they want to do. They don’t connect with the customer and they don’t ask good enough questions to identify an opportunity.” These salespeople are often too product-focused, and don’t take the time to match the sales story with the customer’s objectives.

“Be prepared, be on time, do your homework — don’t be late for any reason…if you are, you erode trust in a hurry,” says Fritz. Be sure to have your list of questions and your game plan written out.

Planning is a crucial part of achieving the professionalism customers demand today, says Fritz. Ninety percent of salespeople don’t plan effectively. It’s like college in that for every hour in class you should be spending the same or a greater amount of time studying, Fritz says. “Take time to understand them clearly.”

What’s Stopping You?
With all the obstacles to making successful sales calls, lack of persistence is often the only thing that stands in the way of a sale.

Though it varies by industry, business-to-business sales studies suggest that it takes approximately five sales calls before a customer feels comfortable enough with a salesperson that they will buy from them, says Fritz.

Unfortunately, most sales representatives don’t wait it out long enough.

More information on upcoming University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business Executive Education programs.