266 How to Turn Inquiries Into Sales, More Quickly

You are listening to the art of sales. Everyone sells every day. And this is your source for conversational. Real-world sales and prospecting methods that you are comfortable using and that get results. You'll help people buy instead of pushing them into being sold. Here's your host, Art Subject. When someone is intrigued by an ad or a promotion or has a need for something, and actually takes action to call a company or request information online, when is their interest the highest? Well, the not-so-common common sense answer to that is at the very moment they requested the information. It boggles my mind when I see and experience companies that invest a lot of money in advertising in order to peak curiosity and create interest to the point where someone responds only to process that request when they feel like it. It's like burning money. A while back I had located a promotional advertising product online. So I called the phone number on the site to get a price and to get some questions answered. The person answering the phone transferred me elsewhere after I told her what I was looking for. Well, a recording greeted me in the sales department. So I left my message. Then I finally got a call back two days later. The person asked if I had an account with them. And I said, I didn't. Well, then she told me that she had to send my information to their sales rep in the field in my territory and have them give me a call. So I asked how long that would take. And she said, oh, about two or three days. Two to three days, I told her I simply needed to know about how much the item was since there was no price on the site and that I had a very simple question about imprinting. Well, she couldn't help. Well, they didn't get the sale either. So I guess the question is, how difficult do you or your company make it for people to buy from you? Now, here's a success story from someone who did get it right. Just yesterday, my landscaper knocked on my door after his crew had finished and he told me that a piece of the block wall to which the gate to my side yard is attached had split all the way through from the rest of the wall and it and the gate could tumble down at any minute. Wow. So I had known that there was a crack, but now this mild problem had turned into an urgent need that required immediate attention. So I got busy looking for contractors right away who could fix it quickly. I located a couple in my area who did that type of work and I left messages with their voice mail systems. No one answered live. I also emailed and texted a couple of others who suggested prospective customers contact them that way. Well, a few hours passed and I had received no response. So then I'm thinking, what else can I do here? Well, I decided to go to Angie's list and go through their process where you got to fill out the form online. So the site collected all my information, what the problem was, the site then said that they would notify a couple of contractors who met the criteria for this job and would have them contact me. Well, it wasn't five minutes and I got a call from Francisco. He said he was busy the next couple of days, but if I was available right now, he was heading to another estimate within the hour and would be driving past my area and could stop in. And I said that would be perfect even though I had to move something else. Well, he came by, looked at it, gave me a fair bid on the spot, and actually I was expecting more and would have paid more given my state of urgency and we scheduled the work. So my question to you is, are you treating inquiries like a burning match? And that means that the flame and the interest is hot only for a short period before it goes out. So to maximize your chance for success, respond as quickly as possible. And speaking of income and calls, when someone takes the initiative to call you, they've qualified themselves as a buyer to some degree, right? Now, when you respond to them, which will be quickly, right, after thanking them for the request, always start by asking them some variation of, so I can give you the best recommendation for your situation. Please tell me, what prompted the request today? Or what is causing you to look for something like this right now? Then shut up, let them talk, and continue to dig deeper, so they tell you exactly what they need, and why, and with what urgency? Too many salespeople after somebody says, yeah, I'm interested in this, or I'd like to get a price on this, they just start talking about the product or the service, and they just give the price. Big mistake. Also, here's another important point that will help you increase sales within inquiries. Why not go for the sale? Every time someone calls you for a price quote, or with a question, or to check availability, even if they think that's simply why they might be calling. If you take the attitude that your function is to just provide information, you're wrong. Your job is to sell. The more quickly you can do that with one customer, the more quickly you can move on to doing it with the next. Now, I'm not suggesting you ever be pushing here. I'm just suggesting that you go through a process, a sales process, ask questions, and then at the end, make sure you're always asking for the sale. Because they're going to buy from someone right, and it might as well be from you. All right, hey, you know what time it is. You ran it to the beach, and never will you never feel what they say. It's the art of the sales, the quote of the day. That's right, it's time for the quote of the day. Today's quote comes from, I don't know who, but I was looking for something about timing online, and I found this one, and I couldn't find any attribution for it. So here's the quote, punctuality is the most effective approach to establish a positive first impression. So you can say that, of course, as it relates to meeting someone for the first time, but also in a sales situation, when you show up right away after somebody shows some interest. Hey, if you're getting value from this show, would you spread the word and share it with somebody else so they could get value as well? That really helps us help more people, and that's what we're in this for. Thank you so much for investing your valuable sales time with me today, until next time, go out and make it your best sales day ever. I'm ArtSubShack.