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Would You Like Fries With That?

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Would You Like Fries With That?

Okay, the line may sound “cheesy”, but cross-selling is the technical sales term for what our friends at the fast food restaurants are trying to accomplish when they ask you if “you would like fries with that”. Cross-selling is offering customers complimentary products or services creating a total solution. Examples could be selling drill bits and accessories to a customer who buys a drill, or paper and ink cartridges to someone who buys a printer or copier.

Benefits of cross-selling to your business may include additional revenue and increased customer loyalty. By selling multiple lines of service, you’re providing your customer more value and making it more difficult for your customer to leave your company for the competition. Of course, this is dependant upon building a strong and positive business relationship with your customer.

Benefits of cross-selling to your customers include one-stop shopping, less vendor relationships to manage, possible reduction in procurement process cost, and more favorable overall pricing since the total amount of purchases is considered when calculating the pricing package offered to the customer.

It is important that the salesperson ask good open-ended questions to the customer to determine possible needs or applications of the additional product lines or services. If the offer is made without asking good questions, there may be no perceived need or benefit to the customer (it’s just spending more money). If the seller can probe into other areas of concern by asking about how complimentary products or services are purchased and understands the buying criteria (what is important), the better the chance of additional products and services being successfully proposed and sold.

Many sales people will stop at the initial sale since the next step may be harder. However, sales is a process of solving customer problems and fulfilling needs. A successful seller will ask additional questions and understand what the customer is trying to accomplish so that a total solution can be offered to the customer.

Mike’s Sales Skills Workshops for January…

1. Sales Skills 301

• Increasing Revenue Through Negotiation
• Refining Your Closing Skills

Date/Time: Friday, January 18, 2008 ● 9:00am – 12:00pm

Location: Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce ● 201 N. Central Ave., 27th floor – Phx

Investment: Members - $59.00 ● Non-members - $69.00

Register today to Norma Macias at 602-495-6484 or nmacias@phoenixchamber.com.

2. Creating Your Effective Networking Commercial!

After learning some tips to develop an effective 30-second networking commercial, we will work on your specific message. Your opening statement will create customer interest and assist you with developing networking relationships that are critical to your business development.

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 ● 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location: Arizona Small Business Association at 4130 E Van Buren St, Ste 150 - Phx

Investment: ASBA Members - $30.00 or Non-members - $40.00

Register today at 602-265-4563 or rsvp@asba.com.

Happy New Year!

Just Say No!

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Just Say No!

One of the common challenges sales people face, is when we don’t get a direct answer. When prospects give us a “yes” or a “no” straight out - we know where we stand. However, sometimes we’re left hanging with some sort of non-committal answer or delay tactic, when they have no intention of buying. Many of these people just don’t want to say “no” and are just trying to be nice. We may hear our prospect make comments multiple times like…

I’m still thinking about it.
Not this time, but maybe next time.
Call me back later.
Follow-up with me in a while.
I haven’t had time to look at your information yet.

Note: If this comment has been made only once – it may be legitimate.

It’s easier for us to have closure. We prefer “yes” but there are times that “no” is okay too. The saying “salesmanship begins when the customer says no” means that we can probe for an objection, and may learn that if this objection can be resolved, we may get the sale. Also, the objection may be based on a misunderstanding or confusion on the customer’s part (these are even easier situations to resolve).

If the “no” is going to remain “no” this allows the salesperson to let go of the opportunity (or put it down as a long-term follow-up), take it off of the contact list, or close it out in the Customer Relationship Management database. When we have a lot of these prospect situations, it can consume a lot of our follow-up time that can be redeployed into more fruitful opportunities.

If you’ve heard any of the above comments multiple times, consider asking a probing question like…

How do you see this application working for your company?
What are your thoughts about this concept?
What happened the last time you looked at this situation?
What will happen if nothing changes?

We may learn additional information that can assist us with this prospect. Or, we may move the prospect off of dead center, and get them to lean one way or the other.

An additional thought…
Sometimes salespeople themselves are guilty of these types of answers when we’re on the “prospect or customer” side of the fence. Let’s make a New Years resolution that we no longer keep our sales partners hanging with some sort of non-committal answer or delay tactics. When we have no intention of buying their product or service - let’s just say no. They’ll appreciate it in the long run.

Happy Holidays!