This is a lesson on Basic Salesmanship or, more specifically, on understanding the process of selling and buying. Most of our customers come from an installation background. They never had to make a living strictly from selling, and have probably never had any extensive sales training. Therefore, I will start with some of the most basic concepts to help you fully understand how this series of lessons all fit together logically.
Are you a salesperson?
First, who is a salesperson? The correct answer is EVERYONE! We are always presenting (selling) ourselves, our ideas or our opinions in every conversation that we have. If we are presenting our feelings, it is usually done in such a way as to solicit a desired response (e.g., happiness, empathy, sadness, compassion, etc.). We have been doing this all of our lives, and it is a natural part of our daily routine. Once this is understood, the thought of having to sell something to someone should be a little less frightening. You will notice that the word "selling" will be used very little in these lessons, compared to the word "presentation". Are they the same? The answer is "No"! The actual term is a sales presentation. The presentation starts with your first introduction to the customer, and continues until the contract has been signed. The end of a successful sales presentation is the sale.
The next step is to understand how someone buys a product or service.
How Does Someone Buy Something?
When someone buys something they are usually happy and excited about it. When you get into the basics of selling, it is very important for you to understand exactly how someone buys something. This is a lot easier than it sounds. To understand how, you simply have to ask yourself a question: How do you buy the things that you buy? I'm not talking about the necessities or impulse items, I'm talking about anything that you have ever purchased which cost you over $1,000.
Think about it.......
If you had to go to a store to buy the item, was it a professional looking building with a number of choices all on display for you to choose from, or was it a "back room" operation which had only a few items on display and needed a good cleaning?
Did the salesperson present a good appearance, and not in need a shave, a bath and some clean clothes?
Did the salesperson that you bought from know what they were talking about and answer all of your questions, or did you know more about the item than they did?
Did you buy the item because you could see (or understand) that you were getting a good quality (value) for your money, or was it simply the cheapest thing available?
Was the item under a manufacturer's warranty that would be honored, or were you "on-your-own" the minute that you received the item?
Since we are talking about an item over $1,000, I can assume that you purchased it from a professional looking facility which gave you a number of choices, and from a knowledgeable person with a professional appearance who knew what they were talking about. I will also make the assumption that because of the amount of money you were going to spend, you made sure that you would get the highest quality for your money, with a good factory warranty in case of any problems. Surprise! This is exactly the same process that your customers go through when they buy your security system.
In the above example, you probably think that I neglected to mention price as one of the factors of why you purchased the item. You are wrong, the price was covered with the question: Did you buy the item because you could see (or understand) that you were getting a good quality (value) for your money, or was it simply the cheapest thing available? Price is never based solely upon the amount of money that you think you want to spend, it is based upon the perceived value that you will get for your investment.
Let me give you an example:
You and I have a meeting in my office because you want to talk about your accounts. You only have $20.00 with you, and you have no plans of spending a penny during our meeting. During the meeting I tell you that I have an immediate need for $500, and I show you a Rolex watch that my father left to me. It has diamonds on it, and I have the original receipt which shows the purchase price was $2,500. How fast could you get $500 to purchase the watch? I would assume that you would get the money very quickly, and once you had it in your possession you probably would think that you made the deal of the century.
But, wait a minute! You did not come to buy anything, and yet you ended up buying, and to do it you had to get $480 more than you had with you. And, you are happy about it! Why? Well, in this example, it would probably be because you would get a considerable return on your investment by reselling the watch ( perceived value for your investment).
Important points:
Everyone is a salesperson
The end of a successful sales presentation is the sale.
The things that are important to you (and your potential customer) when you purchase an expensive item are:
-The environment where you purchase the item.
-The overall appearance of the salesperson.
-The knowledgeable presentation that the salesperson made.
-The quality (value) that you would get for your money, and
-The warranty if there are any problems.
Price is never based solely upon the amount of money that you think you want to spend, it is based upon the perceived value that you will get for your investment.