Here's the scenario: You're selling closet systems in a customer's home (or any design oriented product). You decide you've got to complete the design and sell it on the first visit.
Find time in your sales process to hand the prospect a 3 ring binder full of customer comment forms which have been completed by your other customers. An appropriate time tcoo do this might be while you're measuring the prospect's space, designing the prospect's new closet system, or while you're doing an
inventory of the space (counting shoes, short-hanging clothing,
long-hanging clothing, number of folded sweaters, etc.).
These customer comment forms should be given to all customers after the product is delivered or installed. Providing some sort of incentive will increase the percentage of customers who mail them back to your company.
The most effective customer comment forms are brief, are filled out by hand by your customers, and include your customer's name and address. Alternatively, these comment forms could be copies of online comments you've received through an online customer satisfaction survey system (but these are much less effective sales-wise than hand-written forms). If you use a laptop in your presentation, you could scan your comments and include them in a slide show on your machine.
Back when I was selling in customer's homes, I bought a high quality leather 3 ring binder for this purpose. It had a luxurious feel and look, and touching it provided a tactile sensation which was pleasing to my prospects and supported the professional image I was trying to create.
At the appropriate time in your selling process, simply hand the book to your prospect and say, "Here's something I'd like you to see." Never ask if the prospect wants to look at it because most will say they don't. Not all prospects will be intrigued by these customer comments, but many will be. As they read comments that sing your praises, your value begins to increase in their eyes.
The impact of this customer comment book on your prospects, and therefore your sales results, can be phenomenal. Prospects love to read comments from other customers as long as they are believable. Every week, I would have a prospect who would know one or more of the customers I featured in my comments book ("Why look, Jean, here's one by the Haffners who go to our church!"). This creates instant credibility and trust.
When you're starting in the closet and home storage industry (or whatever industry you're in that sells in the home), you'll have few customer comment forms. But as time passes, if you or your company are diligent about receiving these forms, you will end up with a binder that's bursting at the seams, which is a good thing. The more customer comments your prospect can read, the better.
Imagine the impact of two competitors fighting for the same customer's business. One shows up for their in home presentation with a book chock full of glowing customer reviews, while the other doesn't. With all other things being equal, who has the greater opportunity to close the sale?
These customer comment books can be an extraordinary asset for those who sell HVAC, insurance, home improvements, design, or just about anything in a prospect's home.
If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training.
He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in
B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance
markets.
Contact Skip | Join Mailing List
Follow on Twitter | Connect on Facebook | Connect on LinkedIn
Recent Comments