Farquharson/Tedesco on Business Development: Make 'Wicked Easy' Sales Calls
You are mad at Dunkin' Donuts (think "wicked light Starbucks"). Standing and waiting for your morning coffee, you notice a point-of-purchase tent piece proclaiming that you can get a free cup of coffee by signing up for their online loyalty program. You like free, so you make a mental note of the URL, grab your Java and head out. When you return to your computer, you take a few moments to sign up. The e-mail confirmation indicates that you will receive a coupon in the mail. Cool!
A week goes by. Then another. Then a third. Each time you walk into Dunkies, you remember that you are owed a free cup of coffee, and you wonder why you bothered giving them your personal information. Every e-mail you receive from them pushes that anger level up just a tad more. Your choices are: Switch to decaf and get help for your anger issues, or stick with the hard stuff and find a new place to get your morning boost.
Three and a half weeks later, a postcard arrives with word that a 16-ounce cup of piping hot, teeth-staining liquid awaits you. Free is free, so you will definitely take them up on it. Still, the damage is done. For John Q. Public, the story ends there. For John Q. Print Sales Rep, the story is just beginning. Inadvertently, an opportunity has arisen. Seizing both your free coffee and the moment, you act...
Do you think the Head of Marketing (the genius behind this loyalty campaign) knows that it took between three and four weeks for a simple postcard to arrive? Probably not. Do you think he or she might be interested to know the ramifications of such a glacier-paced delivery to a lightning-quick promise? Probably so.
"The purpose of my call is to talk to you about improving the Loyalty Program your company has initiated. I recently signed up, myself, and was surprised at the delay in getting my promised cup of free coffee. It bothered me that I have given up my personal info and did not receive my reward in a timely manner. I believe I can improve on this process and wanted to talk with you about some ideas that I have." That would be a pretty easy sales call to make, don't you think?
What are your chances of cold calling the Head of Marketing of a major corporation like this one and even showing up on the radar? By taking a different route and putting their process to the test, you now have something relevant to say. This makes for a more confident sales call and, at bare minimum, a much better voicemail than, "I'd like to talk to you about your print needs."
Your daughter is a junior in high school. She is wicked smaht (Number 10 in her class, thankyouverymuch) and is being courted by several colleges. In addition, she is reaching out to dozens more, requesting information and looking for just the right combination of academics, shopping opportunities and sunshine.
Almost daily, new packets of collegiate propaganda and self-promotion arrived. As you are a part of the process (made possible only because of your ability to write large checks), you become quite familiar with the way things work and have been paying particular attention to the relationship between the, "Click here for more information" button and the amount of time/quality of what arrives as a result.
Free cup of coffee in hand (you've made up with Dunkin' Donuts), you sift through a sea of paper, thinking from the perspective of parent, financier and print salesperson. Your daughter is a jewel. A gem. What's flawed is the process. Not only does it take too much time for information to arrive, what does finally show up is generic. Pretty, sure. But generic. What could these colleges have done better to get her attention and your money?
Once again, the opportunist in you awakens and you spring into action. Figuring that the Head of Admissions would be interested in knowing what you are thinking, your sales call goes like this: "The purpose of my call is to talk to you about your Admissions process. Recently, my daughter requested information from your school and many others. Being in the business of helping my customers to find their customers, I have some ideas as to how I can help your school better identify and capture its target market."
How many phone calls would you have to make to get even a "Go away" response from the Admissions Department? Without something specific in mind to talk about, they are not likely to talk to you, with or without a wicked smaht daughter. You become just another sales rep. Click.
Which sales call would you rather make—the blind one where you're talking to the Print Buyer hoping for something to quote on, or a more purposeful call to the Requisitioner with an idea for improving what they are already doing? It is infinitely easier to make a sales call when you have a printed piece in hand. Think about it: you are now armed with a sample and need only know the story behind it and the person who initiated it (the aforementioned Requisitioner).
Wouldn't it be great if the customer would send you such examples of their printed matter? Wouldn't it be amazing if you could simply go to their Website and request information? Perhaps they could include a link and call it "Contact Us." By hitting the link and filling in the required information, you would soon receive a do-it-yourself sales call in the mail.
Wait. Such a tab does exist. You can get samples of printed matter sent to you! It all sounds wicked easy, doesn't it? Look at a prospect's Website and find the "Contact Us" tab. Hit it and fill out your request and then start the clock. That is, write down the date that you requested information and compare it with the date that something arrives. In addition, check for the relevancy of the response. Does the Website ask you what you are interested in? Are they specific at all?
A word of warning: The probability that the person you are talking to is the one who designed the piece or the system you are criticizing is in direct proportion to the amount and severity of said criticism. Layman's terms: Emphasize what's right about your idea, not what's wrong about theirs.
Rookie salespeople buy lists. Savvy, veteran salespeople look around them and generate leads from the opportunities that they come across on a day-to-day basis. The result of this sales curiosity is returned phone calls, appointments and orders earned on the basis of a good idea, and not the lowest price. Oh, and they get a free cup of coffee out of it to boot. Eventually. PI
—T.J. Tedesco, Bill Farquharson
About the Columnists
T.J. Tedesco is team leader of Grow Sales, a marketing and PR services company that has served graphic arts companies since 1996. He wrote "Direct Mail Pal 2012" and seven other books. Contact Tedesco at (301) 294-9900 or e-mail tj@growsales.com. Bill Farquharson is the president of Aspire For. Through his Sales Challenge and Tuesday eWorkshop training programs, Farquharson can help drive your sales. Visit his Website at www.aspirefor.com or call him at (781) 934-7036.
