Don Alm
February 22, 2015, 03:39 PM
In my looong sales career I've been told (Starting with a Dale Carnegie course I took before I went out to the "Field-Of-Battle")....."Ya Gotta see X prospects to find the ONE "Yes"!"
Then, some yrs later I adopted the "ASSUME THE SALE" technique where I'd show prospects How my thingee would Benefit them then.....show my price then.....whip out my Order Form and start writing in the Prospect's Name, Address, Phone .....ASSUMING he had bought and it was now up to him to stop me....and if he did....I'd answer his question then....continue writing up the Order.
Well....I was VERY successful with this then....one of my creations was a 2ft x 3ft Framed Board (I bought from WalMart) where I made a plastic sheet transparency with "Borders"....where I made spaces for a MAP and Ads around the edges and....across the top was a space that said in BIG, Bold letters....., "WELCOME TO THE HOLIDAY INN (with their Logo)
So....I called this my "Lobby-Map-Board" creation and.....because I knew that "Assumption-Selling" worked.....I went 1 step further with this;
I "barged into" a Hotel....asked to see the General Manager and.....showed him/her what I had ALREADY MADE for THEIR.....(underline the word "THEIR") .....their facility.
And.....when I showed the GM my Board (made for them).....my opening statement was; "Hi....I'm a local advertising guy and I thought MOST of your Guests would LOVE to see a Map of the Area and....where restaurants, gift shops and attractions are located.
(Now...here's where I learned my "REJECTION SELLING" technigue would work (I had already gone into one hotel with a pre-made Board for their hotel and... told why my Board would benefit their hotel then....."asked his PERMISSION to mount my Board on a wall in the Lobby and...
his response was, "Nah! I don't think it would go with our décor!")
So....I realized I HAD TO COME UP with a "REJECTION-PROOF" presentation. Heck! The Board was TOTALLY FREE to them!
So.....I remembered my days of "Assumption Selling" and.....this brought to mind...."OK.... what if I not only ASSUME the Hotels would "Give ME permission to mount my FREE Board on their Lobby Walls BUT.....what if, instead of looking for a "positive-response" (which I found did not work) what if I were to "ASSUME THEY WOULD REJECT my offer!" .....by saying,
"Mr GM.....WOULD YOU HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO LETTING ME MOUNT THIS BOARD ON THE WALL NEXT TO WHERE YOUR GUESTS REGISTER?"
I hope ONE person viewing HERE.....will use this method in ANYTHING they try to sell!
"Assume your prospect is NOT going to buy and.....Ask a Question that gets them to provide a NEGATIVE response (Heck! When you contact them, they KNOW you're trying to sell them something SO.....why not Assume they are NOT going to buy by saying...."Mr Prospect! Is there any reason why you would NOT.....?"
You have now put the "HOT-POTATO" in your prospect's hands (I refer it to "Hot-Potato" selling)....it is NOW....after he's seen ALL the benefits he can get from YOUR program...UP TO HIM.....to REJECT....all the Wonderful things your program can bring to him!)
So.....back to "present" activities; dealing with getting hotels to accept MY "Front-Desk-Plastic-Display" telling guests that, "Scan Here for a local Restaurant Directory!"
I only received ONE...."rejection"...from a GM who CANNOT MAKE THESE KIND OF DECISIONS!
So.....when the Regional Mgr sees ALL his local Hotel Competitors are IN my program.....what do you think he will say?
Anyways.....thanks for letting me expound on some of the Marketing Stuff I've done and .....hopefully someone here can pick up on it and.....find their way as they go about trying to earn money by...."SELLING STUFF"!
Don Alm.....long time sales guy STILL learning
Then, some yrs later I adopted the "ASSUME THE SALE" technique where I'd show prospects How my thingee would Benefit them then.....show my price then.....whip out my Order Form and start writing in the Prospect's Name, Address, Phone .....ASSUMING he had bought and it was now up to him to stop me....and if he did....I'd answer his question then....continue writing up the Order.
Well....I was VERY successful with this then....one of my creations was a 2ft x 3ft Framed Board (I bought from WalMart) where I made a plastic sheet transparency with "Borders"....where I made spaces for a MAP and Ads around the edges and....across the top was a space that said in BIG, Bold letters....., "WELCOME TO THE HOLIDAY INN (with their Logo)
So....I called this my "Lobby-Map-Board" creation and.....because I knew that "Assumption-Selling" worked.....I went 1 step further with this;
I "barged into" a Hotel....asked to see the General Manager and.....showed him/her what I had ALREADY MADE for THEIR.....(underline the word "THEIR") .....their facility.
And.....when I showed the GM my Board (made for them).....my opening statement was; "Hi....I'm a local advertising guy and I thought MOST of your Guests would LOVE to see a Map of the Area and....where restaurants, gift shops and attractions are located.
(Now...here's where I learned my "REJECTION SELLING" technigue would work (I had already gone into one hotel with a pre-made Board for their hotel and... told why my Board would benefit their hotel then....."asked his PERMISSION to mount my Board on a wall in the Lobby and...
his response was, "Nah! I don't think it would go with our décor!")
So....I realized I HAD TO COME UP with a "REJECTION-PROOF" presentation. Heck! The Board was TOTALLY FREE to them!
So.....I remembered my days of "Assumption Selling" and.....this brought to mind...."OK.... what if I not only ASSUME the Hotels would "Give ME permission to mount my FREE Board on their Lobby Walls BUT.....what if, instead of looking for a "positive-response" (which I found did not work) what if I were to "ASSUME THEY WOULD REJECT my offer!" .....by saying,
"Mr GM.....WOULD YOU HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO LETTING ME MOUNT THIS BOARD ON THE WALL NEXT TO WHERE YOUR GUESTS REGISTER?"
I hope ONE person viewing HERE.....will use this method in ANYTHING they try to sell!
"Assume your prospect is NOT going to buy and.....Ask a Question that gets them to provide a NEGATIVE response (Heck! When you contact them, they KNOW you're trying to sell them something SO.....why not Assume they are NOT going to buy by saying...."Mr Prospect! Is there any reason why you would NOT.....?"
You have now put the "HOT-POTATO" in your prospect's hands (I refer it to "Hot-Potato" selling)....it is NOW....after he's seen ALL the benefits he can get from YOUR program...UP TO HIM.....to REJECT....all the Wonderful things your program can bring to him!)
So.....back to "present" activities; dealing with getting hotels to accept MY "Front-Desk-Plastic-Display" telling guests that, "Scan Here for a local Restaurant Directory!"
I only received ONE...."rejection"...from a GM who CANNOT MAKE THESE KIND OF DECISIONS!
So.....when the Regional Mgr sees ALL his local Hotel Competitors are IN my program.....what do you think he will say?
Anyways.....thanks for letting me expound on some of the Marketing Stuff I've done and .....hopefully someone here can pick up on it and.....find their way as they go about trying to earn money by...."SELLING STUFF"!
Don Alm.....long time sales guy STILL learning
