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Improving Presentation Close Rates in a Price-Oriented Market
How can you improve your close rate in your sales presentations? Hunter Industries’ marketing department has done extensive surveys of irrigation system buyers to develop a blueprint for improvement that should include four basic steps. #1 Identify Customer Needs and Wants Try to sell a potential customer what they want to buy, not what you want to sell. Your business is to please the customer by offering them the products and/or services that they desire. Ask your potential customer what they are looking for. Then, adjust your sales pitch to showcase what you can provide that will satisfy their needs. Tip: the closer you listen to what they have to say, the better you’ll be at becoming their solution. #2 Sell Benefits, Not Simply Features Features are great. They tell what a product does. But, what customers want to know is what a product does for them. Those are benefits. Sell your products and services as benefits. Demonstrate to customers how and why what you offer can be beneficial to them. For a residential irrigation system, point out the benefits of increased property value, protecting their landscape investment, and the system’s reliability. And be sure to tell them how an automatic system shuts off in the rain, eliminates the need to remember when to water, and keeps them from ever having to drag a hose around. Also, be sure to explain how and why getting things from you is better than from someone else. In other words, show them the benefits of you. #3 Fine-Tune Presentation Techniques Make sure your presentation covers the things that homeowners feel are important…and that contractors often forget to cover. Many contractors overlook things that might be considered “basic” to a presentation for services. For example, nearly half of the customers in the Hunter survey (48%) said that contractors making a bid did not look at the water meter, and nearly as many (44%) said that contractors did not offer references. Other items that contractors “forgot” included: failure to demonstrate the products they use (39%), no explanation of the benefits of system (32%), and no explanation of a rain sensor (32%). And, believe it or not, 19% said that the contractor making the bid did not even explain their services well. #4 Follow Up Your Presentation It’s incredible how many salespeople – in all fields – never touch base with a potential customer after the formal presentation. Granted, customers do not want to be pestered by a series of mailings, phone calls and return visits from someone overly aggressive. But, customers have also shown that they prefer not to be forgotten after a presentation either. Find out when they will make a decision and call them before that time. A follow up call or a “thank you” note will express to the homeowner your gratitude for the time they gave you for a presentation. A small time investment, the call will demonstrate your interest in providing your services to them. And, since many of your competitors will fail to perform this simple act, it may well be the single “extra” that wins you the business! Remember…Not All Sales are Made on PriceWhat customers said were the most important factors in selecting a contractor:
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Today, irrigation contractors are frequently faced with pricing as a major challenge when competing for potential jobs. Homeowners will often offer an objection to whatever price you quote, simply to see how you respond. Your challenge is to discover and create new advantages, other than price, that will set your bid apart. |
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