Adjust to todayts sale

ll fty soN ts 20 and away at college. If I want to hear his IYlvoice, I call him several times, at different times (relentlessly, so says my wife) of the day until he deigns to pick up. If I really need to get a hold of him, I text him. It breaks my heart. Will anyone be able to speak or read a map in 50 years? But pining for communication styles of old will not sell lumber today.

We spend a lifetime learning how to get people to say yes to us on the phone and now we can't get anyone on the phone! Two hundred minutes of phone time a day for an inside salesperson is a number that used to indicate a solid effort. This number is becoming more and more difficult to hit, as buyers control who and when they talk to suppliers using voice mail, email and text to keep connected to the world, but on their terms.

Get that cell

We must make asking for the customer's cellphone part of our initial (prospect) call. Many sellers are uncomfortable asking, "Could you give me your cell number?" Don't be one of them. Some customers will say no, few will be put off, and many will give us their number. To be truly connected to our customers, we must have their cellphone number.

If at the end of the call we ask the customer how they want to be contacted, 95Vo wlll say, "Just email me." That's why we don't ask. We take control of the end of the call by saying, "Mr. Simon, I appreciate your time today. What I'll do is send you a follow-up email telling you more about me and my company. I'll send you an offer on Monday morning and follow up with a phone call Monday afternoon."

Another option is to say, "Mr. Simon, I have my Outlook contacts open and I'm putting your information in. I am going to send my contact information to you right after this call. What is your email, cellphone number?

If we ask in a smooth, calm way, most people will give us what we ask for. If we act like we are asking for information we shouldn't, they won't. Once we have our customer's cellphone number, email and physical address, we start becoming part of their lives. We contact them consistently and persistently using all three.

Just email me

"He only wants me to email him and he won't come to the phone." Don't be a victim.

We want to be partners with our clients, not servants. Partners listen, but they don't always do exactly what the other partner tells them to do. Our relationship with our customers is the same. When they say, "Just email me," we email them. But we call them, too. We mix up our contact schedule until we find one that works-for us. Email, email, text, postcard, call. Email, email, call, text. Email, postcard, call, call, email, text. Getting in sync with customers is always a challenge, so we keep trying different combinations until we find one that works. Postcards are a great way to contact customers in a quick, personal way. Drop a note, thank them for an order, ask for an order. Use post cards to reach customers in a way others aren't.

Email Hooks

Subject lines are important-don't waste them. We catch our customer's attention with good subject lines. If not, they may not even open the email.

Make emails conversational. Try to get customers to "talk" to us by email. We ask customers questions about what we are offering them. "John, I think item number five on my offering-the 2x4 lO4-518" is a great deal-what do you think?"

Another way to engage a customer (or get them to call us) is to put a list of items in our offering and

,#s' leave the price of one item off, saying, "This price is too good to put out online-call me for special pricing."

Pro sellers use everything in their tool kit to win. Social media is here to stay-use it.

James Olsen

Sales Training