6 minute read
Cold Calling
SHELFORCE BUSINESS MANAGER RECEIVES G-AWARD NOMINATION
Howard Trotter, Business Manager at Shelforce, has been nominated for the Unsung Hero Award at the G22 Awards.
The award recognises those in the industry who have gone above and beyond, and Howard has made the shortlist alongside just three other nominees thanks to his commitment to investing in inclusive employment. Shelforce provides high-quality windows and doors, including fire doors, to local authority building projects. Contributing to a much greater agenda, however, is the company’s social vision, employing some of the city’s most vulnerable people, with 75% of its workforce having a disability. Since joining the company in 2013, Howard has overseen a strong staff development programme which has created an environment where individuals with a complex, diverse range of disabilities and challenges can succeed and thrive. He has also built-up unique development partnerships with local schools and colleges to equip young people with disabilities with the skills and confidence to take their first steps into the workplace. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for the Unsung Hero at the G22 Awards,” said Howard. “As a company we have benefitted hugely in our inclusive, integrated recruitment approach, and it’s my aim to encourage other businesses to adopt our employment model. The right skills are out there.”
The prestigious Gala Dinner and Awards evening takes place at the Intercontinental London Park Lane on Friday, November 25 when the winners will be announced.
To find out more, call 0121 603 5262 or visit www.shelforce.com.
DANNY WILLIAMS ‘COLD CALLING’
Each month our special correspondent Danny Williams* replies to a reader’s letter...
TK Surrey
If you are only now slashing your prices to secure business, that suggests you were selling with decent margins before this period. And to me, it sounds like you have fallen into the trap that I believe besets the majority of retail window companies – selling on price. Which leads me to ask the question: Have we lost the art of selling?
I am of the ‘White Gold’ generation TK – literally. When the TV comedy first aired it was like a documentary to me, an extended Panorama, though I am delighted to say that seldom were the bad bits that bad (though we did have our moments). Of course, ‘double glazing’ had a bad reputation from that time and often deserved too, but my closest oppos and I studied selling, absorbed it, soaked up every tip we could learn, read every sales book and turned it into an artform. My dad used to explain to me the importance of time keeping, preparation, taking care of the details. I befriended the fitters, hung around them to learn tips on products and installations, tricks of the trade. And mixing that with a healthy dose of Artful Dodging enabled us to make some serious money, more than any of those around us that relied solely on blagging. Selling on price is a one-way ticket to the bottom TK; because whilst you are using that to close sales now, it’s a difficult habit to break. The pitfalls of habitually slashing prices have far more serious implications than simply working harder for less money. When you set out on a lead you will already have it set in your mind what you want for the job, how low you will go, which then preconditions the sale to be a self-fulfilling prophesy before you even pull up at the kerb. By definition you are on the defensive and worse still, no matter how low you go, there will always be someone out there that will nick another hundred quid off your quote. And ironically, when a punter buys from you on price it is seen as a weakness, not a strength, because they beat you down; you gave in to them. Loyalty is zero. And with so many sales generated by recommendations, the leading recommend to their friends will be ‘they were the cheapest’, which again, defines you. And on top of all that you will work harder for less: when you make less money on every job, you have to do more jobs to make what you need. And then you may well lose the sale to someone that actually recognises that homeowners, the majority in my view, want to know that they are safe in your hands, that the products they are having installed will be the right products for their home, that they will be installed well and with years of unfailing service ahead of them. The goal is to help the homeowner make a decision that is good for them. I learned a long time ago that understanding my products, listening to the needs of the homeowner, understanding their desires but even more so their fears, means that price will play a reduced role in the decisionmaking process. Homeowners may look for a low price – after arriving at a general product spec they have to start somewhere. But improving a home is, by definition, aspirational. Understand that, empathise, display your product knowledge and make recommendations that, whilst potentially driving the price up, will result in the homeowner enjoying a far more satisfying transaction.
But don’t just take my word for it: there has been countless studies that prove, for high ticket items at least, the lowest price is consistently near the bottom on homeowners’ lists of desires. Which means that a salesperson who is able to listen to, understand and respond accurately to the criteria that is important to the customer, will improve their chances of getting their moniker on the contract.
Selling on price might be an instinctive thing to do, driven by insecurity rather than common sense, but by highlighting why you are better than the competition – and especially those that are selling on price – focusing on what advantages you will bring to the deal, you will find favour with most customers. You may lose deals to punters that are entirely price focused, but on the rest, your improved margins will more than make up for it. Here’s a first from me – homework! Get hold of these as audiobooks and listen to them when you’re out and about preparing to chuck your margins down the drain over the next couple of weeks . No such thing as audiobooks when I was at this particular coalface, but I got something out of every book I read (all available on Amazon – I checked) What have you got to lose? Well, quite a lot actually.
The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12
Key Strategies by Chet Holmes
Sales: Mastering the Art Of Selling: 10 Mistakes To Avoid Like The Plague, 12 Powerful Techniques To Reveal Any Hidden Objections & Close The Sale (Sales, ... To Sell, Sales Strategies, Closing
Sales) by Adam Richards
