The Top 3 Things That Help and Hurt Sales

Feature Story The Top 3 Things That Help & Hurt Your Sales

by Melissa Riley, Constant Flow Marketing

Your business is going places. It’s never stagnant. Where like the hero of their journey. Position yourself as their guide. it’s going is up to you. Put specific plans in place, and you Be their Yoda. Let them be Luke. can start closing a higher percentage of sales. Neglect them Landscape Management defined this idea in a recent arand you lower your chances of consistent sales. ticle: “People justify their buying decisions with stories. They 1. Answer the Phone help them with that.”1 The number one thing that can hurt your landscape busi- The great thing about this style is that you don’t come across ness is neglecting the phone. If it’s business hours, no phone as a salesperson at all. You come across as a helpful person who call should go untouched. Answering the phone opens the happens to have what they need. door to a business relationship or shuts it. So leave space for them to talk. Then listen. This communi-

But you’re busy. You have a business to run and many people cates you’re on their side instead of an obstacle. depend on you. When you do talk, use

So don’t answer the phone. Have someone else anLISTEN YOU MUST it to ask questions to help them clarify their needs. A swer the phone for you. design-build company asks

The number one thing questions to understand the you can do to help your sales scope of their project. Then is having a dedicated person they determine if they are a answering the phone. This right fit for a client. For reperson is pleasant and ready tail businesses, this means to direct any conversation. understanding their problem In design-build firms, this or vision for their property. person is the filter for which View it as a problem you’re leads go further into the both solving together. sales funnel. They listen to the customer’s needs and 3. Follow Up determine if they’re a good The final thing that can fit for the company. Sometimes landscaping PROGRESS YOU WILL MAKE hurt your sales the most is giving up on leads. Busybusinesses offer a phone tree ness or indecisiveness might to incoming calls. Although this does guarantee the phone is have overtaken a lead. That doesn’t mean their need has been answered, it has a few key disadvantages. Phone trees have a met. If you don’t have a process for following up with leads, poor reputation as impersonal and dysfunctional. Leads ex- another company will help them meet their needs. pect gold standard treatment. Customers want to know you Instead, follow up until you get an answer. When a lead will handle their project with diligence and sensitivity. Phone comes to you, walk alongside them until their need has been trees do not communicate this. If you can’t have a dedicated met. You don’t have to be pushy. You just have to tell them person for the phone, consider a live phone answering service. how you can help achieve their goals. 2. Ask questions. Then Listen. initial call, call back three times within the week. Then once a

The second thing that hurts your closing-sale rate is hi- week for four weeks, and then once a month for three months. jacking a customer conversation. Consistency is key. Focus on making the calls instead of sales.

The customer should have the most talking time. Following a process is what will develop leads into customers. Resist giving your spiel about your company, its history, or even the clearance plants. Answer only the questions they’re asking. Then stop. Stop talking after you’ve answered their question. Citations: 1. Korhan, Jeff, “Communication Coach: Take the meaningful marketing risk,” Landscape Management, North Coast Media, 8/11/20, LLC, www.landscapemanagement.net/communication-Give them time to make a decision on how to move forward. coach-take-the-meaningful-marketing-risk/, accessed 8/24/20.

Each customer called you or walked in your business because they’re on a journey to fulfill their needs. Treat them want to live a bigger story — a better story — and you can The answer to busy-itis is a program of follow up. After an