SELLING SKILLS VS. PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE Product presentation is an essential element in a good sales pitch, but if just talking about the product is all a rep is expected to do, then even the best closer could be replaced by a good video. To close above 50%, a good product presentation must be tailored to address the issues important to that particular homeowner — issues that are uncovered in a proper warmup. So, for instance, sometimes we have off-site meetings where we pick a house that salespeople are not familiar with and we take them there to work on measuring the job and performing a needs assessment. That gives them a hands-on understanding of the best way to go about doing the presentation.
Moreover, the art of laying the groundwork for a sale early in the appointment is altogether different from product knowledge. It takes an understanding of the homeowner’s frame of mind revealed by pointed transition questions — questions that are mastered by role-playing and repetition.
Once mastered, this understanding of the selling process allows a salesman selling windows with a 60% close rate to achieve a similar close rate with siding after just a few days of product training.
How you achieve that is by keeping prospects involved in the product demonstration. Here’s another thing we practice: selling to the senses. Virtually every manufacturer in this industry has a Web site, and any homeowner can go there to find out all about the product(s) he or she is interested in. Naturally, it’s important for the salesperson to know a lot more about that product than the prospect does. But what a trained salesperson can demonstrate is the touch and feel of that product.
In our sales meetings, we teach reps how to put these products into the prospect’s hand and to use them as props in the presentation. We want to see how the rep uses a heat lamp to demonstrate low-E or holds the siding sample against the wall of the house so prospects can test for colors. When we role-play, reps are critiqued on whether or not their presentation was entertaining and on whether or not they engaged the prospect because people buy when they’re educated and entertained and when they’re convinced the salesperson is an expert.
MOVE BY INSTINCT The principles of closing on the first call and in-home selling are like the basics of a golf or basketball game. They’re a starting point. Everyone who plays the game should know the basics. The super-star is the athlete — or the salesperson — who instinctively makes “the right moves.” That level of performance comes from practice under pressure.
In the home improvement business, the most constructive pressure comes from delivering your presentation to a role-playing homeowner in front of other salesmen trained in the system. This kind of pressure instantly reveals where the presentation is weak. Everyone present learns how to spot problems and how to fix them.
The advantage couldn’t be clearer: The only way to be an expert is to practice. A great lawyer doesn’t stop studying case law when he gets his degree. Can a doctor stay current with new procedures and new technologies without practicing? These professionals stay on top of their game through practice. Why should salespeople be any different?