 |
Confidence
in Selling
Painting contractors often complain
about a customer's unwillingness to pay for quality work. Many
contractors believe that they must drive their price as low as
possible in order to secure work. But this is a road to disaster.
More importantly, it isn't necessary.
One of the biggest obstacles to getting the right price is the
contractor himself. When he believes that price wins jobs, he acts
accordingly. And in our current economic climate, the pressure seems
to be even higher.
Successful sales is largely about confidence. That confidence
extends beyond just the ability to deliver the product or service.
It includes one's ability to communicate the value offered.
Customers will pay more money if they perceive a greater value. But
if he does not see a greater value, he sees no reason to spend more
money. Because customers do not buy paint jobs regularly, they are
not always aware of the many factors that go into a professional
paint job. As a salesman, it is your job to communicate these
factors and how they benefit the customer.
Sales does not need to be a slick, high pressure process. It should
be an educational process. Learn what your customer wants and needs,
and then teach him why your solution and company can satisfy him.
Sales is largely an issue of
confidence—in our service or product, in our ability to deliver, and
in our price. If we lack confidence in any area, our sales suffer.
That lack of confidence is communicated in subtle ways.
Our goal as a salesman (and we are all salesmen if we sell paint
jobs) is to create a win- win. I think it is easy to forget this,
and allow ourselves to be trapped into a win- lose. And in that
case, we are the loser.
We are in business to make a profit. We shouldn’t be afraid to
address that with our customers. If we don’t make a profit, we
probably won’t be around to service them in the future. Does the
customer really want that? I don’t think so.
There is nothing wrong with stating the benefit we gain from a
particular deal. In fact, I think that honesty goes a long way to
winning over a customer (if it is done with some tact). But that
takes confidence. That requires that we truly believe that we are
creating a win- win, and that we have a right to win.
Out of the
Bucket.com is proud to
announce our latest E-Book,
Estimating for Success.
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Getting Out of
the Bucket
Our best selling manual has been updated for
2009. Click here
for details.
NOW AVAILABLE: Now you can order a print version of our best selling book, Getting Out of the Bucket from Lulu.com.
Marketing in
Slow Times
Many painting contractors
are worried about the slowing economy. With new
construction decreasing, contractors who specialize in
that area are entering the repaint market. Tighter
credit and other concerns are causing many home owners
to delay painting projects.
For many contractors, their concern focuses on surviving
this slow down. But a savvy contractor can use this time
to do more than merely survive—he can actually thrive.
It’s fairly easy to thrive in a booming economy. Jobs
seem to fall into our lap. However, these situations are
always temporary, and they can instill a false sense of
confidence. Solid business practices however, work in
any kind of economy.
Leads are the life blood of a contracting company. Leads
create sales. And marketing creates leads.
The key to thriving in a slower economy is marketing. A
solid marketing plan—one that is carefully thought out
and executed—will generate leads. It is never too late
to start marketing, unless of course, you are out of
business. And one way to avoid that tragic fate is to
market.
_________________
Out of the Bucket.com
is your complete resource for developing and implementing
systems and procedures. Our products do more than
tell you what to do-- they provide practical, easy to implement
tools to help you create the business you want to own.
We offer
workshops
on sales, production management, systems development, and more.
Our
Operations
Manual Templates can save you hundreds of hours
in developing operating procedures for your business. These
templates are easily modified and will help you systematize your
business.
Getting Out of the
Bucket
provides a complete resource for implementing sound business
practices and systematizing your business. This 310-page manual
comes with forms, worksheets, and exercises designed to help you
improve operations in every aspect of your business.
Our
Members Area
contains sample forms, spreadsheets, articles, sample procedures,
Newsletters, and much, much more.
It is updated monthly to provide you with a growing resource of
information and tools to build your business.
|
|
|