The best leads you're not getting

So you've just closed the sale - congrats! Nice job, pip pip, cheerio and all that. Now what?

If you're like a lot of sales people out there, you go "press hard, three copies, here's yours, I'm done".

That's exactly what you shouldn't do.

Think about this for a moment: You've just hit the culmination of a lot of work, and to be honest, both buyer and seller (especially in the case of first-time clients) are usually excited to buy whatever you've sold. So while they're excited, and you've convinced them to get on board with you, now comes part two - putting them to work for you.

Do this immediately, while the iron is hot. No one wants to buy a new car and then tell his friends "well, I didn't really like it but got it anyway". In fact, isn't it always "this is the best car ever!" Same thing with you and your business. Make sure you use the power of a new client as advocate, let them spread the good word and the enthusiasm of the new purchase for you. It works wonders to get people selling for you.

And now, the best leads you're not getting. You've just sold someone, and they are excited. You have an advocate. How many people do you think this person knows who are either in related businesses or are friends and colleagues who may have the same influence in their own jobs? Odds are pretty good. So go for the rolodex! Get them to provide you with leads. Ask them point-blank: "John, I know you're excited to be on board with us - do you know anyone else who might be interested in a similar opportunity/product/situation? And may I use your name as an introduction?"

Some people will give you leads but won't say to use their name. That's fine, you've just uncovered a warm lead, now go to work. Some people will have no problem saying "tell them Hal sent you!" And yet the rarer few may actually call for you (how cool is that?). But no matter the offer, you should take advantage of it. And don't be gun shy about asking. Right now, they bought from you - which means they like and trust you. People just don't fire their friends phone numbers out to anyone. But if they think the person can help, well... odds are they may offer up someone for you to call. Ask for the leads, because nothing beats a referral!

Sales Thoughts

People don't love to be sold. Do you? Don't we all cringe just a bit when salespeople are even just being friendly? We're conditioned to think something negative about sales people. Except for those of us in sales, probably. I rather look forward to chatting with floor sales people and figuring out if they know what they're selling. That's fun to me.

Warped, I know.

Think about this: People love to buy! It's a basic tenet of spending in life: we love to acquire and buy and spend our money on things we want. We just want to do it free of being bothered. If we have questions, we want answers, right? So... how well do you know your product? Hopefully well enough to have answers on hand and keep the customer interested, but not drive them away with banal figures (unless they ask). You have to find a way to get customers and potential customers in a buying mode. On top of your product, which may or may not sell itself, you can lean on two big things: testimonials, and benefits of product application in everyday life.

If you can get someone to vouch for your company and what it or your product has done for them, that's tremendous. Don't be afraid to ask for those testimonials from your favorite clients (and referrals, too)! Offer to do something in return for them if you use a product of theirs as well. In fact, offer around to do some testimonials and watch people jump on board to give you one back. One warning: mean what you say. There's nothing worse than endorsing a bad product just to get some positive spin in return. That backfires more often than not.

Also, make sure you can pinpoint the impact of your product or service in the customer's everyday life. How does this give me more time? Save money? Impact my family? If you can show a person that they will have more time, it's almost always a no brainer. We all wish we had more time. Money is another good failsafe. In addition, ferret out whether someone places a priority on personal comfort and ease of use. If it can do something easier than they currently do it, that's another winning strategy.

To qualify your lead, make sure you ask those questions that get them talking. Stay away from yes and no answers! Those will kill your pitch pretty fast. Example: "Do you like this widget?" Answer: "Yes" BOOOOOOO! That stunk. Try this: "What do you like about this widget? How do you see yourself using it?" If they can't imagine how they would use it, you can either offer a suggestion if you have solid knowledge of their business model, or ask them questions based on your product strengths. Just the customer telling you what they like about your product leads you down a golden road, because you know your product well enough to play up any potential bright spots... right?

Once you have them opening up, get them thinking placement of the product/service in their own little world. If you can see that new car in your driveway, you're going to want it there. If you know how nice that leather recliner would be in your living room, it's halfway home already. You get the idea... you've got the customer wanting to buy, but not being sold! Now it's their idea, and that's the most powerful thing you can get them thinking.

But of course, there's bound to be objections. We'll cover those soon, and ways to overcome them.