Good advice, Steve. It really irritates me when a sales person uses euphemisms like "investment" for depreciating goods they're trying to sell me like a car or at TV, etc. It's better to just call a spade a spade. Just focus on what your customer has told you is important to them. They'll let you know what language they want to hear your offer in.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Jlomon wrote about never having to close. I think that may have something to do with the recruiting industry. You don't have to close because you are largely simply bringing the candidate and the employer together. I've used head-hunters in the past and, at least in my industry, after the initial introduction they pretty much did nothing other than send me a bill for 30% of the first year's salary.

In my sales experience as a sales manager, one of the things that new salespeople are afraid to do is ask for the order. You need to close and ask for the order. If you were to ask purchasing agents about salespeople's mistakes, failure to ask for the order would be common. The other would be failure to listen. The art of the open ended question so very important.

Steve

Diesel4me wrote about giving customers perks like tickets and donuts.

Ah, the good old days. That sort of thing is now often forbidden by corporate policy.
Some even outlaw accepting a lunch paid for by the vendor. It does go on in secret and
obviously is still the rule in some industries.

I remember asking the President of the multi-plant company I worked for as the new plant GM, what this expense item for $8,000 was. He replied,"It was to send Rudy and his family on vacation." Rudy was the buyer for a major customer. Rudy was on the take.
Later Rudy was fired for being on the take from several vendors. We were blamed and lost the account forever.

Nice while it's working, bad when you get caught.

Steve

Perks ARE the rule in our industry it seems.

I have only one customer that has a policy against taking perks from vendors but the main contact i have known there for more than 15 years goes to lunch with me from time to time on the company credit card and i also give her tickets and stuff. We get around her company policy by just saying that she and I have been personal friends for a long time.

I'm taking a customer to lunch today and if it were not for the perks she gets, she might just use someone else for her trucking. She has come to expect the perks because I brought her from my old job and we always sent food and stuff to her office at least weekly.

The one MAIN thing that keeps customers here is the attention to details. I have worked for most of the major hot shot companies in this market and I can honestly say that no one that I know of treats the customer better and with more care and concern than we do. We have more people here (lots of companies skimp on employees to save $$) to handle any situation and when it gets super busy on the phones and on the road.

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TXBill



Former owner of a few diesel MB cars
1998 Lexus ES 300 In Chicago We Trust

Then what they have failed to do is build value into their service by explaining what they have done to present the candidate to you. You have no idea the amout of work that goes into bringing the right candidate to the right employer for the right reasons. Any time it has gone that smoothly for you it is because the recruiter did their job correctly.

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

I am, every morning I wake up i sell myself to the Universe. Oh wait that didn't sound right....How about- Sell yourself to the challenges of the day....yeah that's it...

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Yeah, that's better. I THOUGHT you were a photographer . . .

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

"Then what they have failed to do is build value into their service by explaining what they have done to present the candidate to you. You have no idea the amout of work that goes into bringing the right candidate to the right employer for the right reasons. Any time it has gone that smoothly for you it is because the recruiter did their job correctly."

No, I do have an idea. I am certain there is a lot of expense finding candidates, researching there work histories, and finding them employment homes. I do not believe there is a close required because the close is in the decision by the employer to offer a job and the conversation, at least in my corporate hiring experience, is between the candidate and me as the person doing the hiring.

My comment about fee structure is simply that many headhunters I have dealt with frankly were nothing more than people feeding me names. What they did was work the phones attempting to find people who would jump ship for greener pastures. They were obviously also trying to entice my employees. We also always negotiated a lower fee structure upfront.

Anyway, my point is that in sales you have to close and ask for the order.

Steve

Yes, and you have to know when to stop talking and pocket the check, P.O., etc. I've seen more than a few salesmen talk someone into a sale, only to keep talking themselves right back out of it.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Deego - Exactly right!

Steve

I used to think there was some kind of "magic" to being successful at sales. Now, I know it's essentlially a lot of hard work, persistence, and some common sense. . . Oh, now that I said that, I'm thinking maybe it IS magic.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

I agree, I was poking fun at Tom Hopkins. Everyone in sales seems to have read his stuff at some point.

No its not practical, most of the stuff he wrote he never actualy used. The way he makes it out I'm supposed to walk around a house with some clients and fill out a purchase contract as we walk through. Totaly impractical, would never consider doing it.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I don't use the term investment losely, but if I think you will make money off a property I call it what it is, an investment. Those of us in real estate do sell investments.


You do need to know how to close people a bit, sometimes they just need to be pushed into the right direction. But most of the time you show them a house they like and if its a couple of family they start to close eachother. You just follow them around making small chat until they want to talk about buying it.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200