My first “outside sales” job was for a company that sold bearings and power transmission products. I loved that job, because I’m mechanically inclined and I got to work with a lot of machinery on that job. Plus, to add to the fun factor, I got to get plant tours from many of my customers. To this day, there are few things I enjoy more than touring a manufacturing plant and seeing how things are made. (And to this day, when I walk around a place with a lot of machinery, I think, “I bet it’s fun to be the guy who sells the bearings here” – residuial occupational hazard.)
One of the first things I did was go and buy a large file crate for my trunk and hanging folders. I then filled the crate with every brochure and catalog I could access. I was going to be the most prepared bearing salesperson in my market. In fact, in terms of paper, I probably was. And you know what? When I left that job, three years later, most of that literature came back out of the file crate and ended up back on the shelf at the company – or if it was outdated, in the trash.
On my next job, however, I did the same thing. Same file crate, same folders, new labels. And when I left that job, I repeated the ‘return and throw out’ routine. In fact, in neither job did I ever use more than ten percent of the materials that I had in my trunk. So, why did I carry them? Because they gave me comfort, and helped me feel like I was prepared. The problem was that very little of that materia would actually sell or aid a sale. To this day, I see salespeople spending inordinate amounts of time on things like that – things that make us comfortable but don’t really aid a sale. Here are the four most common:
Brochures. To be honest, brochures probably rank 1, 2, 3, and 4 on this list. We all know the routine, don’t we? You make a first call, and then you leave behind the all-powerful, well designed brochure, because you just know that it’s going to push the customer over the edge to buy. When you return, the brochure is probably gone – to the same place that all my brochures and catalogs went. That’s because leaving it behind was for YOU, not for the customer. The right reason for a brochure: The right reason for a brochure is that it can offer backup and documentation to your presentation, DURING THE SALES CONVERSATION. Use it as a prop, not a leave-behind.
Fancy Proposals. I love some of the proposals that I see. It’s amazing how many pages, and how complex, a proposal can be for even the simplest offerings of product or service. I once got a piece of training business, and afterward the client showed me the proposal that they had received from my competitor. It was in a three-ring binder, full color, and had nearly 100 pages. My proposal that won the business was a two-page letter. Of course, the more complicated the offering, the more verbiage you’ll need – but at the end of the day, the proposal should cover the need, the solution, and the price and terms. Anything else is extraneous unless requested. The right reason for a big proposal: Your offering is complex, requiring a lot of verbiage to explain. Even so, it should be PRESENTED in person, not simply sent over.
“Send information.” I was working with a sales rep last year who proudly reported, after a prospecting session, that he had ten prospects that requested ‘more information.’ I asked him to do a little test. Send the information, then after a week, call the prospect again and ask a couple of specific questions about the information. He did. None of the prospects could answer – they ‘hadn’t gotten to it yet,’ or something of the sort. The reality is that his e-mail had gotten buried in their inboxes, unopened, and there it sat until they cleaned out their old emails. Sad but true. “Send info” is, almost always, a prospect’s way of brushing you off without entering a sales process. The right reason to send information: There is something timely and actionable – for instance, you’re having an open house or seminar and you’ve invited the prospect to come.
Letter Before Calling. Oftentimes, I am asked if it’s better to send a letter or email to prospects before making a call for an appointment. My response is always the same: “Sure, if it makes you feel better, go ahead and do it.” Reality is that few of these letters will be read. That’s okay, and it doesn’t hurt you in the call – UNLESS your opener is, “Did you get my letter?” The answer is always, “no.” You may guess that I’m not a big fan of direct mail to prospects. You’re right and wrong. You’re right in that I don’t see a pre-letter as a door opener for a phone call. HOWEVER, a well written direct response letter with a clear call to action will still bring a 1% to 2% response rate (or sometimes better nowadays, since there is a smaller amount of direct mail). The right reason to send a letter: You’re sending it as a direct response lead generation tool, not as a door opener. This letter should NOT say, “I will call you,” but instead should say, “Call me.”
Here’s your yardstick. The sale happens in the conversation that you have with your buyer. If an outside tool aids, abets, and moves the conversation forward, it’s a worthwhile tool. If not, not. My car would have been a lot lighter, and gotten better gas mileage, if I’d known that 20 years ago.
