Sales Tips

T

Thillmaine

Location
Southern Dutchess NY
I am really trying to quit my employer and go out on my own. Its time to march to the beat of my own drum.I have the technical knowledge and abilities, I can do tree work with no problems and I have the means to get equipment etc. I can price appropriately. That being said, I have very little sales training. Without it, the rest is useless. I see myself as a decent person, Im not sleazy or slimy. I have sold quite a few jobs with the honest straight forward approach. I need to get my clients to see my companies value, and hence increase my profits. Im not going to work for a corporate company for experience doing sales, that's a mold I am not cut from. So I would ask for some direction with this. Sales Courses? A particular sales system, a hybrid approach. I've heard sandler system. Or just wing it? I don't like being behind the eightball on anything, and Im not a fly by the seats of your pants type person. Planning my sales approach being informed and/or educated is important to me. Thoughts?
 
I know of no sales courses. I walked into this 24 yrs ago and have done very well with listening and knowing my capabilities. That being said, jump in with a crew or two elsewhere and pick there brains. Knowing what your capabilities are and what your market provides are two key components.
Good luck!
 
Another way to look at it is to work within the scope of your core competencies. If your strengths are in the production end of the spectrum, then rock those skills, and hire a top-notch salesman to do what they do best.

Why take yourself away from doing the things you do best, just to thrash your way through functions you're not familiar with? If it's your company, you own it whether you're in the tree, making sales, or dragging brush.
 
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If it's your company, you own it whether you're in the tree, making sales, or dragging brush.

[/ QUOTE ]

This may sound good in principle, but when actually building a company, your vision must be in the communication and sales. It is far easier to translate your vision to a crew or crews over time than to try to get a salesperson to be a conduit for your vision to many clients each day. I think that once you have established a good market and clientele, you can dip your toes into this water, but handing off these things in the beginning sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

Also, giving your crews some autonomy is good. I try not to haunt my guys. I participate when needed, and I'm still good at it, but I try to establish defined roles and give the needed space for this to happen.

-Tom
 
And if there's something you don't know, be honest and tell the client you'll find out and get back to them. Once you do, you've added to your set of skills. The honest straight forward approach is the way to go.
 
Lots of good info from everyone so, far. Sales is about communitcation, searching for the customer's true needs versus what they assume they need, and then finding a way to meet those needs.

As mentioned, honesty and integrity are essential. They are not nice things to have on occasion, they are must haves from the get-go.

Remember, they came to you seeking a solution to a need. You know your stuff, you know what can be done to help them, so that should be the focus of your sales. And never forget, sometimes the best way to help them is to refer them to other resources. You may lose that one particular "job" but you will gain significant credence as a pro.

On a related note, before jumping off into your own business you will definitely want to understand the difference between being a great technician at tree work wanting to start a business, versus being an entrepreneur/business owner.

The difference is striking and the primary reason most startups don't last more than a few years. There's no big secret, just understanding the difference between the two and how to work with both of them. I highly suggest taking a quick read through the book The E-Myth Revisited. It will be a worthwhile eye opener.
 
Great topic and responses!
I agree with being hands on with sales and clients. Kind of critical at first to be present and establish yourself I think. Interacting with people in a positive way will encourage them to refer you to new clients.
 
I started my business six months after I climbed my first tree and sales was my strong side. I didn't always climb because I was still learning, but have been in business since 1996. Sales is selling ur self to ur customers and getting them to trust u. It's going to take you some time to figure out who u want to work for because there r so many different types of clients. U need to gain their trust with ur words. Gain their trust because they r trusting u with the biggest investment they have "their home or business". Don't sell ur self short. There will always be hacks and lowballers. If the customer is concerned about price then u probably don't want to work for them anyway. Look at their yard and mention bushes and flowers that's in the way. If u can avoid not damaging them mention that. If its a well landscaped yard go higher on the price because if they spent a lot of money on it u don't want to put any marks in it. Listen to ur customer and put ur self in their place.Think about what u would want to hear from a salesman. Mention any additional work u see that needs to be addressed so that way they know u have a trained eye for detail. Always keep in mind u can work a whole lot and make a little bit of money or u can work a little and make a whole lot. The last thing I can tell u is to pay attention to the people u work for. Look at the cars they drive, the house, part of town, how they dress,what kind of job they have and figure out which ones you've had the most success with,because that is going to be ur best customer base.
 
One thing alot of guys forget is to try and close them. After I find out their goals and educate them on proper tree care I give them a price and then say I can schedule next week for you, what day works best for you. They are either going to tell ya what day or give you an objection, like price or something else. I dont push them too hard. I tell them if they want me to do to call and I will schedule it in and that they will get some of the best tree care.
 
So, what you've been hearing so far is that there is a lot to it that goes beyond just selling. Taking a sales training course is a good idea but that presumes the elements that lead up to selling are in place. You want to go into business so start with a business course. Understand, you need to be a business man first and foremost. Rick's suggestion of the E-myth book is a great starting point to understanding that.

What exactly is your service? Why is it needed? What is the unfulfilled demand in the market that makes you believe there is room for your company? What will be your competitive advantage? What is the value for your clients? Who exactly are your clients vs. general clients for a tree business? Where in the market will you fit? Therein is the beginning of your business plan of which part will be the marketing plan.

As the owner of the business regardless of where you see yourself fitting in to the business, sales, production, operations, finance, etc..., you are still the one who needs to be able to articulate your vision, value and mission then train and manage your staff to embrace and follow it. This will also play into selling.

Selling is the process of connecting your services to the right clients. Done right, there is no sleaze or sliminess. The prospect becomes a satisfied client who feels they will receive value for their money. Doing this right, requires the salesperson to know their products and services, understands their target market and communicates effectively to the prospective client in a manner that is best suited to that individual.

On that subject, remember people process information differently. Your job is to figure out quickly how the individual you are addressing does this. Best tool for this are taking in the visual cues and effective listening. As mentioned above by bhlrp1962, the way they dress, the cars they drive, how they maintain things, their interests, their professions are all cues to what they value and how they will process information. Engineers think differently than do doctors and artists, and accountants or the small business owner. Listen to the language they use; do they differentiate or associate things? You'll need to tailor your approach to suit how they see things and gain understanding to best communicate your services.

One last thing, estimating is not selling. If all you do is drop an estimate without explanation beyond the basics specs then they are buying you are not selling.

Good luck!
 
I personally would avoid professional sales training. Go out and educate your consumer, be passionate about the profession and abide by what I call arboricultural ethics, ie do no bad to trees. My customers love our passion and our lack of traditional slickster sales approach.
 
Sorry to disagree Michael. Professional sales training and slickster sales approach are not synonymous. Like our own skill set there are those that learned from their mentors with no formal training and driven by their passion for doing good work perform well. Then there are those that gained professional training and do equally as well. Then there are those that are not motivated by passion but by the bottomline only and the desire to have it all sooner than later. They often reflect that "slickster" approach in everything they do.
 
Return the call quick, show up, look pro, make eye contact, smile like you got the world by the balls, smack your side as you reach for their hand and make it firm!be excited cause you are one of the few people who actually love what you do!

Helps to have a image branding simple logo. We have new shirts with "expert tree service" on the front under the logo. amazing how many people's eyes drop to the words then in a few minutes they are calling us experts. "that's why we called you guy's you're the experts."

gotta say... sales is not the crux of my deal, it's the business office time crap. I have a lawyer, accountant and insurance agent, yet... I need a personal assistant so bad but hard to work one in, it has to happen. I have no time to answer calls, running errands, out doing what I love keeping the crew rolling.

side note, With regards to equipment...hope you are mechanically inclined, you will save the day time after time and thousands of dollars.

when people ask how business is, i tell them "as long as trees keep growing!"
 
Under promise and over deliver. Think very carefully about what you are promising you'll do and when. Too often thinks happen that set us back and we end up not being able to deliver on the promise and it makes us look unprofessional.

Just be sure to do what you say your going to do!
 
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