What Excites Salespeople?

classictruckman

classictruckman

Participating member
Location
Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada
It was brought up in another thread some of the difficulties that a sales person faces in their job and it got me thinking, what drives a salesperson to do their job, I know as a climber I love pruning a tree just the way a customer wants, more importantly the way the tree wants, and taking down a huge tree right over tons of potential targets and not hitting any of them. It really keeps me going doing something different everyday because it’s never boring.

But what excites the salesperson type? I put an ad on the job finder section months ago and haven’t received a single reply, our company is probably one if the best for a salesperson because we get maybe 1-2 complaints a year from our customers and we have so much more equipment than manpower that we can do almost any job.

So to all you salespeople out there on the buzz, what do you like about your job, what do you hate, what would be the perfect job for you?
 
The best is after I give the price they immediatly ask when can we do it. Another reward is the educational part (or free consulting), as I try to honestly give them and their trees what is best and within their budget. What I hate is pure price shoppers. I'd like a helmet cam for some of the times when I quote and the person staggers backward, almost fainting.
 
price shoppers!!
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Ok that sound great, but I am also interested in what would make the salesperson's job a good job as far as the crews they are sending out and what the boss can offer.

Over the years we have been trying to make our salesperson's job alot easier by supplying a digital camera so they can send picturs with workorders, now we are trying to integrate computers into the sales while on the site rather than typing it up back at the shop, or when we are awarded the job.
 
Anything to communicate as much information as accurately as possible. The camera is good and maybe a form with fill in the blanks, so nothing is missed. I only came close to removing the wrong tree once. Limbed up a spruce about 15' as the neighbor walked up and asked isn't it the spruce in the backyard. The work order said front yard. Luckily both the homeowner and the tree company owner and bidder both showed up at that moment.
 
Aside from money, good sales people love to talk, show off and and do deals.
Every good sales and marketing type I've ever known loved to do deals. They like negotiating and brokering things... they are more or less 'make it happen' types. Sales is like fishing, it only takes one bite to keep you casting for hours.

I like the talking and showing off parts but I don't get into the dealing bit too much.
 
It sounds to me like you're asking how to create the right environment to attract top talent.

My opinion is that great prospects, and a proven track record of consistent appointments is very important. Support from admins who can handle some of the office work is great too.

How about new tools? Just as the crew loves new toys, great sales materials and ongoing training is awesome for sales guys. Sales is both art and science, and learning new strategies and tactics is really important.

Of course, having top tier guys doing the work is uber-critical, cause nothing sucks more than promising the best to a client and being made a liar by crap service.

Hope this helps, any thoughts? If you're interested, I would be happy to share some of my sales system via PM.
 
Have you read any books about rainmakers and sales?

It may work out well for you to review what makes an effective rainmaker at the same time you look for ways that make the job interesting.


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It sounds to me like you're asking how to create the right environment to attract top talent.

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Yeas thats right, I think we have a pretty good work environment for a salesperson, but when I put an ad on the jobfinder not only were there no applicants, nobody even replied. And we want to have a replacement for our current salesperson before she retires, so she can help train the new one and for some extra sales while we have two of course.
 
I saw your ad, and am looking for sales work.
I just don't want to move. My wife is from
Canada (take off). Our house is nearly paid off
and I love this area. The thing I like best about
selling tree work is actually being able to help
the client, and knowing that we did a great job.
Good luck in your search.
 
I love selling work to receptive customers with really nice trees that money is no object for. I can't wait to meet those people, still dreaming.

I am the sales rep, climber, phc tech, business man, etc, and I think down to earth climbers are at a disadvantage when making sales because we are to honest and talk people out of work sometimes. One salesman gave me the advise "sell the sizzle, not the steak". I still suck at it.

Like boreality said, bargain shoppers I really don't even like wasting my time with because they don't care about what I say the right way to do it is. Then I drive by later and they have some nice hat racks. I really think demograghics is a major factor as to what types of tree work is common, I'm lucky to prune a tree thats never been topped around these parts. I keep imagining some of you deadwooding beautiful oaks for mucho dinero every day for customers that love trees. If this sounds like common place for you, I wanna interview for a job.
 
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...I'd like a helmet cam for some of the times when I quote and the person staggers backward, almost fainting...

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Just the other day I gave a bid to a Swedish couple. I couldn't help but notice the expensive vehicles and home, so I threw down a "not so desperate to work in the winter" bid.

When I said the bid price he gasped, with an Oscar winning performance, "Wow! That's a lot." Without blinking, I said, "There's a lot of work."

I felt good about the bid and felt that he was playing me.

I made it a quarter mile away from their home and they called to schedule the work.
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So, being the owner doing his own sales, I'd have to say the mental game is fun!
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price shoppers!!
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I just thought of something... The next time someone tells me they have recieved 7 bids and they are "price shopping," I'm going to tell them, "how about quality work shopping?"

Or, would I come across as a smart a$$?
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Some people are sneaky,they do there best to hide the fact that there calling every tree service on the planet.When i ask someone how many prices they plan on getting,i want to hear no more than 3.
 
a few months ago I priced a job for a guy that called 12, yes, honestly, called 12 tree companies.

he didn't tell me that till i was on site, or honestly, i think i would not have come.

If i think someone is trying to get me to bid low by telling me there is competition, i react the opposite way. It makes me stick harder to what it should be priced at, or perhaps I might even go more expensive.

I priced it as it should be and explained very well in detail how we would remove the tree and deadwood the others.

He ended up getting 10 written estimates.

I couldn't believe it. He choose us to do the job. I thought the whole time he was price shopping and he wasn't. He gave me the other 10 written estimates too! Nice for research.
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As a sales person, what gets me excited is giving a price and the person accepting the quote even though they say we were $250 to $550 more than one or two other companies.

$550 seems to be the maximum limit though. I don't think I've broken that figure.

This was what I thought of when i read your original question Classic.

But now I know what you are asking. So.... I would say, a nice new sales truck, with onboard computer and printer in the truck would be attactive to an employee. Wireless internet so they can look up extra info for the estimate if they have too. For the truck; say a 2007-2011 Diesel Ford f250 with 35" tires, nice chrome wheels, 4" lift and dual mitre cut exhaust stacks up through the bed. And he can take it home and use for personal use.

Plus the higher the commission rate paid the better too. :)
 
Well X we are on our way to an onboard computer with wireless internet, although our sales truck will more than likely be a fuel efficient car like a diesel Jetta or Toyota Matrix at the price of trucks and fuel these days.


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price shoppers!!
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There is one trick that an owner of another tree service told me about which works on a certain race(I'm not going to be specfic here because I don't want to be kicked off here), the way it works is when he shows up at a property owned by one of these people he automatically doubles the price because he knows he's going to be talked down to what the work is worth.
 
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I saw your ad, and am looking for sales work.
I just don't want to move. My wife is from
Canada (take off). Our house is nearly paid off
and I love this area. The thing I like best about
selling tree work is actually being able to help
the client, and knowing that we did a great job.
Good luck in your search.

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand that there aren't many treebuzzers from my area and people aren't as inclined to move for work as they were in the past.
 
How do you feel about price negotiations? I just give a price that is based on completion time alone. When they come back with $50 less or worse I plainly tell them I don't negotiate. Any time I have I've wished I hadn't. I'm not selling used cars I'm bringing my skills, equipment, and risking injury. I've already given them the lowest price I would want to do the work for. I think it gives an unprofessional image to play let's make a deal. Maybe I'm a crappy salesman.
 
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