There are buyers, you’re just not calling them
Yesterday, as an analogy, I was discussing something with my VP Sales about the idea that there are buyers in the market ready to buy but no one reaches out.
As an example, I mentioned that while I love my car and don’t need a new one if someone reached out to me with my same make and model and color but a 2020 model and they pre-worked a deal and an estimate for my trade, the truth is, I’d probably buy.
But instead, they wait for people to take action. They wait for customers to go online and fill out a form. They wait for customers to come to them.
If I was hired at the dealership tomorrow – here’s how I’d sell 20 cars in the first month:
1. I’d get a record of the service invoices for the last 6 months
2. I would then prepare an offer for the same car, 2020 model year, same color and interior with approximate payment worked out for lease and finance
3. I would get an estimated quote for their trade
4. I’d then call each customer one by one to introduce myself and present the offer
5. If they liked the idea, I would arrange to have someone come and see their trade to appraise it on the spot
6. I would gather their information for finance to confirm the numbers
7. And if all looked good and they liked the offer, I’d get all paperwork ready to be e-signed so they could buy remotely
I’d make buying as simple as possible.
The point being, there are buyers in the market that are stagnant. They will buy if presented the right offer and if you do the heavy lifting. But most sales folks don’t. Instead, they’re “waiters” – they wait for the customer to take action.
In this economy – you need to find ways to reach out. The buyers are out there. But you aren’t contacting them.
Do you know how many people have reached out to me from the dealership I go to? Zero. That blows my mind.
Right now, it’s time for one to one personal contact. Do the work. Do the heavy lifting. Innovate. Don’t rely on what used to work.
Find the buyers in the market and go to them.
Many in sales have gotten sloppy because they’re used to the inbound from online marketing, walk-ins, emails, postcards and so forth.
They’ve forgotten how to hunt. Not great in a market like this.
If you plan to survive (and I hope you do) – focus on proactive strategies.
— Robert
About Robert Cornish: Robert Cornish founded Richter in early 2008 to build an agency focused on communication strategies that support sales growth for business to business technology-related companies. Bootstrapped with zero capital in the middle of the financial meltdown, Richter went on to make the Inc 5000 list comprised of the fastest-growing companies in America five times. Richter made the Silicon Valley Fast 50 four times and the Entrepreneur360 award two times. Robert has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, Selling Power Magazine, Inc Magazine and IDEA magazine. He's been a guest speaker for ACG Los Angeles, IASA Summit, West Point and been interviewed for 33Voices, EnTRUEpreneurship Podcast and IDEA Magazine by Northwood University. In 2012 Wiley & Sons published his book, What Works, about the lessons he's learned while growing his agency from start-up navigating his way to a multi-million dollar agency. Robert currently owns four companies.
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