When Shit Gets Real!
Several years ago I ran appointment along with the sales manager of my home improvement company. Jon was always eager to learn new styles and techniques, so he asked me to take the lead on this particular sales call. As someone who loves to teach and train, I welcomed the opportunity.
We arrived at our prospective customer’s address and we could immediately see opportunity. The home was nearly 50 years old with the original windows and our goal was to persuade the owners to replace them with our company.
They were a very nice young couple. This was their starter home. They greeted us warmly at the front door with their newborn child swaddled in his mother’s arms. We immediately took a genuine interest in their child and identified closely with their overall situation as Jon and I were both recently married with young children of our own. So needless to say, the connection and rapport came almost effortlessly.
We measured and inspected their current windows, discussed their goals for the project and demonstrated our solution masterfully! The young couple was impressed. Never the less, we all knew that this project would be very costly and their budget was extremely tight.
You could feel the tension building in the room as I calculated the price of their window project. Jon did his best to try to keep the conversation going to fill the deafening silence as I methodically double-checked the cost to replace all of the windows in their home.
Once I was complete, I took a deep breath and began to clearly describe the scope of work that we intended to perform if they decided to move forward with our company. The nervousness continued to mount as the young couple huddled together in anticipation of the exorbitant cost.
Just then, when the tension couldn’t get any higher, the new born child, who had been a perfect angel all evening, passed gas in manner more suitable for a full grown adult! It was loud and seemed to last for nearly fifteen seconds!
The baby’s parents were blushing with embarrassment! So, I decided to be authentic and take a risk. I said the only thing I could think of to insert some humor in to the situation and get us re-focused on the task at hand. “I am concerned that if the baby is passing gas while I describe the value we are providing, when he sees the price, he is going to shit!!”
We all had a very hardy laugh; there may have been a few tears in the mix. When the laughter subsided, I revealed the price and assumed the order. To this day, I don’t think I have ever had someone write their deposit check with a bigger smile on their face! These are the joys of an in-home sales person.
Although this infants untimely flatulence was quite a bizarre occurrence. There are all kinds of unique and memorable situations that come up as we visit with consumers at there homes. This is where they live. This is when "shit gets real!"
As sales people, we need to remember that we have a unique opportunity; we can either take a transactional approach to these visits or we can relish in the chance to become a part of the family. My experience has always been that this is what makes the job so much more enjoyable. It has also translated to higher conversions as well.
So when shit gets real on your next sales call, take a risk, embrace the opportunity to be your authentic self. You never know what may come from it.
Happy selling!
Cheers,
Tony