Teaching sales reps how do an effective initial approach is one thing but showing them is another. In this blog, I’m going to show you my initial approach from an actual encounter with a potential customer and break down the reasons why I say what I say and do what I do.
The first thing to point out is my demeanor before the potential customer opens his door. I’m laughing and talking with my videographer, so when the door opens, there’s not an ounce of tension. Oftentimes I notice sales reps who are too serious and anxious before the door opens. Having a relaxed demeanor and smiling goes a long way in making you and the potential customer feel more relaxed. Although you won’t always have somebody knocking doors with you, you can still portray a sense of enjoyment and confidence when the door is answered.
Second, this customer showed he was interested in talking by coming out on his front porch and closing the door behind him. I interpreted this as somebody who was willing to engage in conversation. Because of this, I extended the ice breaking opportunity a little longer than I normally would.
After breaking the ice, I introduce myself and go right into a name-drop. These are important aspects of effective initial approaches because you legitimize why you are in the person’s neighborhood.
Next, I give an explanation of what’s going on in his neighborhood and then get in front of a common concern. The common concern in this instance is the neighbors hadn’t been seeing much pest activity. Therefore, I address this concern by explaining why getting a pest service is necessary prior to having any issues.
Another thing to observe is my body language. Remember, as noted in my book, Door-to-Door Millionaire: Secrets of Making the Sale, being a door-to-door sales reps is like being an actor on a stage and you have to put on somewhat of a show. I’m using my hands to point out areas where pests can nest, vulnerabilities of the home, etc.
Next comes the, ‘what am I offering’ portion of the initial approach, which mixes in the Black Friday elements of limited products for a limited time at a discount.
Finally, I use the conversational close, “how long have you guys lived here?” and follow up with additional questions to show genuine interest in the potential customer. By doing so, you’ll notice that he opens up to me and shares personal information that I wouldn’t get from somebody unless they felt comfortable talking to me.
When he opened up about his kids, this gave me the perfect opportunity to start customizing a value build that addressed his personal circumstances.
Effective initial approaches are unscripted and personalized, but still include an introduction, an explanation of why you are there and what you are offering, addressing common concerns and using a conversational close to get the potential customer involved in the conversation.
As you incorporate these initial approach techniques you’ll be able to make the necessary improvements to strengthen your own initial approaches and make more sales! Best of luck on the doors!
If this blog helped you, I would greatly appreciate your comments below.
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Email: lennyg@d2dmillionaire.com