Street Dreams
New member
Short backstory: Man came to my house, he worked for Cutco knives and was on a sales pitch. We needed some new kitchen knives and he did his pitch and showed us what we could order. The whole time hes giving his selling points, very detailed, lots of comparisons with competing companies and why their product is inferior etc. None of this really mattered to us, we already had some cutco stuff and liked the product, we even liked the salesman.
We ordered a few sets of cutlery and as the forms were being filled out he CONTINUED on with his sales pitch. Info ontop of info about the company and the quality of the knives etc.
It bothered me and I though to myself, "we already agreed to buy from you, we liked the merchandise, now please stop talking!"
The OVERSELL!
This is something that I think about all the time and I really believe its an overlooked part of business. Especially when it comes to selling your detailing work or services to a potential customer.
"If someone has already bought what you sold, stop selling!"
When I first started detailing I had a clear vision of how I wanted to run my business and how I wanted to market myself, my services and my image (yes image is important).
As much as you sometimes may want to give the hard sell, sometimes it just doesnt work. You need to know when someone is serious about having you work on their car or if they are just wasting your time. As impressive as it sounds to outline the correction process and how long each step takes etc. some people just are not into it, you need to respect that.
I used to sell every customer the same way and it really isnt the best way of doing things. Cater your selling to each individual person, the results are worth it!
As for dealing with SHRUDE BUSINESS PEOPLE the oversell in my opinion is the #1 thing to AVOID! Remember most people in a position of power (businessman, CEO, stock trader, attorney) are constantly being pitched and sold to. They know what they want and they are EXCELLENT at weeding out the BS. If you sense someone is like this, a mover and a shaker as my grandfather would call it, than adjust your sell accordingly.
A lot of people I deal with are very busy, always moving and fast talking. They get things done quickly and they dont ask questions unless its directly related to what they need.
Example: If this person was in a restaruant their order would go like this
"Steak, medium well, baked potato"
Opposed to....
"I think I'll have a steak, um maybe medium well and for a side hmmmm a baked potatoe sounds nice, what does that come with?"
Person "A" knows exactly what they want and good waiter will take down the order, reassure them its perfect and then move onto someone else, quickly. This displays confidence in their craft as a server. Person "B" is the opposite they arent 100% sure of anything and a good waiter should known to explain how the steak will be cooked and what sides it comes with etc. Again its part of mastering their craft.
It may sound ridiculous but there is a key difference between the two people. If you dealing with someone who is like the first example then be very direct with your pitch, tell them what YOU can do for THEM and that YOU will take care of EVERYTHING they need with regards to detailing THEIR car, end of story, you are the person for the job.
When I say "pitch" I dont mean it in the literal sense. If someone calls you and says they have a 2005 Lexus blah blah with so and so problems you need to answer their questions and hopefully by the end of the call have them book something with you. The pitch lies in how you relay info to them and if they feel you are exactly what they are looking for. Same goes for emails as many customers today dont even call. Email is even easier because you can think through each statement and cater it to the person depending on how they contacted you.
BECOME A FACILITATOR! People like when you handle things for them and cutout the foreplay so to speak. Some guys like to be finessed and want to hear about all the products and processes you use in a job but others could care less.
If someone has agreed to book a job with you than your job is done. Book it and let the work do the rest of the talking.
Hoping this will open up some discussion.. get some feedback on real world situations in dealing with people!
We ordered a few sets of cutlery and as the forms were being filled out he CONTINUED on with his sales pitch. Info ontop of info about the company and the quality of the knives etc.
It bothered me and I though to myself, "we already agreed to buy from you, we liked the merchandise, now please stop talking!"
The OVERSELL!
This is something that I think about all the time and I really believe its an overlooked part of business. Especially when it comes to selling your detailing work or services to a potential customer.
"If someone has already bought what you sold, stop selling!"
When I first started detailing I had a clear vision of how I wanted to run my business and how I wanted to market myself, my services and my image (yes image is important).
As much as you sometimes may want to give the hard sell, sometimes it just doesnt work. You need to know when someone is serious about having you work on their car or if they are just wasting your time. As impressive as it sounds to outline the correction process and how long each step takes etc. some people just are not into it, you need to respect that.
I used to sell every customer the same way and it really isnt the best way of doing things. Cater your selling to each individual person, the results are worth it!
As for dealing with SHRUDE BUSINESS PEOPLE the oversell in my opinion is the #1 thing to AVOID! Remember most people in a position of power (businessman, CEO, stock trader, attorney) are constantly being pitched and sold to. They know what they want and they are EXCELLENT at weeding out the BS. If you sense someone is like this, a mover and a shaker as my grandfather would call it, than adjust your sell accordingly.
A lot of people I deal with are very busy, always moving and fast talking. They get things done quickly and they dont ask questions unless its directly related to what they need.
Example: If this person was in a restaruant their order would go like this
"Steak, medium well, baked potato"
Opposed to....
"I think I'll have a steak, um maybe medium well and for a side hmmmm a baked potatoe sounds nice, what does that come with?"
Person "A" knows exactly what they want and good waiter will take down the order, reassure them its perfect and then move onto someone else, quickly. This displays confidence in their craft as a server. Person "B" is the opposite they arent 100% sure of anything and a good waiter should known to explain how the steak will be cooked and what sides it comes with etc. Again its part of mastering their craft.
It may sound ridiculous but there is a key difference between the two people. If you dealing with someone who is like the first example then be very direct with your pitch, tell them what YOU can do for THEM and that YOU will take care of EVERYTHING they need with regards to detailing THEIR car, end of story, you are the person for the job.
When I say "pitch" I dont mean it in the literal sense. If someone calls you and says they have a 2005 Lexus blah blah with so and so problems you need to answer their questions and hopefully by the end of the call have them book something with you. The pitch lies in how you relay info to them and if they feel you are exactly what they are looking for. Same goes for emails as many customers today dont even call. Email is even easier because you can think through each statement and cater it to the person depending on how they contacted you.
BECOME A FACILITATOR! People like when you handle things for them and cutout the foreplay so to speak. Some guys like to be finessed and want to hear about all the products and processes you use in a job but others could care less.
If someone has agreed to book a job with you than your job is done. Book it and let the work do the rest of the talking.
Hoping this will open up some discussion.. get some feedback on real world situations in dealing with people!
