Free Stuff

Subscribe to the free Contractor of Choice e-zine and see your business explode!

Subscribe to Paul Montelongo's free Red Hot Marketing Tips

Avoid the Pitfalls of the Contracting Business
FREE Special Report

E-Zine Archives

Trade Journal Articles

Helpful Links

Meeting Planners
Make Your Convention or Meeting a Huge Success with Paul's Dynamic Programs. Click here for information on Paul's Inspirational and Money Making Programs.

Paul's Speaking Tour

Request Paul's Speaking Demo Video

Expanding the Environment of Trust

Dear Colleague,

Sixteenth century scientist, Galileo said, “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it for himself.”

I have a personal challenge for you at the end of this letter. It will help you ‘Punch up Your Sales’.

All too often, sales people have the mindset that they must ‘get’ the sale. The sale is something to be tracked down, hunted and acquired. It almost seems like an African safari. The bait is set. The prey is teased. The hunt is worked. At the right moment, the trap is set and the prey is killed.

While today’s customer is so intelligent and savvy about your products and services, some fundamentals remain in place about why your customer will buy from you. The stone cold facts are that it is a people business and people will buy based on likeability and trust. In other words, if your customer likes you and trusts you, they are much more open to buying from you.

Here are five critical areas in which your customer processes information in order to make a decision to buy from you.

1. Respect and esteem. Your customer needs to fully and completely believe that you recognize their personal worth and individual merit. Your ability to convey your admiration and approbation to your customer is essential to your sales success.

How is this accomplished? One way is to know and understand your customer’s dominant personality traits. Observe their behavior. Notice if they are quite, analytical, inquisitive, animated or outgoing. Notice their gestures, language patterns and the overall concerns that they have. You have to own a detective mentality in order to expand the environment of trust.

2. Understand the amount of information your customer needs. Every customer has certain requirements about the amount of information they need to make a decision.

The easiest way to do this is to find out about other buying decisions your customer has made in the past. And if you can get them to talk about a buying experience they had with a product or service similar to yours, then you will really have something to work with.

Observe these areas:

•  Did they need lots of technical information to make a decision?
•  Did they need visual aids or auditory aids to help them make the decision?
•  Did they feel like their service was first class? If so, why? If not, why not?
•  Did their purchase make them feel important or significant?
•  Did the purchase make them feel as though there was a low level of risk?
•  Did the product meet a need they might have had for variety and excitement?
•  How much clarification did they need to buy the product or service? 

3. How many alternatives does your customer need to make a decision? Some people need very few alternatives while others need many. Again, examine their buying history. 

How do you know how much information to give your prospective customer? I am glad you asked. Actually, the simplest way to find out is just to ask. You can say to your customer, “Mr. Smith, I normally provide four options in our proposal. Here is an example of one option. Will that be enough or will you need four or more?” By all means avoid information overload. If your prospect requires lots of information, disseminate it to them slowly and deliberately. Allow them to get used to your product in a disciplined way. 

4. Know the amount of time that is required for your prospect to make a decision. 

Some people make decisions very fast while others take longer. It also has a lot to do with your product and the urgency of the situation. For many years, one of my companies performed restoration services for families whose homes had been damaged or destroyed by fire. While the trauma of the event is something I would never wish on anyone, one of the silver linings in this kind of work is that the prospect has an urgency to make a decision very quickly. Even an extensive restoration project decision was usually made within a few days. 

It goes back, though, to the knowledge you have of your prospect’s previous purchases. Their buying habits have a consistency to them. Learn those and work within their personal guidelines, you will expand the trust and confidence and earn a sale. 

5. Know what motivates them.

Behind every purchase that has ever been made in the history of the world, there has been a reason or motivation that supported that transaction. You need to figure out why your prospective customer is interested in your deal in the first place. Somewhere along the way, your prospect has reached a decision that they need to buy, or at least they need to investigate what you have. 

I am not asking you to be a mind reader. However, once again, there are signals, there are habits and processes that your prospective customer has that will allow you to know what the motivation behind their interests are. Click to read about the five most common motivations.

There is a psychology to buying and when you understand the fundamentals, it will allow you to be a better sales professional. You have to be aware of your customer’s buying patterns and their motivating factors. The only way to get to this point is to engage them in meaningful, respectful conversation. When you do that you will expand the environment of trust and you will “Punch up Your Sales”. 

Now, here is your ‘Personal Challenge’. 

Today, pay attention to your own buying patterns. You will purchase something today. It may just be lunch. Notice the different habits and patterns that you personally have in your own buying decision. For example, will you eat lunch at the same place you always eat? Why? Is it because you are comfortable with the food? Is the risk of getting lousy food very low or none? Or will you eat lunch at a new restaurant? Why did you make this choice? Will someone eat lunch with you? If so, why? 

Whatever purchase you make today, I want you to take note of your own habits. It will give you a very good gauge of the way your customers buy. 

If you want a more comprehensive explanation of how to expand the environment of trust and respect, invetigate my audio program, “Punch Up Your Sales”. There are over four hours of specific strategies to help you make more sales. 

Till next time, happy selling. 

May 11, 2004

Click here for more info on Punch Up Your Sales

See Paul Speak Live!

Click here for more detail on Profit Power

"101 Power Strategies"
101 "low-cost" and "no-cost" proven strategies in this 144-page guide. Explode your construction business to the next level and MAKE MORE MONEY!

Paul Montelongo

"America's Construction Industry Motivator"