Sell Work Right Now

Marty GrunderIt’s very hard to be successful in sales right away; it takes time. The best sales professionals are tops because of their ability to develop and maintain relationships. So, this month I want to share with you how to develop and capitalize on your relationships.
 
If I were you, I’d be spending as much time as I possibly could meeting with people who either can use your products and services or know people who can. I am amazed many contractors still sit back and wait for the phone to ring. You have to get out there and create some opportunities.

I always say, “It’s not what you know, or who you know, but who knows you when they need you.” Here are the five best ways to meet people who can help you grow your business:

1. Join any association that has members who fit the makeup of your typical client. Optimist clubs, rotary clubs, chambers of commerce, alumni associations and the like.
 
2. Read the business paper. Stay informed about new businesses moving to town and those doing well. Send them a copy of the article and invite them to breakfast. I’m not afraid to meet with anyone; you shouldn’t be either.
 
3. Join a networking group. One of my top salespeople at my landscape company has not only gotten some business from the group he joined, but it has also given him a lot of confidence and improved his communication skills.  

4. Be someone others want to get to know. You do this by being a friend. Be someone others can trust; do the right thing – always. It also doesn’t hurt to be good at what you do. Be committed to learning and it will help you excel in many ways.
 
5. Become focused on making friends. When you focus on a particular goal, its chances of being accomplished are greatly enhanced. Make it a goal to meet three new people each week. Three per week amounts to more than 150 people a year. If you sell a job to just 10 of those people, think about what that could do for your business. 

Now, assuming you have clients who are happy with your goods and services, here are seven ideas you can use to sell some work right now:
 

• Call clients and set up a time to go see them and walk their property. Not only is it a very successful way to point out enhancements you could do at their property, it’s a way to enhance the relationship you have with the client. 
• Provide unsolicited quotes to your clients. If one of your clients doesn’t have nightlighting, put together a proposal for that and go see them. If they have a hedge that is half dead, give them a quote for a new one. If their yard needs some maintenance, show them what you can do. 
• Offer incentives for your clients to hire you to do other things. Tell your clients if they let you install the front landscaping, you’ll keep it weed free for the rest of the year. Or if they let you mow the lawn for the rest of the year, you’ll give them a free aeration. Think about what you can do that won’t cost you much, but be perceived as valuable to the client.
• Incentivize your whole team to sell. Let them know they’ll receive a percentage of every referral they give you. This is something you ought to be doing all the time, not just when times are tough.  
• Send a handwritten thank-you note to every client you have. I don’t care how many you have, just do it. If it takes the next 30 weeks to get this done, do it. This might not seem like something that would sell work right away, but today, when handwritten notes seem to be a thing of the past, you might be surprised what this could do. 
• Ask other companies, like plumbers, remodelers, pool builders and even bankers to refer you to their clients. You can have them send your information or you can get their mailing list and send a special offer.
• Keep your name out there. Park your trucks on busy street corners every weekend. Do some advertising, such as some radio commercials and some direct mail pieces. Cold call on properties you’d like to work on. Think.

People do business with winners. So act like one. Stay away from negative business owners who only want to talk about how bad they’ve got it. Remember, people do business with companies they trust to do the job right and follow up.