Bill Guertin | 800 Pound Gorilla Blog on SalesGravy.com

The promise of a “great deal” or a “one-time-only opportunity” is an age-old advertising message that gets everyone’s attention, even in the world of sports tickets.  But is “the deal” what people really want, or is it something else?

We’ve all bought a cheap pair of shoes, a shirt, or a bargain electronics item, and soon after we bought it we were sorry we did.  You know what I’m talking about.  Just look in your closet for that shirt you bought for peanuts that you’ve never worn.  Ever.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new car, and you don’t have a lot of money.  Your intention might be to be frugal – to get the most car you can for the least amount of money.  That’s your intention.

The reality is that for most of us, the bells and whistles on a car look and feel great.  It’s hard to resist those little extras you weren’t prepared to pay for, but now seem like a shame to turn down.  Those leather seats sure feel nice.  The satellite radio is sweet, and it’s only, like, $199 more, and the service is free for a year.  The towing package would could in handy for those used jetskis you’ve been looking at.

Your intention was to be frugal, but the reality is that we all want the best that we can reasonably afford.

That’s the magic concept.  We all want the best that we can reasonably afford.

So the question is: What becomes “reasonable,” and when?

That’s where we come in.  Our job as a professional sales rep is to help build the “reasonable” value case on behalf of the buyer.

What would make ownership of your product or service more valuable?  What is the combination of benefits that make your more expensive options more “reasonable” to your prospect than your loss-leader package?

As a sales rep, we really have two jobs.  One is to sell the prospect on the IDEA of our product.  (If they’re calling you, this step may already be accomplished.)  Once the idea is fully connected in the brain of the prospect, the second job is to build the VALUE of the purchase that the prospect can reasonably afford, relative to his or her tastes, wants, and budget.

Not everyone will find your super-special lowball-priced item to be what they really want.  Don’t just sell them what they’ve asked for; have the guts to ask the right questions to determine if the prospect is a legitimate candidate for the super-special deal.  You may find that the benefits of your higher-priced inventory are indeed more “reasonable” for them.

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-  Want to know the four qualifying questions I train to find out whether or not the lowball package is right for your prospects?  Just E-mail me at bill@The800PoundGorilla.com with the words “FOUR QUESTIONS” in the subject line, and I’ll send ‘em right to you… and to learn more about my 3-day “Sales Dominance” program for sports ticket sales executives, click here.

Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company whose list of blue-chip clients includes the ticket sales departments of dozens of teams from the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer.  He is the author of the Gold Medal-award-winning book Reality Sells, and The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How to Dominate Your Market.  Subscribe to his Sports Ticket Sales Newsletter at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.

You have a prospect who’s genuinely interested.  They’re asking all the right questions, and you’re responding perfectly.  All seems to be going well, and it looks like you’re about to close the deal.

All of a sudden, your prospect says, “I’ve got some other pressing things that are going on right now, so I have to go… but I have all your information, and I’ll call you back later.”

ARGGH!  What happened?

Most, if not all, conversations that end abruptly like this are out of our control.  We can do our very best job and not be able to make the deal happen.  But what more can we do to assure a positive outcome (a sale) without sounding pushy, overbearing, or insensitive to their other obligations?

Here are a few responses that I teach in my “Sales Dominance” Program for Sports Ticket Sales (which you can easily adapt to your own product or service!) to overcome this situation and move it to a positive end at that moment:

-          “Well, as hard as it is to reach people by phone today, if we can just get it done right now, it would only take a few moments, and we won’t have to go back and forth with phone tag.  We’ll probably SAVE ourselves some time in the end!”

-          “I’ve got a lot going on too, but if we can just get it done right now, it won’t take but a few moments, and I’m LIGHTNING FAST on the computer!  Would that be OK with you?”

-          “We can do that, but I can’t guarantee that these same seats will be here when we get a chance to talk again.  There’s 10 other people on the phones selling the very same area we’re talking about right now.  All I need is a deposit so I can put your name on them, and we can work out the rest later.  How does that sound?”

-          “OK… but if where you sit is important to you, I should make sure you know that I can’t hold the seats we’ve been talking about unless I have a deposit… and the longer we wait, the less attractive the seats become.  Can I get your credit card information for the deposit, so we can hold these seats now, and take care of the rest of the details later?”

-          “Well, this IS where you want to sit, right?  The thing is, I can’t hold any seats unless there’s at least a small deposit on them, and we’re selling seats here every day.  Do you have just another moment or two to wrap this up so that you’re sure to have these seats we’re looking at right now?”

[These are the TAME responses… for three more bold, out-there, how-could-you-ask-that sorts of answers to the “Call Me Back Later” stall, just E-mail me with the word “BOLD” in the subject line, and I’ll send those to you right away.]

For the person that simply HAS to end the call now, here are some tips to make sure the end result is as positive as possible:

-          Make sure that you set a date and time for you to return your call. Simply saying “I’ll call you back later” or “Let’s talk next week” isn’t specific enough, and may lead to weeks of phone tag.

-          Ask for their E-mail address, so you can send them a reminder for your follow-up call.  Those who are busy will truly appreciate that you’re sending them an E-mail reminder, and by seeing that E-mail, you’ll have far more people who will remember that they’ve agreed to talk to you on that date and time.

-          Do what you promised you’d do. You’d be amazed at how many people SAY things they’ll do, and never follow up!  Be sure to actually CALL on the date and time you arrange.  By being punctual and keeping your word, you’re earning their trust and showing how much you respect them, their time, and their potential business.

Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company whose list of blue-chip clients includes the ticket sales departments of dozens of teams from the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer.  He is the author of the Gold Medal-award-winning book Reality Sells, and The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How to Dominate Your Market.  Subscribe to his Sports Ticket Sales Newsletter at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.

Have you noticed, daddio? Retro is back, and it’s gaining momentum.

The American marketplace has always had a soft spot for nostalgia, but this is different. The neo-Retro movement is a hip, sophisticated, sometimes tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the pop culture and design of the past several decades.

Part of the reason for this trend is that those in their 20’s and 30’s are rebelling against the slick, polished marketing in today’s society, a response to the throwaway culture we’ve become. For the baby boom generation, it’s a way to relive some of their fondest memories.

For others, it’s just plain cool.

Millions of people are hooked on digital flea markets like eBay and Craiglist.org that allow people to find retro merchandise from all over the world. The most popular show on public television, “The Antiques Roadshow,” is a live on-camera treasure hunt for the most valuable items from days gone by.

Exclusive resale clothing and housewares stores have become the smart way to buy upscale for a downscale price. Unique, retro-styled bars, restaurants and stores are redefining “enjoyable atmosphere” in direct contrast to the cookie-cutter predictability and sameness of major franchises.

The Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300C and Chevrolet HHR are among the hottest-selling vehicles, newly redesigned cars with nostalgic lines. In clothing, Hush-Puppies, Lacoste, Converse and Puma are all retro labels that are back on store shelves and in demand.

Need more evidence? Drive-in movies, photo booths, roller derby, Nick At Nite, ESPN Classic, and the fashionable Martini with the long-stemmed glass are all in vogue.

As a business owner, how can you make this trend work for you? Take a piece of paper or a notebook and begin to brainstorm using these idea-starters:

• What was it like to do business with companies in your industry 20, 40, 50, or even 75 years ago? What did people experience, and how is it different today? For example, frozen foods were not nearly as prevalent in supermarket aisles as they are today, because time-starved families of today are in need of quick-to-prepare dinners. In contrast, the convenience of milk delivery to homes, which was very common 50 years ago, has all but disappeared. How
different is your business today than what people experienced a generation ago, and what would be worth revisiting today?

• What did advertisements from the past emphasize about the experience? What did marketers feel was important to the consumers of the day? When guitar amplifier manufacturers replaced vacuum tube amps with solid-state circuitry, they improved durability and made them cheaper to manufacture. Many guitarists, however, missed the rich, full-bodied sound of their old equipment. What about your products? As newer products and services were introduced, did people miss out on some of the benefits of the previous offerings?

• Years ago, what was the merchandise mix or the range of services provided to consumers in your business or industry? Was the list larger or smaller than it is today? For example, banks offered little more than savings accounts, checking accounts and loans; today most banks offer a dozen or more distinct financial services. The opposite can be said about gas stations; an attendant used to pump your gas, wipe down your windshield, and check your oil. Today’s gas stations are mainly do-it-yourself operations. Could there be advantages to specializing or widening your range of offerings to the way it was “in the good old days”?

• What could you do or add in a nostalgic way that would be fun, memorable and/or valuable to your current clients? Décor, music, aromas, and good old-fashioned service are just a few places to start.

• What could you do or add in a nostalgic way that would be attractive to an entirely new group of customers? If you don’t cater much to seniors, for example, what could you do to make the older generation feel more like invited guests?

• How could you partner with a non-competing business to add “nostalgic value” to what you do? Many years ago, theatergoers would stop at Johnson’s Homemade Candies on Schuyler Avenue next door to the Paramount Theatre for a box of fresh caramel corn before seeing a show. A place like Sweet Street might look into capitalizing on a combination like that with one of the local movie theatres or video stores.

By tying in your roots (or the roots of your industry) with today’s consumers, you’re engaging them in a unique way, and making their experience with you potentially more memorable and enjoyable.

One word of caution, however: be sure the customer understands the value of the old-time touch you’re adding, and can attribute it uniquely to you. If there’s no perceived value to the customer, and the benefit isn’t attributable to you, it may not be worth doing at all.

And that would be, like, so un-righteous, man.

My wife and I were on a weekend trip to Clearwater Beach, Florida, where we met a vendor of handmade jewelry at a craft fair on the pier. Sherri had never worn an ankle bracelet, and she fell in love with one of the vendor’s unique silver-beaded creations.

"How much?" I asked, fearing the worst.

He shot out a price that I didn’t think was too bad.

"You’ll see dozens of jewelry vendors here on the pier, but there’s no one who will sell you this kind of quality for that kind of price," he said. "I guarantee everything I sell for life. If you don’t like it after you’ve worn it for a year, send it back and I’ll give you every penny you paid. If you love it and it ever breaks, I’ll send you a brand new one for free.”

This was too good to be true, I thought to myself. "How will we find you?" I asked.
He pulled out his card, which I will never forget to this day.

The business card of Robert Jay Polukoff (pronounced Paula-Cough) was packed with information in small black letters on a plain white card. It was fabulously written. In big bold letters across the middle, it read:

100% SATISFACTION MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

In smaller letters, he then had his name (with the correct pronunciation) and his title – Lapidary Genius Extraordinaire and Master Craftsman.

In the top left corner: If You Like It Now, You Will Love Them Ten Minutes From Now – They Always Look New. (By the way, he was right.)

In the top right: Real Jewelry That’s Real Treasure For Less Money Than Real Trash. (He was right on that too. I walked past at least a dozen vendors and didn’t see half the quality he had, and all of them were substantially more expensive.)

The bottom right had his contact information, along with the phrase: Planned My Work, Working My Plan.

(Don’t you want to do business with someone who has a Plan? I do.)

And the bottom left was my favorite part: Coolest Human To Do Business With. High Quality Treasure At Low Price. Fixit Free For A Lifetime. Built To Last A Lifetime The First Time. I have yet to take him up on his offer, because three years later, it’s still Sherri’s favorite piece of jewelry.

I will buy from him again soon, because her birthday is on the way, and I know he will lead me in the right direction.

I’ve seen and heard all those lines before, but I have never seen anyone back them up like Robert Jay Polukoff.

How cool are YOU to do business with? What lessons can be learned?

You don’t necessarily need a card with a half-dozen phrases on it. But I’ll bet there’s something you could be doing– or doing more often– that might earn you the title of “unforgettable” in the minds of your customers:

• Guarantee your work. By offering a good guarantee, you remove part of the fear of making a bad decision, and you will sell more. Most people will NEVER take you up on it. The few that do will be grateful, and will also tell others about you.
• Know why your stuff is better – and be able to articulate it. Shop your competition and learn what makes them successful. Use that knowledge with your customers, and speak confidently to the good and bad of the different options available to them. People want to do business with people that are knowledgeable and confident in what they do.
• Be bold. People are drawn to experts. What are you better then 90% of the people on the planet at doing? Don’t be afraid to let others know about it in a big way, and be prepared to back up your bold statements with facts, testimonials, or anything else that will prove you right.
• Be convenient. How easy are you to do business with? Are there hours, locations, delivery, a cell phone number, or other options that would make you stand out? If no one currently makes convenience a selling feature in your industry, you have a golden opportunity.
• Put some personality into your selling effort. Not everyone can be the “Coolest Human To Do Business With.” But there’s probably something about your unique personality that you could inject into the selling process that would be memorable to others. I’ve seen people use bold neckties, a certain color or type of signature clothing, or have even added to or changed their name in order to be more memorable.
• Have a cool business card. My card is among the coolest I’ve ever seen, and I’m not afraid to boast about it. My card alone has generated thousands of dollars in business for me from people I had never met before. (If you want me to send you one, just e-mail me at bill@The800PoundGorilla.com.) Good business cards are cheap, and once you have one, you’ll never go back to ordinary.

Robert Jay Polakoff made my trip to Florida memorable. What positive impression can YOU make on others today?

Those who are successful at thinking bigger are often so good at it that they don’t even consider the consequences of failure. They see the finished picture so clearly—it’s actually more of a surprise to them if it doesn’t happen the way they envision it.

Louis Lautman is the executive producer of The YES Movie, a feature-length inspirational film released in 2009 documenting the how-tos of success from more than two dozen young American millionaires (www. TheYesMovie.com). That may not seem unusual on the surface; but up until he completed this project, Lautman had never been involved in the film industry before.

“People told me I was crazy,” Lautman laughs today. “But most of them didn’t see what I saw clearly, which was the potential of this project, the movement it could start, and the millions of lives it could impact.”

He created the plan, found the resources he needed, and made it happen. “Your belief system dictates what you’re capable of doing,” Lautman says emphatically. The film was shown—among other places—at the legendary Cannes Film Festival in France in 2009. “It’s the biggest and best film expo in the world. I believed in this project, and I knew it was that good; so I just said, ‘Why not?’” and just went ahead and did it.

To further his mission, Lautman has founded the Young Entrepreneur Society—an organization that already has thousands of members worldwide—to help people turn their passions into businesses. Y.E.S. makes resources, connections, seminars, and information available to those who want to pursue their dreams of business ownership.

“When I had my small training company, I thought I was big-time, traveling coast-to-coast,” recalls Lautman. “Now I’m the founder of an international company, an executive producer of a movie, and a partner with hundreds of people around the globe to inspire others to build their own businesses. All I did was think bigger and act on it—and look what’s happening.”

Those who are successful at thinking bigger are often so good at it that they don’t even consider the consequences of failure. They see the finished picture so clearly—it’s actually more of a surprise to them if it doesn’t happen the way they envision it.

Louis Lautman is the executive producer of The YES Movie, a feature-length inspirational film released in 2009 documenting the how-tos of success from more than two dozen young American millionaires (www. TheYesMovie.com). That may not seem unusual on the surface; but up until he completed this project, Lautman had never been involved in the film industry before.

“People told me I was crazy,” Lautman laughs today. “But most of them didn’t see what I saw clearly, which was the potential of this project, the movement it could start, and the millions of lives it could impact.”

He created the plan, found the resources he needed, and made it happen. “Your belief system dictates what you’re capable of doing,” Lautman says emphatically. The film was shown—among other places—at the legendary Cannes Film Festival in France in 2009. ―It’s the biggest and best film expo in the world. I believed in this project, and I knew it was that good; so I just said, “Why not?’ and just went ahead and did it.

To further his mission, Lautman has founded the Young Entrepreneur Society—an organization that already has thousands of members worldwide—to help people turn their passions into businesses. Y.E.S. makes resources, connections, seminars, and information available to those who want to pursue their dreams of business ownership.

“When I had my small training company, I thought I was big-time, traveling coast-to-coast,” recalls Lautman. “Now I’m the founder of an international company, an executive producer of a movie, and a partner with hundreds of people around the globe to inspire others to build their own businesses. All I did was think bigger and act on it—and look what’s happening.”

-    Excerpted from the book The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How to Dominate Your Market by Bill Guertin (John Wiley & Sons)

Should you cut your list prices on your goods and services in order to compete in a shrinking marketplace and a global economic crisis?

Some are drastically cutting prices, while others are holding the line… but as a savvy businessperson, I believe it’s a good idea to look at what the 800-Pound Gorillas of the world are doing to combat this dilemma.

Procter & Gamble, makers of Tide detergent and hundreds of other category-leading, premium-priced consumer products, saw its fiscal 4th-quarter profits plunge 18%, related mostly to a weaker market for its premium brands like Tide.

Easily the most popular laundry product in America, Tide’s market share has been slowly but surely eroding over the past 12 months due to the increased popularity of less expensive and generic brands, including P&G’s own Gain brand detergent.

As their market share began to slip away, a battle raged in P&G’s Tide boardroom: Should we cut the price of Tide, the product that brings in $3 billion of our $79 billion annual revenues? How can we protect our product’s reputation, its popularity, AND its profitability all at the same time?

Enter Tide Basic.

The new, no-frills Tide was introduced in July. Its tagline, “Basic Clean, Big Value”, targets that growing segment of the population that has been willing to forego their premium brands for less expensive options. By giving them a product that includes less cleaning agents and fragrance — for 20% less than regular Tide — it gives consumers a choice that still includes P&G, and protects the integrity and value of the premium-priced product.

For a company that was used to “New and Improved”, Tide Basic was a monumental shift.

It was not a road they hadn’t gone down before. Tide brand managers were quick to point out that their own Charmin bathroom tissue and Bounty paper towel brands had rolled out a cheaper version of their premium-priced products to compete with the generics, and were doing quite well.

The jury is still out on whether Tide Basic will be a hit. But P&G is a VERY dominant player with a lot of very bright people in their organization.

They know how hard it is to build the perception of value in the consumer’s mind. Once you drop your price on the good stuff, it’s next to impossible to build it back up. People will come to expect that price for a very long time.

So here’s the question you need to consider before you drop your price: Is there a no-frills version of your product or service you could offer today that would generate sales today and protect the integrity of your “full-featured” products and services?

If the dominant players in the market are doing it, I’ll bet it’s worth considering for your business too.

– Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company whose list of clients includes the ticket sales departments of professional sports teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer. He is the author of the Gold Medal-award-winning book Reality Sells, and his second book, The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales, is due this fall from John Wiley & Sons. Find more articles and valuable information at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.