Create Sales Leads by Respecting the Little Sale
One day, a customer strolls into a store. A salesman walks over and politely introduces himself.
“We offer three great products,” says the salesman. “Bronze, silver and gold widgets.”
“Well, I visited a couple of other stores before coming here,” says the lead, “and I think the gold widget is definitely the one for me, but I need to make sure.”
“No problem! I’ll tell you a bit more about our gold widget.”
A fifteen-minute conversation ensues. The salesman—understandably enthusiastic about selling his most expensive and highest-commission product—is incredibly helpful. He offers to answer anything and do anything. The prospect is pleased. He leaves a little while later with a gold widget in his pocket.
On his way out, the owner of the store stops him.
“Thank you for buying our gold widget,” he says, “it’s a great product. Could you tell me what you thought about the service you just received?”
“Great! The salesman was very helpful.”
“And how did our salesman compare to the salespeople at the other stores you visited?
“He’s just as good as they are. They were all very good—they sure have to be when you’re paying this much for a widget!”
“Thank you for you time. Enjoy your Gold widget.”
“I will!”
An hour later, another customer enters the store. The same salesman walks over and politely introduces himself.
“We offer three great products,” says the salesman. “Bronze, silver and gold widgets.”
“Well, I visited a couple of other stores before coming here,” says the prospect, “but I’m still not sure which widget is right for me.”
“No problem! I’ll tell you a bit more about our widgets.”
A fifteen-minute conversation ensues at which point it becomes obvious that the Bronze widget is the one for this particular lead. The salesman—despite the fact that he’s selling his least expensive and lowest-commission product—is incredibly helpful. He offers to answer anything and do anything. The prospect is pleased. He leaves a little while later with a bronze widget in his pocket.
The owner stops this customer on his way out, too:
“Thank you for buying our bronze widget,” he says, “it’s a great product. Could you tell me what you thought about the service you just received?”
“Totally awesome!” says the customer.
“I’m delighted you think so! Can you tell me why?”
“Absolutely. I did some comparative shopping at other stores before coming here. As soon as all the other salesmen realized I wanted the Bronze widget, it was very obvious that they were disappointed I didn’t want something more expensive. Your salesman stayed really enthusiastic and he seemed to genuinely want to help me choose the right product for my needs. That means a lot to me and I won’t forget that.”
“That’s wonderful news. Thank you for you time. Enjoy your Bronze widget!”
“I will, but first I’m going to tell my brother-in-law about your store.”
“Is he in the market for a Bronze widget?”
“No, he’s in the market for ten gold widgets.”
