In my work with Remodelers Advantage Roundtables I hear some interesting things.

At one of the meetings I ran recently, Andy Wells was present. Andy is an owner of Normandy Remodeling, located in the Chicago area. Normandy is a big company, with a lot of employees, doing kitchen and bath remodels, among other things.

Andy said he coaches his salespeople that potential clients buy for following reasons, in this order:

  1. You, the salesperson
  2. The design
  3. The price

This is so elegantly put that it’s possible to miss the power of what Andy is saying. Imagine a salesperson who is in love with the design or who tends to talk too much about how the company does business. Those practices get in the way of the potential client actually bonding with you. How to promote that bonding?

  • Slow down, ask questions and listen. Then ask followup questions so you get very clear about the potential client’s pains—the emotional drivers behind the buying decision.
  • Avoid focusing on solutions for now. Wait. Let the clients get to know that you are completely interested in them, not just getting their job.
  • Set price aside. And be 100% convinced personally that your price is the right price. If you don’t think your price is right how will you ever convince a potential client that it is?

I emailed Andy after the meeting, asking him if I could write about what he had said. Here is part of his reply. “The other part of the story is that the order reverses if the salesperson does not get the customer to envision working with them. I mean, when they don’t love you then the order becomes:

  1. Price
  2. Design
  3. You

When this happens we rarely get the job because we can’t compete with the low price provider. We provide too much value to be cheap.

The price becomes most important and we become a commodity. We are not the commodity, we are the expert and we need to convey that from the beginning.”

Amen Andy!

Whether you are your company’s lone salesperson or your company has multiple salespeople these simple points, once grasped, will open the door to more sales success.

Want more business? Help your potential clients provide it by selling yourself first.