ON THE PARKING LOT
Getting That Order
ou do many things, you say many
things. They all point toward your
one objective, the sale. To start ac-
counts you must get orders. The
number of good accounts you can properly
service is your prime asset. With all the ser-
vices you provide, you cannot put much val-
ue on the ordinary prospect if you have had
respectful attention during your sales presen-
tation and product demonstrations and
failed to at least get a small order.
Naturally, you must never give up on any
prospect who seems worthwhile and you
should get an order of some kind if you have
a chance to demonstrate your products on
their pavement. Remember your customer
list consists of those who give you orders.
Therefore, ask for that contract and turn
your prospects into customers.
A “promise to buy later” or on the next trip
thru, is considered by many salespersons as
more or less a victory. I heard someone say one
time that there is a lot of missionary work nec-
essary in selling. You must lay the groundwork
first and then approach the prospect with your
findings. As I stated in a previous article, the
services you provide must be explained clearly,
and demonstrated so that he will not need to
look further for the pavement services you pro-
vide. A little diddy on how I closed more work,
I asked for the order one item at a time. If he
needs patching, I made sure I nailed down the
patching first.
I would reveal my parking lot evaluation
findings further by informing him that since
we will be here patching, we should address
the cracks in the asphalt, and then the sur-
face for sealing, then the striping. I did not
get them all, but I got my fair share of work
by selling the prospect services one at a time.
The benefit? Price shock is almost eliminated
by this sales techniques. In the case of com-
www.callape.com
“I asked for the order
one item at a time. If he
needs patching, I made
sure I nailed down the
patching first.”
petitive bidding, disclosing your price one
item at a time, the prospect will generally
compare your patching price alone vs. your
competitors total repair quote. This will give
you the opportunity to further your con-
versation with the prospect, as well as have
more face time to impress him enough to
ask for price submissions on the additional
needed work, “the benefit”? More face time
[26]
MARK MCLEOD
with him to finally ask for the order.
These techniques are proven, especially
on budget tight companies. I always tried to
turn my proposal into a program. I always
enjoyed the challenge of presenting my pro-
posals in a way that lessens the sticker shock
of the total project. I remember one particu-
lar company that had requested a pavement
repair bid on their entire property. They had
13 huge lots of at least 85,000 sq. ft. per lot!
I found out there were three other compa-
nies bidding this.
Since I always wanted to be the last one
to submit my bid, I would delay as long
as possible prior to their maintenance de-
cision meeting. I submitted my patching,
crack sealing, and sealing, striping, bids
separate for each lot and prioritized the im-
mediate needs. For example: I turned my
bids into a “revolving door maintenance
program.” I argued that it makes sense for
them to take care of their liability issues
first, patching all lots and drives, followed
by crack sealing all lots and drives, then
seal 3 or 4 of the lots. This technique was
intended to keep me in the mix with this
company for a few years.
I explained that if I did the first phase
of patch, and crackseal, and seal a few lots
initially, when I come back the next year
to seal phase 2, I can do my touch up of
the crack extensions, and any warranty
work needed at that time. They loved it!! I
retained that account under my “revolving
door maintenance program” custom setup
for them for over 10 years under this tech-
nic.. They liked the idea that they did not
have to seal all their lots at one time, and
breaking it down for them over a 3 year
program was fiscally responsible. I just
presented it and asked for the order.
Until next time “happy sealing!”
1.800.210.5923