3-2-1

3-2-1

When I sold Kirby vacuum cleaners there was one standard price for the vacuum and one price for the optional shampoo kit. Prospect would ask how much the machine was after the demo and I would tell them. Sometimes they asked about the shampoo kit. Again that was one price with everything. I sold many of both packages.

“Give the prospect three choices of sales packages. One higher than they want to spend with more options than they need, but you feel will work extremely well. A second exactly what they want and you know will work for them. Third give them a cheap package you know won’t work for them and the client  will choose the middle one each time and occasionally the higher package when they see that it isn’t too much more than the package they originally wanted.”

The above was advice from my first sales manager on how to sell to clients.
I used this method faithfully for many years. It worked…just not as fast as I had hoped.
Instead of getting a decision in that meeting it would be dragged out for days or weeks until the decision was made. Usually the client chose the middle package and very rarely did they choose the bigger package.

As the years moved on and sales styles changed and the instant information age came upon us, it became much easier for a prospect to do their own research on the products they wanted. They recognized what was being pushed upon them with the 3-2-1 sales package method and didn’t want anything to do with that. The prospect has Sales has a “I know what I want so give it to me at the price I want” type of thinking. In fairness they always had that and it was our job as salespeople to uncover their true objections/pain and sell them what they needed and not what they wanted. After all, we are the experts in our products.

These days because of the internet prospects often know their problems and what can solve them.
So why not present them with one package and let them tell you what they like and don’t like?
I recognized that and went back to the tactics I used when selling Kirby vacuum cleaners.
The result was the client still asked me questions, however it was only about the one package. I am able to use their questions on the one package to uncover answers to questions not asked, or uncover other opportunities. Best part is one solution eliminates the extra waiting time taken to mull over three options. That has led to faster decision making and more sales.
Give it a try.

Thanks for reading!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy 

Fix Your Online Business Profile

Everyone knows people exaggerate, sometimes lie, in their online dating profiles.
We all want to present ourselves in the best light.
To be seen as something good or even better than we usually are.
To make ourselves attractive to a future partner.
After some practice people who use online dating sites learn to sort out the exaggerations to see the truth of the writer, or at least the truth as WE want to read it.

So should you lie in your online profiles about your company to increase your SEO?
Right  now you are probably reading this and thinking, everybody already lies online about their company!
They post fake customer reviews, omit facts that might not show their business as a leader in the industry or someplace you should shop. Pictures are cropped to show to show too little detail.

These things have been going on for years. Why are you pontificating about this now?

Just like the disappointed dates when they find their online “matches” are not what they really are, your customers will be disappointed too. What happens they can’t match up what your online reviews say versus their experiences at your business. What if they find someone who has lower prices than “the low price leader,” or your facility isn’t as clean or as big as claimed or seen in pictures?

Some customers won’t care. Others will doubt the information about your business found online and will either give you another try or stop  using your business instead.
No matter what option your customers choose, one thing they all have in common is they will tell as many people as they can about their experience whenever your business or service is mentioned.
Can your business afford that?

Thanks for reading and fix those online business profiles!
Ev
Devin Group staff

Meeting Scott Walker

I got to meet Wisconsin Governor, now former candidate for president, Scott Walker at a place I worked.
Actually I got to talk to him more than anyone else at my work. People thought I was dumb to wear a badger tie, however the gov saw it first thing and came over and told me how one of his sons goes to Marquette and one to UW and then showed me the hand sign for "W" and "M" that he says his sons flash at each other in the spirit of the rival schools. I mentioned I went to Whitewater and we talked about the football championships they won.

He then talked to my clients and came back to me and asked if the students I worked with have a real chance to succeed, what jobs they could get, what was holding them back, and what did I hear from clients that would make them hire more people.

I told him the biggest thing I hear from the thousands of companies I've talked to over the last few years is the biggest block to hiring is uncertainty. All companies have plans in place to do business no matter what person/party is in power. What they have all told me is they don't like not knowing who is in power. The recall elections pissed them off (owners of both parties FYI) because they had a plan to deal with Walker taking office. Then they had to wait until the recall election of everyone.

Then there are the laws going through the court systems. One judge declares a law legal/illegal then it is upheld/overturned by various courts then there is state court then federal court. It caused confusion and delay and employers just decided to wait it out and only hire essential people.

I went on to tell him the high cost of tuition and the high student loan payments were drags on income people could put into the economy.

Policies that let non-resident students, illegal aliens get either in state tuition to the detriment of local students not being able to enroll in WI colleges was also contributing to the brain drain and the lack of younger workers staying in WI. If they can't get into a WI school why stay in WI?  Both the tuition and being shut out of school issues are contributing to some not being able to get the skills and training they needed to advance in the workforce.

I also told him how many of the companies I work with are ready and willing to hire, assuming all the confusion over elections and laws is over, but some want or need streamlining of the bureaucratic red tape. Not the dropping of regulations or laws, but just clarity over how they are supposed to work. gave an example of the small business owner who had his business since 1979 and passed all health and safety inspections every year, but was now facing a $5,000 bill because an inspector said there is a statute that says all exit/entrance doors have to have an electric door sensor that opens the door when the power is out. Think about it. The business is open so the door is unlocked. If the power goes out the door is still unlocked and the electric door senor doesn't work anyways so why install it? That kind of government stupidity is not what small businesses need to to pay for. And every time a business has to pay for dumb things like that it means they can't hire someone.

 I also told him I appreciated him running on issues and his record and said I was sick of all the "too extreme/too liberal" ads and he should only run on his record and issues. 

One thing that was cool was he stayed and met with everyone that wanted a picture, handshake, or make a comment or had a question no matter what slant it was from and that it went past his scheduled time. As a public official I thought that was good as other officials I met take off as fast as they can.     

Thanks Governor for listening and for taking the time to treat me as a real person and not just a voter!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy