Garage Sales

Sam Manfer asked:


C-Level relationship selling is simple and more effective than any other strategy, tactic or selling technique once you learn the process.  However, if you don’t know how to do it, it can be like cold calling in the sense that it’s intimidating, fraught with rejection and nobody wants to do it.  But unlike cold calling C-level relationship selling will increase your sales and market share faster and easier than anything else.

 

C-level relationship selling will enable you to sell just about 100% of all the products and services in your portfolio that fit to 100% of your existing customers.  Now would that help you meet your sales goals?  Well as tough a task as the above sounds, it is far easier to accomplish than it is to sell that same amount to new customers. What if you could sell just all your existing accounts 10% more?  Would that help your sales picture?  Of course it would and it’s really easy if you develop professional C-level relationships.

   

Yes, I’m saying that to increase your sales and market share, give-up on trying to penetrate the walled cities of new accounts, and focus on getting more and more cross-sells from your existing bastions of strength. Then as your existing accounts buy more of all your products and service (with your help), those walled citied accounts will crumble and come rushing to you for your expertise.

 

Here’s why.  First, do you believe that you can help your existing customers do their business better – more sales and/or more profits – if they bought more of the total portfolio of services you sell in addition to what they now buy?  Of course you do.  Well if they do buy more from you and do get better, that will put a lot of pressure on their competition.  The word will get out that it was you and your company expertise that did it.  And that’s when you’ll start getting requests from accounts that were previously not interested in some or any of your products and/or services.

 

However, in order to get your stuff more fully absorbed, you’re going to have to solve the issues and concerns as it relates to sales and/or profits of the C-levels or profit-center leaders of you existing accounts.  In order to do that you will have to learn what those issues and concerns are for all the senior people involved.  You can’t assume to know what their problems are and you can’t take the word of you main, lower-level contacts.  Even if you know from experience or your main contact is correct (which is usually wrong), the top people don’t know you know their issues and concerns.

 

Think about it.  A C-level would say or think, “What does this sales person know about me and my situation?”  Now once you’ve talked and related on a professional level, s/he will feel you understand and will now be willing to listen to how you may be able to help.  And this is how you cross sell and start to get more and more of your portfolio into that account.  C-levels and profit center leaders have the power to make you sales happen.

 

So here is how to begin C-level relationship selling.  First, start spending more time at existing accounts, but not just with your main contacts.  Use your relationships at the lower levels to network you up and out.  That is, meet their boss and their boss’s associates and continue to move up and out.  My motto if you haven’t heard it from me before is spread like bvnnv nvn znzz

 

Now, my meaning of “meet” with these people is very specific however.  A meeting is a one-on-one interview where you ask customer focused questions to learn what that individual’s issues and concerns are as they relate to your bigger world of solutions and listen aggressively.  It’s not your time to give a product and services presentation.  Once you know where this person’s head is at and the person realizes you understand, then you can offer to help.  As the person sees the fit, they buy into you and this is how the relationship starts. 

 

Keep repeating the process until you are networked to meet with the C-levels, the profit-center leaders, and their immediate staffs.  It doesn’t matter if the meeting is in their office or at a lunch.  What matters is you get know each person’s mind set for the moment and s/he knows you know.  Without that it’s impossible to develop a relationship.

 

Using subordinate relationship that you’ve developed over time is vehicle to get you to the top C-level and other influential people.  This will take a lot of your selling time, but it will be worth it.  My rule is 50% of your selling time should be with existing clients/accounts.  30% should be with old or lost accounts and 20% with new accounts or self-ops.  See some of my previous articles of why this works best.  

 

Minimizing your prospecting to new accounts and competitors’ accounts sounds risky, doesn’t it? The bigger risk, however, is for an existing customer to start doing more business with your competitors, and we all know that’s exactly what your competitors are trying desperately to make that happen.

 

If the above reason doesn’t motivate you, consider this.  C-level relationship selling is prospecting, and it’s in new territory.  The beauty of C-level relationship selling, although intimidating, is that these prospects represent bigger, faster and easier sales.

 

Now I invite you to learn more about mastering C-level relationship selling.

 

Bonus Tip:   FREE E-Book “Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers”.  Just click this C-Level Relationship Selling Link .   Selling at the C-level can make any sales person and/or manager an over-achiever for closing business.  It’s easy if you know the steps.  Learn the process at http://www.C-LevelRelationshipSelling.com



HUBERT

Bob Kirkright asked:


Choosing a garage door needn’t be painful, but as with any other home improvement project you should keep your wits about you and take all the advice that is available. In that spirit, I suggest you keep an eye on the following five secrets of choosing the right garage door. They’re particularly applicable to garage doors in Perth, but the same principles apply just about anywhere in the world.

#Secret 1: Thinking about space

The space within your garage is a valuable asset. Land use costs in the Perth can get pretty steep, and Perth’s garage doors often waste more real estate than they need to. Be wary of garage doors that rob you of that space - it is usually not worth saving money on cheaper doors, if they will rob you of valuable cubic feet of usable space. Hinged doors opening inwards tend to take up more space inside. The standard sectional design is best - most of the space sectional garage doors need to operate is above your head, where it is not used much anyway. These sectional doors take up hardly any space inside our outside, and as such they can justify a higher price-tag. If you house is in a high-density area of Perth, sectional garage doors are therefore the ideal choice for you.

#Secret 2: Let there be light

A second secret: you should be thinking about your garage door not just as a door, but as a window. So many of Perth’s garages end up as needlessly dingy rooms, lit by bare light bulbs - but there is no reason for it to be that way. If you’re ever going to work in your garage, you’ll really benefit from getting some natural light in there. Adding windows to your garage door doesn’t add much expense, but it will make your garage a much more pleasant place to spend time. So garage tinkerers should get windows in their garage doors: Perth’s sunlight is far easier on the eyes than mediocre garage lighting.

#Secret 3: Keeping safe

‘Badly installed garage doors can injure your children’. Yes, it sounds like I’m trying to scare you - but I’m afraid it’s true. I don’t know of anybody who has been injured by garage doors in Perth, but if the city has escaped so far, it’s only a matter of time. The risk is reduced enormously if you take sensible basic precautions. Employ a trustworthy, safety-conscious firm to install your garage door, and get them to explain what precautions they are taking. Demand that the doors meet appropriate safety standards. For instance, they must reverse if they hit an obstacle in their path - because that obstacle could be you.

Then once you have the garage door, you will need to keep them safe by checking and maintaining them properly. Keep your garage doors well-oiled and clean, and above all well-balanced. Have them serviced regularly (once a year is appropriate): it won’t take long or cost much, and easily justifies itself through your increased peace of mind.

#Secret 4: Locks and keys

Garage doors need to be just as secure as every other entry point to your home. If you are installing a remote-controlled set of automatic garage doors, you need to be sure that the security mechanisms in the remote control are at least as reliable as the physical bolts protecting your front door. The security of electronic devices is an area where it is notoriously easy to be hoodwinked by impressive-sounding jargon, so I would advise you against trying to understand the ins and outs of the system yourself. Instead, look for a reliable business selling garage doors, one which has been in business for some time and has satisfied customers. Check out the models of doors they suggest on the Internet or with knowledgeable friends, looking to see if there have been reports of security problems with them.

#Secret 5: Know your friends

The success of your garage door installation project will depend not just on what you choose but, crucially, on who you choose. Doing it all yourself isn’t a good decision unless you’re a skilled handyman with a lot of time on your hands. In the business of installing garage doors, experience counts for a lot, and getting your garage door installed by somebody with a lot of experience will save you from many of the errors people make first time round.



CLIFF

Emily Siliwon-Curb Appeal CSI Garage Doors asked:


Everyone’s finally dressed and ready to leave. You back the car out, hit the remote, and you’re off. Until you realize the garage door hasn’t gone down. You reluctantly pull back into the driveway, brow furrowing in frustration. It happens to everyone. Many homeowners don’t even realize they left it open until they return home.

Why didn’t it close? Garage doors usually fail to close as a result of the safety sensors being blocked. They’re located on each side of the opening, no more than a foot or so off the ground. Typically, each will have a small light that stays lit when everything is going well. If either of the lights are out, simply move whatever is blocking the sensor (sometimes even cobwebs/small debris can cause safety sensors to malfunction) or adjust them so that they are pointing at each other again. You can move these around by hand if they’ve been knocked out of alignment.

If you’re still stuck at home, make sure nothing is blocking the path of the door. This can be a common cause for service calls on garage doors. Always use caution when operating your door, but be extra cautious when it’s not working correctly. It’s the probably the largest, heaviest piece of machinery in the house. The counter balance system of the door is under EXTREME pressure, and when it doesn’t work properly, it can be dangerous. Many people have been injured or even killed by garage doors, some of them professionals. If your garage door is sitting crooked in the opening, has come off the tracks, or is not working properly, call a professional repair company immediately.

If the door works but the opener still won’t close it, there are a couple more things to try before calling a professional. Try using the wall button instead of the remote or keyless entry. It’s possible the remote’s batteries are dead, or the opener’s lock function has been enabled. If the garage door itself is working properly, you can pull the manual release on the opener. This will let you close the door manually, although the opener won’t be locking it shut the way it normally would.

Some openers have an indicator light that can help troubleshoot any problems. Again, you’ll need your owner’s manual for your opener. Many can be found online by doing a quick search for your make and model number. You can find the model and manufacturer on the back of the opener.

If all else fails, it may be time to call a pro. Some companies will be able to give an estimate on probable repairs over the phone, so let them know what steps you may have already taken. Call a few different companies to ensure their numbers are competitive. Since openers have an expected life span of about 10 years, it might also be a good idea to check prices for new openers, instead of repairing an older model. Newer models will have more up to date security features, as well.



JONATHAN