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Do You Know the Many Colors of Selling?
I recently spoke with a sales person about sales and selling in general. The idea in sales is to guide potential customers toward an objective and that objective usually means buying something.
One approach used by many sales people is – Here’s what I have, here’s what it does for you, here’s what it costs and here’s how you can get it.
Is this a good approach for you when someone tries to sell you something? It’s not bad, BUT …
One of the smartest sales persons I’ve worked for told me this: “I sell (give) people what they need”. You’ve heard about “needs” and “wants”, I’m sure.
He sold equipment and small tools to service stations. He’d go in and look around and ask questions. He learned what the customer had and did not have and then he’d say – “I have this tool here – it’s easier to use and it’ll give you more power at less cost”. (You’ve also heard about “sell the sizzle, not the steak”).
His approach was to learn what potential customers needed and then connect that with what they may want – more power, ease of use, less cost.
Then Ka Ching!
Does this make sense to you? Can you see how this can be an effective strategy? So, again, “sell the sizzle, not the steak”. I don’t necessarily believe in this unless you know what the customer needs.
In freight brokering, it’s so important to focus on what shippers want and refrain from talking about how great you are, etc., etc. They don’t care about YOU – they essentially care about themselves. And they usually want more than just moving their cargo from point A to point B.
Sell them what they want – give them what they need.
One question you can ask shipping managers is, “Is there anything in particular that you want (or need) that other brokers in the past have not been providing?” You can ask this question directly or you can listen carefully and with some time and experience the shipping manager may reveal this to you without your asking it.
Remember – you are helping to move a shipper’s cargo to the shipper’s customer. Some shipping managers are very particular about how the driver takes care in delivering freight to their customer. Asking the shipping manager if there are any special instructions will go a long way when working with them.
Yes, there are many colors to selling.
There used to be a couple of other freight broker trainers who made a strong pitch that – Anyone could make $100,000 the first year as a broker. Well, maybe … but probably not – at least, not in the first year and maybe not even in the second or third year.
Yes, most of my clients want to make a lot of money in brokering – but it’s got to be believable! And, wanting to make $100K the first year – for most realistic people – may lead to frustration, disappointment and giving up.
Let’s be realistic.
I had one caller practically beg me to tell him that he could make $100K the first year if he worked real hard. He probably just got off the phone with one of the other “$100Kers”. I wouldn’t tell him that but had he sent me $1,000 I would have (wink).
But, most people after reading my website and even speaking with me get a sense that they are getting the straight scoop.
I’ve probably lost a few people simply because I did not tickle their ears with the promise of a lot of fast money. But, I still do well and that includes getting a good night’s sleep too.
In my training, we do discuss potential income and profit scenarios. That’s important but what’s more important is understanding the first steps to success.
I’ve got an MSExcel spreadsheet with a 12-month cash flow template. It’s yours free if you email me with “cash flow” in the subject line. Note: the figures in the template are “hypothetical” and may not be realistic. You’ll notice I’ve got expenses plugged into nearly every expense category. Starting out, you may not have any more expenses (other than paying the truck) other than the Internet, load boards, office supplies and phone.
These last few expenses will be the bulk of your monthly overhead. In my training, we go into more detail about projecting income and expenses.
Send me an email below for this freebie cash flow template.