CE Pro May 2021 - 54

OPERATIONS
Sales
will be worth it. " This statement usually gets a client's
attention and results in the
client asking " why? " This
gives you another opportunity to talk about how you
represent higher quality.
4. How did the bidders get
chosen? You need to know
where these names in the
hat came from. Sometimes
the company with the most
vocal advocate (designer,
builder, architect) wins.
Sometimes it's the incumbent who is working on their
current home. Sometimes
they just found a third bidder online. Know who has
the inside track. Hopefully it
is you; if not, you may have
to jockey to pole position ...
but know where you stand.
Debunking 5 Myths to
Hurdle for Higher Close
Percentage
Now that you know the
playing field, it is time to differentiate your company. But
first, you need to know the
five myths of a CI customer/
prospect.
MYTH 1: They
understand your
proposal.
They are clueless about
your proposal and get more
confused as they review more
proposals. In the end they
see a bunch of Crestron or
Savant model numbers, Sonance speakers, Sony TVs, or
whatever ... and they throw up
their hands and say, " these all
seem the same to me, let's just
pick the lowest price. " You will
not win a job if you are relying
on your client to differentiate
your proposal/system design
from your competitors.

MYTH 2: They like you -
they really, really
like you.
Just because a prospect
smiles at you and is charming
and engaging does not mean
he or she likes you enough
to award you the project.
We have all walked away
from meetings with the " I
got this! " confidence only
to find out the client went a
different way. Don't equate
your rapport with a surefire
close. It is wonderful and
helpful, but not a guarantee.
All three competitors may
have walked away with that
same warm and fuzzy Sally
Field Oscars moment.
MYTH 3: They can
" tell " that I am the
clear choice.
How many times have you
competed against two
knuckleheads who were
clearly not as good as you
and you still lost the job?
You falsely assume that the
clients, by osmosis, " get "
that you are the right choice.
Here are truths. Everybody that shows up at that
interview location knows
more than the client about
tech. This makes everyone
" experts. " Most likely all
three salespeople/owners are fairly charming and
decent at sales. Most likely
all three have touted pretty
solid reasons why they are
" the best. " You may be tops
of the three, but it needs
to be clearly expressed (and
backed up) in the interview.
MYTH 4: The client
trusts me.
The client or prospect thinks
you are full of it, until proven
otherwise. Most client

" Just because
a prospect
smiles at you and
is charming and
engaging does
not mean he or
she likes you
enough to award
you the project. "
-Eric Thies, DSI
Luxury Technology
defenses are fully up when
listening to your spiel. This is
because they feel at a great
disadvantage to you since
they do not understand
technology. You are speaking Greek and they are in a
vulnerable position. Never
assume that your client believes you are " the best " unless you provide them with
some data to back it up.
MYTH 5: Price is the
most important thing
to clients.
Clients care about price. We
all do. But price is not everything. The richer the client, the less important price
becomes. Price becomes
the most important thing
when the client feels that is
the only metric they understand or believe. The client
is more fearful of hiring the
wrong firm or choosing the
wrong gear then paying too
high a price.
When you can shift the
conversation away from
price and can express why
quality and experience is
worth paying more for -
and why you are a better
choice - then you will
close more and lose less to
price. Here is a great hack
for you: prior to your first

meeting, have a prospect
create their own budget
using the HTA budget calculator (https://htacertified.
org/home-technology-installation-budget-tool). This
will do wonders to diffuse
the " sticker shock " bomb,
establish what things really
cost, and shift that conversation away from price. It's
a lifesaver.
5 Ways to Win
Over Your Potential
Customers
So now you are in the right
frame of mind. You know
who the competition is. You
are not assuming your client
likes you, believes you, can
tell the difference between
you and the others, or understands anything you are
saying. It's not as depressing
as it sounds. You have to
earn their trust and their
business. Start by making
zero assumptions. You are on
your way to a closed sale.
Now that you are aware
of the five myths, let's get
to the five tips and tricks to
improve your closing ratio.

1. Prove you are the best
instead of just saying it.
You may have awards. You
may have been in magazines.
You may be a top-tier dealer
for a particular brand. Talk
about these things. Use
these and back up your
proclamation as to why
you're the best. My personal
favorite " proof point " is my
HTA Certification (htacertified.org). With only a couple
hundred firms passing this
rigorous certification, it
sets me apart from 98% of
my competition. I can look
a client in the eye and say

54  |  CE Pro May 2021	cepro.com

C2105 pp52-55 HTA Sales.indd 54

4/6/21 10:46 AM
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CE Pro May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro May 2021
