august2021 - 47

absolutely quiet and make them
answer you.
Mr. Cheapo: This customer is
a pain but don't let their penchant
for saving get you rattled. Be sure
you understand this person's motivations.
If this is the person who is
always looking for a deal but drives a
Ford F350, then you know they will
spend the money. They just want a
deal. However, if this technician uses
all inexpensive, homeowner quality
tools, maybe he just isn't the prospect
for you. Hey, you can't win them all.
As you make your presentation,
your strength. This tool is designed
to take good hard professional use. "
Let Macho Man know that he will
be respected by others in the shop for
making this wise purchase. It won't
hurt to say " Yes sir " a few times in
each presentation.
Pipe-Smoking Over-Thinker:
People who smoke pipes are very
patient and thoughtful. If you think
about it, a pipe smoker is patient
enough to fuss with the pipe all the
time, cleaning it, filling it, lighting it,
tamping the tobacco down, lighting it
again, and so on. So, when they buy,
they are just as willing to take their
time, and your time.
Don't rush your presentation. Go
slow, cover all the details. No detail is
too small for these people. Use phrases
like: " When you analyze this tool... "
and " Our analysis of this application
shows it will fit your need because... "
A phrase like: " You are respected
around the shop for the diligence
you use when making a purchase. I
think this tool will fit right in with
your usual detailed decision making. "
I was once making a call on a
pipe-smoking hospital administrator
who was known to be very slow
in decision making and analyzing a
product to death. When I arrived, he
asked if his new assistant could join
the meeting and of course I said it was
fine. It turned out the new assistant
also smoked a pipe and they sat side
by side behind the administrator's
desk, smoking their pipes and looking
bored. No sale!
Too Busy to Listen:
In my
opinion these people are the worst to
sell to. You really need to get these
people away from as many distractions
as possible - get them on the truck
with the door closed.
Be sure to look Mr. Too Busy in
the eye when you speak to them. Eyeto-eye
contact gets attention. Trial
close a lot as you do your presentation
and ask a lot of questions; this
will help them focus.
You will probably need to use a
hard close on Mr. Too Busy because,
oftentimes, they snap to attention
when you ask them to buy and they
realize they don't know exactly what
they are buying. Do not let them out of
your grasp. Close hard since they are
likely to forget pretty much all you've
told them if they get off the truck.
A good review close should work
here. " Mr. Busy, as we went through
this product you said you liked Feature/Advantage/Benefit
1, correct?
FAB 2, correct? FAB 3, correct? (and
so on) So, based on you liking all the
benefits of this product let us get
the paperwork out of the way, OK? "
Remember, now is when you remain
express savings any way you can.
" This product has been selling well
so we are manufacturing more and the
selling price has gone down, " or " This
product is on promotion, so now is the
time to save on it. "
Try bundling several products
together and offer him a " special "
price. The phrase " Have I got a deal for
you! " was invented for this customer.
Look at it his way: As a mobile
jobber you are lucky that you get to see
your customers and prospects every
week. You have plenty of opportunities
to size them up and work out the
best way to talk to them. With 350
million people in the U.S., there are
350 million personalities.
Simply take the time to customize
your presentations to fit your prospect's
personality and then ask for
the order.
Now, go sell something.
ALAN W. SIPE has spent
the last 42 years in the basic
hand tool industry including
positions as president of
KNIPEX Tools North America,
senior vice president of sales and marketing
at Klein Tools, manager of special markets at
Stanley Tools, and sales manager at toolbox
manufacturer Waterloo Industries. Currently,
Sipe is the owner of Toolbox Sales and
Consulting, a company specializing in sales
strategy, structure, development,
and training.
alansipe@gmail.com
Professional Distributor I August 2021 I VehicleServicePros.com 47
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