Here’s a new play for your playbook . . .
Ask for a tour when you meet with prospects!
Why?
Here are 5 reasons!
1) You Create Additional Energy! Energy is a really good thing in a meeting because it helps create emotion and emotion is pretty freakin cool too because it’s the first step towards getting someone off the fence of indifference!
2) You Break Free From The Formality Of Offices and Conference Rooms!There’s a certain formality that gets associated with offices and conference rooms. Its almost as if we have been conditioned to behave a certain way, and we take on certain roles because of that formality. There’s nothing wrong with that but I do think our results improve when we lose the formality. A tour can help you get the prospect out of that mindset. Note: If their guard is down and their energy level is up . . . it might be a cool time to ask the old budget question.
3) You Can “Borrow With Your Eyes & Ears” You can learn a ton of things during a tour. Is it a busy environment? Do things seem hectic? You can learn things about their culture, overall appearance of their facility and even how people seem to react to your prospect. You might even come across additional people who can either influence the sale or who would be heavily impacted by your solution. Now you can ask them a quick question or two to help further your understanding.
4) It Demonstrates Genuine Interest On Not Only Your Behalf . . . You can learn what areas of the business your prospect is most passionate about because they might light up when it comes to that part of the tour.
5) You Stand Out! Not many sales people do this so you get to immediately separate yourself from the pack.
Your turn . . .
What do you think about asking for a tour when appropriate? Do you ask for them now? Is there anything else we can add to the list of reasons why we might want to make this part of our sales routine?
I think that is an excellent idea! I’m going to incorporate that on all my on-site visits from now on. That’s like an “I could’ve had a V-8 moment”.
Thanks Kory!
Great post. This is exactly what I used to do when I went on outside sales calls. I worked for a distributor of parts, electronic components etc. I would ask my prospects for tours because I loved learning all about the machines they used, the tools they used, how they made things, etc. It wasn’t stuff the average person would give a rip about, but it intrigued me. Even though I can be a girly girl, it was like being a kid at Toys R Us and playing with everything. How things are made is cool to me. Besides genuine interest in your prospects line of work is important. The end result…I got more orders from clients who usually didn’t purchase very regularly and orders from prospects who had never purchased at all. Win, win…
I love the tour and often incorporate into my sales mix. I find new opportunities when taking a tour, its especially effective if they’ve just moved in- they’re excited to show it off. Thank you for the friendly reminder Paul.
Thank YOU Beth!
I use the tour when applicable. Since our company’s services affect all employees, the tour provides me with a good perspective on the culture and what is happening in the company. I get the story from the owner, AND the employees. It is also good to hear the teams say ‘we need you’ in front of the boss!
As usual, thank you for the great tips Paul!
Thanks Linda
I asked for tours on a regular basis when I sold printing paper.
You are right! You can learn a lot about a company while touring their facility. It’s a great time to spot problem areas they might be having and ask them you could have an opportunity to help them solve that problem.
It is also a great time to establish rapport with the person you are calling on. They usually relax and it also helps to take an edge of your nerves when meeting a potential client for the first time. I think the client is often just as nervous meeting a sales person the first time as we are.
I was asked if I would like a tour recently after a client meeting at their office. Wow! Did I learn a lot… departments that I didn’t even know about that could potentially use my services. It was somewhat bonding as well and the guards & walls were down if any existed before that. Do it… get the tour if possible. I will ask for more tours from other clients in the future.