The Shift’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over!
Many people go home (in their mind) 30 minutes before a shift is completed. They start dreaming about T.V. shows or their dinner. However, here is a key to business success. There is just as much gold to miss during the last 5 minutes as there is at any period in your selling day!
Example Selling Success #1
At the end of a particularly stressful day with no one in the store, I was asked to “close down” a cash register in another department. However, unlike others in the store I resisted the temptation to do it until the store was officially declared closed for the evening.
Five minutes before shift end, a handsome customer wandered in through the lone remaining open door. He was welcomed by a PA announcement “the store will be closing in 5 minutes”. He dismissed me and said, “I’m sorry. Go ahead and close your cash register, I’m just looking.”
Not deterred, I stayed in my best selling mode. He kept apologizing about the time, during more closing announcements. I persisted in providing him 1st-class service, patiently measuring his foot, bringing out numerous shoes and attempting to meet his every need. This was appreciated.
The final result was a delightful visit with a happy customer who bought 2 expensive pairs of shoes. This sale made my selling day and week profitable.
Moral of the incident: Don’t be a clock watcher quitting early. One more business call or contact in a day than your competitors will absolutely increase your sales and income by between 12%-25%. Your income will increase!
- Customer resistance is worn down by the long day.
- The day’s has fewer distractions, so customers can focus on achieving their goal of buying what you are selling.
- You are selling while others have mentally gone home. Therefore, you will win more sales contests, because you are more productive.
- Salesmen who stop working ½-hour early become MUCH LESS PRODUCTIVE. Eventually they stop working 1-hour early; then take off ½ day on Friday, then go in late on Monday. Then lose their job due to poor productivity.
Selling Success Example #2
Late one Saturday afternoon on a hot, steamy August afternoon, the doors were wide open on a gray raised-roof conversion van. A disheveled man in a worn-out station wagon with windows wide open pulled up to the Rick Spurr auto dealership in Erie, Pennsylvania. Sweating profusely, he walked around the van a few times, and peered inside.
It was closing time, and the van was about 150 yards from the air-conditioned dealership building. No one bothered the sweaty man. Eventually, an old salesman strolled out and hollered, “Ya interested in the van?” The man replied, “How much ‘ya want for it?” The salesman said, “Make us an offer.”
The sweaty man said, “Well, the window sticker says $27,000, so, how does $19,000 sound, but I have to see if my equipment will fit in?” The salesman said “let’s go inside and see what we can do.” They got inside and the salesman said, “It’s late why don’t you take it home and see if the equipment will fit and bring it back Monday morning.” The man agreed.
The sweaty man arrived home and showed the van to his wife and four children. They loved it and the sound system and keyboards fit beautifully behind the back seat.
Monday, he returned paying $19,500 cash for the van earning the old salesman a nice check. The sweaty man that bought the van was Director of Sales and Marketing at a local company. His family provided special music at various churches.
One week later, the family arrived to sing at a church with all their equipment in the new van. There was a guest speaker since the Minister was out of town. At the end of the service, the guest speaker approached the family and said how much he enjoyed the singing. He said, “I’m the sales manager for the Rick Spurr dealership and heard someone had finally bought the van. We hadn’t been able to sell it, so they got a really good deal. I’m so glad it was you!”
The reason I know this story so well is, I was the sweaty man. Our family used the van to sing at over 100 churches in 7 states and took vacations in it. It wonderfully blessed our family.
A Gentle Reminder for Selling Success
Don’t ever judge a book by its cover or sales prospects by how they dress. Don’t quit early or come in late. Diligence makes a big difference in your income. Don’t get discouraged, because you’ll have good and bad days. Make the most of the good days. Just concentrate on making all sales to all the people, all the time.
