Winning With Specificity and Perseverance

When you look at the habits of highly successful sales professionals, you’ll find that most productive salespeople share three habits. They
(1.) ask specific questions
(2.) keep good records and
(3.) ask for commitment from customers.

SPECIFICITY AND PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF
During the time I managed a five-person telephone sales department and did all the purchasing, I learned a lot from the vendors I purchased supplies from.

At one point, after having purchased a skid of H.P. laser toner cartridges from one supplier, I received a phone call from a wholesaler we knew and sometimes purchased from. The sales rep, Jeff, told me he was having a sale on the same cartridge I had purchased from the other supplier.

When I told him we had just ordered a skid of these cartridges, he asked how long they would last. He also asked if we would consider buying the next order from his company. When I said "yes," he asked, specifically,

"When will you need to order these again?"

I answered, "three months from today," and he said he would call me two weeks before the three-month date. And he did! He called EXACTLY when he said he would. He reminded me of our phone conversation and my agreement to consider purchasing the cartridges from his company.

I was so impressed with Jeffs perseverance and the fact that he kept such good records, that I DID place the next order with him. AND I moved him up a few notches on our vendor list, so that he was always one of the first three we called when we needed to order supplies.

Why did he get the order?

1. He kept good records.

2. He was persistent.

3. He asked me SPECIFIC questions.

4. He called when he said he would call.

5. He asked for a COMMITMENT.

He did NOT ask a vague question like, "Do you sell a lot of these cartridges?"

He was very SPECIFIC and asked when we would need to order this product again.

GET COMMITMENT
Instead of saying, "I hope you will think of us the next time you need to order," he asked a SPECIFIC question:

"Will you consider ordering from us the next time you need these cartridges?" When I answered, "yes," he had a definite COMMITMENT from me.

And Jeff did NOT make a vague statement like, "I’ll give you a call in a few months."

He said SPECIFICALLY, "I’ll call you two weeks before you need to order."

He told me EXACTLY when he would call back, even naming the date. Then he asked, "Okay?"

Jeff became one of the top salespeople in his company and was later promoted to head a new department. I was not surprised.

About the Author

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