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Sales Training Article:In-Home Selling: Set Up YourSelling Base Camp
by Skip Anderson Selling to Consumers www.SellingtoConsumers.com
If you sell to consumers in their homes, you know that being on the prospect's home turf adds an interesting dynamic to the sales process. Crying babies, prospects leaving to pick up their kids from soccer practice, and prospects preparing dinner during your appointment are just a few of the distractions that can occur during a sales call in the home.
How can a sales professional manage to move a prospect closer to a buying decision when there are so many distractions in the prospect's home?
One technique that helps build sales momentum is setting up a "base camp" early in your sales call. Assuming that the salesperson will be on site for more than five or ten minutes, creation of a home base can provide structure to a sometimes very unstructured environment. Having a base camp can help to focus distracted prospects.
The mistake so many salespeople make is that they're in and out of the prospect's home without taking time to sufficiently develop rapport or encourage prospects to engage with them. Even if the salesperson sells products that will end up outdoors (landscaping, playground equipment, or siding for example), the salesperson should set up a selling base camp inside the home.
The best home base for many selling situations is a kitchen or dining room table. This is usually a comfortable setting for both the prospect and the salesperson, and allows any of the participants to easily take notes, review printed materials, or have a sip of coffee. If the salesperson has a presentation book or PowerPoint presentation, the table is a perfect place to view such items.
Here's how to set up a base camp in your prospect's home. After introductions and small talk, you ask, "Do you have a table that we can sit at to get some things ready?"
Here are the important elements of that statement.
› If you don't ask for a table, some prospects will take you to a sofa or a chair. Sitting in a sofa while your prospect sits across the room in a recliner usually doesn't make for an effective selling situation, so make sure to ask for a table.
› Its important to say "...that we can sit at..." because you want to signal the prospects that you intend to have them join you in this sitting position at the table.
› Saying "to get some things ready" encourages the prospect to relax and not feel like you're going to corral them into a long, tedious presentation from which they cannot escape. Once there, you get out your notepad and pen, or whatever materials you typically use during your in-home sales calls, and proceed with the business at hand.
The base camp is a convenient location to introduce your products or your company, to build rapport with your prospects, and to begin questioning prospects about their needs and desires. It's also an often ideal location to schedule a follow-up appointment or to ask the prospect to buy.
When campers go on week-long camping trips, they set up a base camp, and then go on day hikes to surrounding areas. They always return to the base camp. Depending upon what you sell, you may need to get up from your selling base camp with your prospect. For example, you may have to go to the utility area if you sell furnaces or the garage if you sell garage storage products. But returning to the table will give both you and your prospects a venue to continue your sales dialogue until the sales calls comes to an end.
Having a physical location to which the salesperson and prospect can return repeatedly helps anchor the selling relationship. Just as roots anchor a tree, the base camp helps to provide stability to the salesperson/prospect meeting.
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