3 minute read
I can think of a couple reasons why you might want your roofing sales rep to fail. You really want to get rid of him, and poor sales will be a great excuse. Or, you have so much business you just wish he would have a few weeks of poor sales so your production teams can catch up! Another possibility, the sales rep is so aggressive and pushy that you keep getting complaints and it could hurt your company reputation.
I can think of several more reasons, but I hope this starts you seriously thinking about what your company and sales goals are for your roofing business.
NOPE – NOT ME
If one of the suggestions above is NOT your thinking, then it’s quite likely you do not want your salesman to fail. Most of us in business do want additional clients and more sales, (especially if those jobs are profitable). In my many years of experience, salespeople fail from one thing more than any other… they fail to ASK for the appointment, or if they get an appointment, they fail to ASK for the job. Even worse is the roofing company website that promises really stupid – even outlandish things.
MORE ISSUES
Salespeople often ring the doorbell or knock on the door, and then stand so close to the door that it scares the hell out the homeowner. Standing back away from the door gives a much more comfortable feeling to the person answering the door. A hungry and aggressive salesperson all too often is in such a hurry and wants to get inside and sell, they fail to realize how intimidating they are.
TOO BUSY TO LISTEN
Customers, me included, want the sales rep to LISTEN to my concerns and issues. Often, we need important (to us) questions answered but the rep is so focused on selling his product that he nods but doesn’t hear what the client is saying. A few month ago, after a hurricane took off part of my roof (SW Florida) I had a roofer come out to inspect and write a proposal. He didn’t want to get involved with the adjuster, yet the adjuster had questions I couldn’t answer. The sales rep “had to get to another appointment.” We hired someone else.
TRYNG TO BUILD A RAPPORT
As a sales coach, I spend a lot of time teaching my coaching clients understand the importance of, and the right ways to build rapport with prospects and customers. One of the big strategies that many coaching clients come to me with, is the idea that they are out there to “make friends.” News flash: not one prospect or customer a sales rep calls on is looking to make new friends. Almost ALL of us already have plenty of friends. No homeowner answers their door saying, “I sure hope I can make a friend today with a door to door salesman.”
Salespeople often tell me they are really good at chit chat, purportedly to build some kind of warm and fuzzy connection! Most people are too busy for a lot of unnecessary generic talk about this, that, and the other thing. Don’t get caught in that triangle of thinking because they respond to you, that they welcome it. They probably don’t.
Contact me at 419-202-6745 or [email protected]
By Dick Wagner, Co-Founder The CREST Network, LLC
Nationally recognized coach, consultant, trainer, and speaker
Creator of the renowned PREP™ pre-disaster program