Intro by Skip Cohen
Bev and Tim Walden have spent years building their strategy for successful sales. While it starts with an incredible product because of their skillsets, it closes with understanding client behavior and creating a foundation of trust.
Bev’s put together an e-book of Selling with Suggestions. While the book usually sells for $59, she’s lowered the price and given you a link to the first few pages. Whether you buy the book or not, just this teaser should be enough to help you better understand the concept and strengthen your selling.
Your greatest marketing tool is relationship building. While it starts with the initial customer contact, the power is in the sales process. You’ve got to build trust and exceed client expectations, and nobody does it better than Bev and Tim Walden.
By Beverly Walden
From a Forbes magazine article, we hear from Marc Weiner who describes the three different approaches to sales. I thought it would be interesting to share.
Here is his list…
ONE: Only respond to things like requests for proposals and requests for quotes. RE-ACTIVE.
In this model, buyers compare their options side-by-side using one set of criteria. This gives them an “apples-to-apples” comparison. Price is the major factor. You have limited ways to add value.
TWO: The second method is to be an “order taker.” There really is no “selling” required. It’s simply a matter of passively gathering orders. ONLINE SALES.
THREE: The third method commonly used by traditional salespeople involves pitching your products and services to prospects in hopes that some of them will buy.
This third way reminds me of what Tim’s dad used to say, “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.”
In the past, traditional sales models may have worked “most” of the time.
BUT…we can no longer do what we have always done in today’s competitive and crowded marketplace where everyone is now a photographer.
We end up living the definition of insanity which is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.
What do we do? How do we handle sales? We created a fourth option.
Years ago, we took a risk and decided to do what we now call Selling with Suggestions.
Here’s the idea…
We are the experts! We prepare a finished sale before the client walks through the door, including the main portrait choice(s) and all other multiple products we want to present to the client.
This allows the client to feel comfortable with trusting the experts (you) when it comes to purchasing portraits that will last a lifetime.
When you take control of the salesroom, many things happen.
You take charge of the sale and the client’s decisions become a response to the expertise that only you can provide.
Customers WANT to trust in an expert- they crave it! They are relieved when they feel that they can trust in someone who really knows what they are doing and that they are getting the BEST product, because you have given them the best information that only you, as the artist, can give.
Create the path today to focus on qualified buyers who will pay you well and also be a delight to work with.
Imagine a highly responsive list of clients who return to you time and again because they believe in you and feel that you are always there for them.
What a dream situation!
