Many years ago I worked for Circuit City making commissions by selling a/v equipment. One day I was working with a gentlemen late in the evening who had shown interest in some very high end stuff. I spent some time walking him through all the pieces that I thought he'd be interested in. I will admit I was nervous about asking for the close; mostly because the amount of money for the purchase was so high ($7500+). So instead of pushing to close, we talked about our families (both having grown up in the same state) and some of our different college experiences. It was a good conversation and since the sales floor was slow I didn't mind it. About 40 minutes before the store was to close I went for it and asked if he wanted to purchase tonight. He said some unforgettable words: "Sure Bill, I'll go ahead and take everything that you showed me." I netted over $400 on the sale. Did my rapport building, rather than pressure to close, get me the sale? I like to think that maybe it did.
Here are 3 things you might not be doing, that you should, which can improve your lead conversions:
1) Selling yourself
Let's face the facts. Competition is stiff. You're selling widget A for $899 and the people down the street are selling it for $869. Sure your widget might be a bit bigger but down the street they are giving customers their widget free for the first 30 days. What is one way you can set your widget apart from theirs? YOU. Renting an apartment is a big commitment. People are waiting to be WOW'd and want reasons to buy into what you're selling. Getting them to let their guard down and trust you is the key. How do you do this? Here are some tips:
2) Lead Nurturing
Every prospect is different. Some are in a hurry. Some want your constant attention. Some just want to know you're out there and will get back to you. What is lead nurturing and what is the goal of a good program? Lead Nurturing is the steps you take to build relationships with your prospects, regardless of their time to buy and type of prospect they are. The goal of any good program is to move leads from one stage to another in order to make them a paying customer (or resident). Here are some quick tips to help develop your lead nurturing plan:
3) Social Media Strategy
We all know the importance of social media. Lots of businesses feel that social media is used to get more sales. True ... but I like this statement better: "If I use social media to create something of value for my customers, THEN I will get more sales." Thank you Lisa Petrilli, you nailed it. If your prospect sees the value you've built in your brand because of your working social media strategy, then you can convert more people.
I didn't fully understand it back when I worked at Circuit City but I understand it more now. Sometimes people don't want to be sold to. They want to buy it from a friend. Until next time....
Thanks to Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net for the Photo.