Many times we are asked to pick up a few things on our way home from work, so why not pick up a quart of money every day on our way to the office by making one phone call and doing one demonstration?
Many salespeople do not work retail hours. Some work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. We believe you will make much more if you sell during the hours that people buy and when most decision makers are home. This usually means working from noon to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays.
The good news is that this allows sales staff to be with their families and enjoy personal time but still have a full week of great selling time.
A successful salesperson many years ago explained to us how to get an appointment—and maybe even a sale—every day on the way to the office. That’s what this article is about: the power of just one phone call on the way to work, in which you sell POU coolers to businesses. We estimate this will add more than 300 appointments to your total for the year and add significantly to your income. Salespeople need to do a minimum of two demonstrations per day. Here is a way to do one before the workday even begins.
Getting the Appointment
There are a lot of great ways to get these appointments. We suggest you send a mailer or e-mail to set up the appointment and introduce yourself, followed by a phone call to finalize the appointment and visit details.
There are two approaches that work well in today’s market. One approach is, “Save 50% on Bottled Water” and the other is, “We Will Pay for All the Water Your Employees Drink for the Next 90 Days at No Cost to You.” The latter approach means you would sell or lease a POU cooler with no payments for 90 days.
These tactics and other similar ones are good for getting the attention of the person who handles bottled water for the office. It is important to let them know that you will only take up a little of their time and save the company money.
Doing the Math
When selling POU coolers, we recommend a short business-like presentation. You might let a potential client taste the water and explain a bit about your company, but you should have a form where you ask a few questions and
- How many employees at this company?
- How many water stations do you have?
- Do you own or rent these stations?
- How many bottles of water per month do you purchase?
- Where do you store the bottles, and how many?
- Do you ever run out of water?
- Has there been a recent price increase on your coolers or water?
Here is an example of common numbers you may be working with:
- Number of employees: 25
- Number of coolers: 3 at $15 per month = $45
- Number of bottles: 24 at $7 = $168
This imaginary company is spending $213 per month on coolers and water delivery. Can you lease them three POU coolers for less? The answer is, yes. Usually you can save a company about 50%. Most importantly, they won’t have to lift or store bottles, or call for more water to be delivered, and the price never goes up on a POU cooler once it’s purchased. This is a great presentation that takes up little time when you learn to do the calculations with a prospect.
Calling on Neighbors
While you are there, why not call on neighbors? In commercial complexes, neighbors are nearby, and you have a great in by telling them their neighbor just switched to your water and it saved them 50%.
Vertical Integration
Every time you sell to a company, call on the other people in that industry in your market area. For example, if you sell your POU coolers to an automobile dealership, call all the other auto dealers. When you drop the name of the company that just switched, you are well on your way to another appointment. Most business people in an industry are very interested in what their competitors do to save money and are interested in finding out more.
Keep in mind it takes three weeks to form a habit. If you make one POU cooler sales call on your way to work every day, it will become a habit; a habit that starts your day on a victorious note, one that starts your day with a sale and a burst of income. It’s like stopping off on your way to work to pick up a quart of money...
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