Imagine going to the doctor because you suspect you might have brain cancer. Before he begins the examination, you say, “I was looking online, and I found another doctor who will do an examination for $49.95. Your receptionist says you charge $120. Is that the best you can do?” Then when he gives you his recommendations for treatment, you reply, “Well, I was talking to my brother-in-law the other day, and he says I should do something different.”
That would never happen. Why? Because, you see that doctor as a trusted advisor. And, because it’s crucial for you to avoid or get cured of cancer, you’re more concerned with getting the best “service” possible! Price and the advice from “non-professionals” does not enter into the equation. How many times have you had clients question your price and your recommendations? It happens all the time to floor dealers. There are a lot of reasons for that, but one of the big ones is bad positioning. Because they don’t know better, most dealers inadvertently position themselves more like a used car dealer rather than a trusted advisor. Ask yourself, do the behaviors of my sales staff and me position us more like doctors, or used car salespeople?
Doctors have a specific process.
Do you have a specific sales process that you control? Or does the client walk in and control the process? A Design Audit is an effective tool you and your salespeople can use to take control of the process. By asking the walk-in client to sit down with you for a 15-minute Design Audit, you immediately gain control. When a client requests the price, don’t give it out until you have taken them through the Audit. When they ask for a price, or what you would recommend, re-direct them by saying, “That’s an excellent question. Buying flooring is likely the biggest interior decorating decision you will ever make, so to give you accurate recommendations (or a price), I’d like to do a 15-minute Design Audit. It will narrow down the thousands of options and ensure that you get the absolute best product for your unique situation. It will also enable me to give you an exact price quote.”
Doctors won’t “do anything” to get the client to buy.
Do you agree with all your client’s demands, even when they are unreasonable or fall outside of your business systems? Do you “cave in” on price? Do you allow them to control the process for fear of “chasing them off”? Doctors rarely, if ever, do that. Acquiescing to all your client’s demands will position you as desperate, not as a trusted advisor. I’m not suggesting being totally inflexible, but many dealers go too far the other direction, and as a result, position themselves as a shady salesman rather than a doctor.
One key to avoiding the “doing anything” syndrome is being willing to tell a client no. I can’t describe how utterly liberating it feels to tell a stubborn or disagreeable client that THIS is how you do it. If they don’t want to do it that way, perhaps they would be happier going down the street. (Then hand them a photocopy of the yellow pages with your competitor’s names.
Doctors have compelling reasons for the client to use him other than low price.
Our Inner Circle members have access to many strategies and systems that allow them to present solid, compelling reasons for clients to choose them over the competition other than by the “cheapest” price.
A key to success is setting up the sales environment ahead of time.
- Client visits your store after seeing an ad full of testimonials or calling in and listening to a 24-Hour FREE consumer awareness message
- She gets offered a beverage
- She sees more testimonials and photos on your “brag” wall.
- She gets handed a copy of your 100% Iron-Clad Triple guarantee … that NO ONE else has or promotes
- You take her through the Design Audit
- During the Design Audit, you hand her a copy of a Confidential Case File booklet (more testimonials)
- Etc.
These are a few of the things you can do to set yourself apart entirely. They are compelling reasons to buy from you other than price. If a prospective client begins to be difficult or demands that you do things outside of your process, you can turn her down with confidence knowing that you have presented her with a service that utterly blows away your competitors.
It won’t happen often, but if, after seeing all those compelling reasons, a rare “price resistant” client still throws a low price from another dealer in your face, then you can remind her of your guarantees and ask her if that other dealer offers the same thing … in writing. You can also ask if they have given her a stack of testimonials that prove they honor their warranties and prove they provide outstanding service. If she says no, then ask her if it makes sense to entrust the largest interior decorating decision to a store that can’t provide testimonials or a “No Regrets” guarantee, or a “Lifetime Installation Warranty.”
If someone still wants to beat you up on price, (a true rarity after all this), realize that person is NOT your ideal client and have fun with it. Tell her that if she is interested in cheap price, there are many other local or online dealers that can help her. As you say this, hand her a photocopy of the yellow pages with your competitor’s listings.
Doctors don’t “Sell.” They give professional recommendations.
A Design Audit turns the entire selling process into a true consultation. What’s the first thing the doctor does when you see him or her for the first time? They sit down with your file and ask you a series of questions related to your health. They find out what your specific needs are. They then can give their professional recommendations.
When you sit down to do the Design Audit, it automatically positions you as a trusted advisor, like the doctor. Yes, it’s a selling tool and, yes, you are going through a sales process, but it doesn’t feel like that to the client. At the end of that Audit, you are armed with your client’s specific needs and the ability to give professional recommendations rather than “sell.”
Doctors don’t permit a violation of their personal or professional time-limited access.
If you own a mobile showroom, this is a perfect opportunity to promote the idea that you “work by appointment only.” That is a powerful positioning tool because all highly paid, respected professionals work by “appointment only.” Doctors, CPA’s, financial planners, and high-end interior decorators are never available at the drop of a hat. You have to make an appointment. Sometimes it takes weeks to see them! Does this hurt their business? Far from it! It creates the perception that they are in high demand and that their service is highly valuable.
The Showroom
If you have a mobile showroom, use “by appointment only” to help create the perception that YOU are in high demand and that YOUR services are highly valuable … After all, they are! If you don’t have a mobile showroom, there are several things you can do to create the perception that you are in demand and that your service is valuable.
First, when a client comes into your store, take control of the process, as discussed earlier. That immediately lets the client know that you aren’t desperate. Second, providing lots of testimonials proves that you are in demand. Third, when it comes time to schedule the in-home visit, you ARE working by appointment only.
The trick here is NOT to say, “I’m available all this week. When is a good time for you?” That makes you sound too available and not in demand. What I do in this situation is look through my calendar, and as I’m looking I actually say, “My services are in pretty high demand, let me see where I can fit you in. Are mornings or afternoons better for you?” I then give them two appointment options based on what they tell me. “I have one next Tuesday at 3:30 or Wednesday at 2:15. Which is better for you?”
Key Point: I do this even if my calendar is TOTALLY EMPTY! If I have a staff member handling my schedule, I ALWAYS use scripts and train him or her to do and say the same thing.
The Schedule
Another key is to decide your schedule ahead of time and then stick to it. For example, if you only want to do in-home visits two afternoons and one morning each week, block these out in your calendar and stick with it. When it comes time to schedule the appointment, if they want a morning slot, say “Wednesdays are when I do morning appointments. I have an 8:30 or an 11:00. Which is better for you?”
Apply this to your personal schedule as well. If you don’t work weekends, then don’t allow a client to pressure you into a weekend appointment. After all, you’re building your Ideal Business and your Ideal Lifestyle. Don’t allow clients to rob you of that.
I have done this for years and I rarely, rarely ever lose a client by sticking to my guns. And the occasional client that I do lose is generally a demanding, pushy, inconsiderate person that I don’t want as a client anyway. Having a set of standards and procedures by which you conduct business not only positions you correctly, it acts as a filter to screen out the clients you don’t want. Bonus!
Doctors act in their client’s best interest.
First of all, this does NOT mean allowing a client to violate your time, and it does NOT mean charging a cheap price. The medical profession – in general – is very good at acting in the client’s best interest, but good luck finding a doctor that will allow you to violate his professional or personal time and beat him up on price. If you do manage to find a doctor who allows this, do you really want him doing brain surgery on you?
One way to act in the client’s best interest is by making quality recommendations. Again, the Design Audit is a fantastic diagnostic tool that 1) demonstrates to the client that you intend to act in her best interest, and 2) gives you the information you need to do so.
It also means being honest, even when it costs you a little in the short term. For example, you get an order of carpet and cushion but discover that the cushion is a lower grade than the client ordered. It would be very easy to go ahead and install the lower grade without telling the client. But, a dealer that acts in the client’s best interest will handle this by 1) calling the client and letting her know what has happened and that there will be a delay, and 2) giving her the option to choose the lower grade cushion at a reduced price.
That’s really a character issue. If you genuinely care about your client’s best interest, it will be easy for you to implement the tools and strategies to fulfill that promise. If you don’t care about your client’s best interest … if you’re willing to do things that would benefit you but harm your client … then you need to shift your values or do something else for a living.
By applying the lessons learned from doctors, you will position yourself as a trusted advisor, gain respect, and have the power to charge higher prices than your competitors.
To Tons Of Customers!
Jim Augustus Armstrong is The “Coach”
Jim Augustus Armstrong is the President of Flooring Success Systems, a program that equips dealers to double their profits, cut their work hours in half and beat the boxes! Many dealers have totally transformed their businesses and their lives for the better after joining Flooring Success Systems.
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