Sell By Not Selling

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Sales Strategies for Remodelers: How to Close Without Pressure

Why Traditional Home Improvement Sales Tactics Fail

When you are doing home improvement sales quit going to the home trying to sell something. It is what’s making you not sell. Especially if what you do is a one-call close. People have a natural fear and resistance to a stranger coming into their homes... Put yourself in their shoes. If you had someone coming to your home tonight to give you an estimate.. translation “try to sell you something “what would you be thinking? Would you be having thoughts of joy and excitement or be thinking “I hope that they’re not going to be here a long time. I hope that they are not going to be pushy and obnoxious.  I hope that they know what they are doing”. I think you know the answer.

Understand the Customer's Mindset Before You Knock

So when you go to someone’s home and have old-fashioned ideas like ABC always be closing this is a recipe for a selling disaster. The only time you should be closing is after you have sold them and they want your product and think it’s worth it. You can’t make them want it and think it’s worth it unless you go through your sales presentation and you can’t do that if they won’t let you because they are wary of you high pressuring them.

Sales Is Like Seduction: Don’t Rush the Close

I always use the analogy of selling being like a seduction and for some reason, it makes sense to more people. When you first meet someone even if you are attracted to them do you start the date by saying now if you like me will you come home with me. When they say no then throughout the date do you keep mentioning it and say things like “And now will you come home with me?’ Would that bring their resistance up or down? What most people do is just enjoy the date and see how it’s going so they can get to know each other and see if they are quote “sold” on each other. Only at the right moment ..usually at the very end and if it’s right for both people do you bring it  up “Would you like to come up for a drink.” Does this make sense? If it doesn’t then at least then maybe this post will help your social life 😊

The Right Moment to Close Comes Naturally

Selling is similar in that you don’t start trying to close immediately and keep asking them to buy the whole time. You should wait until the end until after they are sold on your product that you ask them to buy.  Now there’s nothing wrong with ABS or always be selling but it’s how you look at what selling really is. Selling should be you giving them an education on the value of what you have and how it would improve the quality of their lives. If you do that effectively then they will be sold in a more organic way vs having something pushed on them. It’s not only that you don’t ask them to buy until the very end but the demeanor you have throughout the whole sales call. A demeanor of not trying to sell them but to educate them. An example of the difference might be something as simple as the at the beginning the customer saying that they can’t afford to do anything right now and are just getting estimates, so they know what they have to save up for.

Sales Strategies for Remodelers: Educate Instead of Push

ABC or always be closing would respond with “Well what if we could make it affordable to you now then would you still have to wait.” ABS Always be selling by educating and would respond with “Not a problem I’m just here to give you an education so that way if you ever decide to do anything you know what’s involved and how much you have to save up for. Actually, I'm glad that you don't have to do anything right now because that way you won't be pressuring me like everybody else I see and want this to be installed tomorrow. This way we can just have fun and you can see what we do.”

The Power of Non-Pushy Communication

The first response will increase that natural fear of you being a high-pressure salesperson and the second way will relax them and make them more receptive to what you have to offer. That’s why even if I plan to do a one-call close I always tell them at the start that the estimate is good for 90 days and it relaxes them even more. The more they think you are there to sell them the more their sales guard will be up and the more resistance you will get. I remember one time I had a salesperson who was in a slump and the few jobs he did sell were canceling. Probably because they were just highly pressured into buying. The first thing I noticed when I met him at the house and he pulled up was that his license plate said “Closer” on it. How do you think the customer feels when a salesperson shows up and they see that? I told him to park on the street in the future where they couldn’t see his plates 😊

How to Lower Sales Resistance in the Home

So go to the customer's home with the frame of mind that you are not there to sell them but to give them an education. If you can do that then any of the natural resistance they give you at the beginning which is really just a fear of being sold your responses will come naturally and effectively. 

Set the Tone from the Start

“I not buying anything today. “No problem I’m just here to show you what we do” If it’s more than 10,000 you’re wasting your time.” I’m just here to give you an education so that’s fine.  “I don’t want a sales presentation” No problem I’ll just find out what you are looking for then show you what you get for the money and how much it is and then you can think about it as long as you want how’s that?” Btw then I go ahead and take them through that in an organized manner commonly known as a sales presentation.

What NOT to Do: A True Sales Story

Remember the first thing you should be doing in the home is lowering their guard and sales resistance not raising it. Coming into the home with the attitude that you are just there to give them an education and don’t care if they buy are not will be the best thing you can do to lower that guard. Once the guard is lowered then you can show them what and how you do it and that will make them want it then in the close you can create urgency. Trying to create urgency before they even want anything is a rookie mistake that even a lot of seasoned salespeople make.

Final Sales Strategies for Remodelers: Relax, Educate, Connect

When you try to sell people something it makes you seem desperate and it actually makes them want to buy less. That’s why when people get a sales slump they start to push and try too hard and it actually makes it worse. When I am coaching someone and they are in a slump the first thing I tell them to do is that the next home they go to is to go there with the attitude that they get paid the same whether they buy are not and are just there to have fun and to help them.  . They should go there with the mindset that they are just there to give them an education.

Shift the Energy, Shift the Outcome

So the next home you go to have fun and just give them an education. For more information like this please check out the post on features and benefits and for when you are really closing check out the list of posts on closing.  Happy Selling.