Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 142

Using Digits-To-Widgets™ with Homeowners

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Imagine you're going to sell an energy efficiency upgrade to a homeowner, and you're going to save them some serious money. How do you make that compelling and emotional?  As true sales professionals know, the promise of saving money rarely spurs a prospect into action.

Asking Better Questions

Asking the right questions is essential in your interactions with not only your prospects, but also the customers you already do business with.  Of course, what you ask relies on what you learn about their industry, their place in it and the decision-making process that will bring your project to fruition.  Breaking this down to the basics, here are other essentials you need to know in order to make a compelling case:

How to Tell if Prospect is Fishing for Quotes

I’ve had several students approach me about how to tell whether a prospect is legitimately interested in their offerings or just fishing for price quotes.  There are a few ways to figure this out, with an emphasis on asking the right questions and carefully weighing their answers. 

Big (Inbound) Changes Ahead

Part of our new Selling in a Recession online curriculum addresses how the nature of sales is changing at a rapid rate.  One of the most notable changes is the elimination of in-person face time between a sales professional and a prospect.  With the emergence of the internet and online sales titans like Amazon, the nature of making a purchase has become a matter of pointing, clicking and placing an order.

Weekly Recap, May 17, 2020

Here are our favorite sales-enhancing tips from this week's Selling Energy Blogs...

Attaining Your Dream Life

Although we’re living in lockdown, that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to stop planning for the future.  Before we became sequestered in our homes, we had goals and dreams to fulfill, and we can’t forget them, even if they have fallen by the wayside.  If anything, nurturing them can motivate us while we adjust to our current situation and the bumpy road ahead.

How to Address the 'We Don’t Have the Money' Objection

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Virtually everyone in the business world today is dealing with economic uncertainty.  You’ll likely hear a common objection, “We don’t have the money right now.” 

Making What’s Important More Urgent

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You may be convinced an energy-related solution you are proposing could drive important benefits for your prospect. However, your prospect may ignore or reject it in favor of something “urgent” because urgency usually trumps importance when people evaluate how to invest their time and money. 

Quotes to Inspire You

Bite-sized wisdom can go a long way.  This is why I include quotes in our daily emails, on social media, in presentations and, occasionally, in these blogs. They’re simple and short, but always impactful.  They often give us encouragement at just the right time, urging us to stay on the right path and continue striving for success.

Writing Succinct Emails

I have a rule of thumb that when I send an email, I make sure that if it’s viewed on a smartphone, you can get through it in a few swipes.  In my experience, if it’s longer, people start assuming, “Wow, this is a book.  I’ll read this later.”  And how often do they actually return to finish reading your tome?  Not often.  That’s how emails fall through the cracks.