Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 40

Guinea Pigs or Winners?

If you're selling a new, cutting-edge product, you may find that your clients’ perception of risk makes them unwilling to embrace the unfamiliar. Organizations tend to be risk-averse, and will often shy away from new concepts until they see a proven track record of success. Here's a personal example of how I've dealt with this issue in the past: 

I was once on a conference call with a group of municipalities who were being offered a new interest-free financing option from their electric utility. So far, none of these groups had taken advantage of the offer, despite the obvious benefits. When I asked why no one had jumped on the deal, I heard nothing but silence. Finally, someone spoke up and said, “We don't want to be the guinea pig.” 

Overcoming Landlord Objections, Part 2

Today, we’ll continue with a couple more ways to inoculate your presentation against objections like “My tenant’s leases are all ‘net’ – why should I care about efficiency improvements?” 

Overcoming Landlord Objections, Part 1

When you approach a landlord with an efficiency project, one of the most common objections you may hear is, “My tenant’s leases are all ‘net’ – why should I care about efficiency improvements?” The next time you’re presenting an expense-reducing capital improvement to a landlord whose tenants might be the beneficiary of the resulting savings, be sure to mention one or more of the following points. They will help inoculate your presentation against the objection “My tenants stand to get all the savings.” 

How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success

Whether we’re aware of it or not, societal conventions and norms often dictate how we approach success and career development. Are you climbing the ladder the way society “expects” you to, or are you carving your own path to success? Convention says you have to start from the bottom of the totem pole and work your way up, right? Not necessarily.

Weekly Recap, March 5, 2023

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

Trick Your Brain into Focus

Losing focus at work is a pervasive problem and a huge waste of money for employers. What can you do to prevent this? If sheer willpower doesn’t cut it, there are a variety of online tools to help you take control of distractions. You can block distracting sites on your computer using services like Freedom. If you want to take a less extreme approach, consider RescueTime – this service tracks your computer usage and creates reports showing how you spend your time. Whatever your method of choice may be, cutting out time-wasting activities can greatly increase your productivity at work. 

Take the Time to Understand Your Prospect's Segment

The next time you’re preparing to sell to a prospect, ask yourself, “Do I know the ins and outs of this prospect’s industry?” If your honest answer to this question is “not really,” do yourself a favor and take the time to understand what that prospect measures to gauge his/her success in business. Read the relevant trade journals, research the company’s history, and talk to people you know in the industry. The more you know about the industry and your prospect’s place in it, the better equipped you’ll be to demonstrate value that your prospect will appreciate.

Partner Up With Non-Competitors

One of the best ways to grow an efficiency business is to partner with non-competitive vendors or service providers. There’s a trick to doing so, though. Most “salespeople” look for a non-competitive vendor who could send them leads.  Sales professionals, on the other hand, find non-competitive vendors for whom they can create new business. Why? Because it’s not enough to assure a potential vendor partner that you’re not going to reduce their current business volume if they were to send you leads. Why should they take the time to play ball with you? However, if you prove that you could be a fertile source of new leads for their business, you’ll capture their attention, and they’ll likely use whatever mechanisms you put in place to facilitate sharing of leads.

Make a Lasting Impression

Once you’ve made a good first impression, keep the positive relationship alive by leaving a lasting impression. Here are some ideas on how to leave a good impression: 

Send a thank-you note. This is not only a nice gesture, but also a sneak preview of who you are and what you have to offer.

Got a Meeting? Make it a Walking Meeting

Before you head into your next meeting, watch this TED Talk by business innovator, Nolifer Merchant, on how you can bring about new ideas that may be in opposition.