Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 93

How to Sell Effectively to Cities, Counties, and School Districts

Cities, counties and school districts can be difficult when it comes to implementing energy efficiency projects.  The only clear way to success is winning them over with concise, persuasive measures that appeal to their needs.  So, how can you gain their attention?

What Value Can You Bring to the Table?

Most people plan their pricing from the perspective of cost when they should be pricing their offerings based on the value they create. Perhaps you’ve heard the story about a guy who takes his car into the shop, watches the mechanic as he fixes his engine in a jiffy, and says, “Wow, that was easy. How much do I owe you?” The mechanic says, “That will be $100, thank you.” Shocked, the customer says, “But you just tapped the engine once!” The mechanic confidently replies, “I charge a dollar for the tap and $99 for knowing where to tap. So, would you prefer to pay in cash or with your credit card today?”

Breaking into a New Company or Sales Territory

When you find yourself in a new company or exploring a new territory, the first thing you have to do is build rapport.  Make sure people know who you are and what you specialize in. 

Going Exponential

Over the past twenty years there has been an explosion of data-based companies surpassing their “traditional” or “linear” counterparts. Most of this is due to how virtually free and accessible information is these days. Instead of maps, customers opt to use GPS systems or apps like Waze. Taxi services have largely been supplanted by Uber and Lyft. Dating has expanded into digital interfaces like OkCupid and Match. Keeping appointments or maintaining interoffice workflow has been streamlined by content creators like Google (Calendar, Drive).

Weekly Recap, September 19, 2021

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

It’s the Little Things

Summer is over and Fall is upon us; however, milestones like the beginning or end of a season aren’t the only times you can step back and re-evaluate how you’re going about your day-to-day activities.  That can happen anytime.  Anytime is the right time to push yourself to be better. 

The 4 Rules for Non-Mutually Exclusive Projects

There are two kinds of projects out there: non-mutually exclusive projects and mutually exclusive projects. 

Is Your Closing Ratio Suffering?

If you have a lousy closing rate, what are you doing wrong?  It's usually a combination of talking to the wrong people and saying the wrong thing in your proposals.  Perhaps you’re not addressing objections or really asking for the sale.

Timely Follow-Up

Too many salespeople fail to appreciate the importance of timely follow-up.  They don’t realize it’s what truly gets the job done.  It’s often said that it takes seven touches to make the sale, and it’s tough to execute seven touches without an intense appreciation of follow-up. 

Overcoming the “We Don’t Have the Money” Objection

Most prospects are spending money on an overly large utility bill when they could be making principal and interest payments on new equipment that would save the difference and more.  Nevertheless, you’ll hear the same objection, “We don’t have the money.”