The best sale I ever made was not the biggest, nor was it the largest commission I ever received. Actually, I received no commission at all. No, the best sale was one I made when I was training a salesman who represented one of my clients, selling a line of private security systems – burglar alarms.
I was on a training call with the company’s only salesman, Jerry. Jerry had been with the company for several months and the owner was concerned that Jerry was barely making a living, let alone making his quota. So I was hired to find out where Jerry was lacking and to correct it. The reason this was the best sale I ever made is that I made it to demonstrate to another sales person what could be done instead of quitting.
During the first 30 minutes of the sales call, I sat quietly while Jerry went through his opening remarks and then asked some good questions of the couple who lived in this comfortable, if small, home together. The object of his questions was to determine if there were any items of value in the home that the couple would hate to lose. The value could be intrinsic or sentimental to the owners. It didn’t matter.
It turned out that there were objects of value that the couple would hate to lose, especially the husband. Jerry learned that Richard, the husband, had spent a few years in Japan serving in the U. S. Army. While there, he had acquired a collection of porcelain dolls that he had shipped back home. The dolls had increased in value through the years. In addition Richard acknowledged he would hate to lose them because of their sentimental value.
He had enjoyed his time in Japan and his porcelain collection was a happy reminder of his days in the peacetime army.
Jerry closed by saying that for $300 now and $30 a month he would assure that his porcelain dolls and everything else in the house would be protected in case of an attempted burglary. Richard said it was kind of expensive and the monthly would add up. After a few feeble attempts to complete the sale, Jerry started to pack up his papers in preparation for leaving.
Jerry had done a reasonable job until this point, but he couldn’t close the sale. This was obviously his problem. There is a classic book on the subject by Elmer G. Leterman called, “The Sale Begins When The Customer Says No.” Jerry was quitting before the sale had even begun.
It was my job to help Jerry improve so I couldn’t just leave with him, so close to making the sale. Also, as an observer, it was obvious to me that Richard really liked his collection that reminded hm of his carefree days in Japan. And there was a part of him that wanted to protect his collection. So I said, “Richard, I’m curious: when you were in Japan what happened that made you want to take those dolls home?”
In all honesty, I don’t remember his answer but he went on for 15 minutes excitedly recounting his adventures in Japan. When he was finished, he turned to Jerry and said, “You know, I would hate to lose those dolls. Let’s write up the order.”
My question reminded him of his adventures years ago in Japan, and he connected his porcelain collection with those experiences. A few hundred dollars was a small price to pay to preserve those memories. Sometimes a good question is all you need to help a prospect sell himself.
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