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THE MOST EFFECTIVE SALES TECHNIQUE
ARE YOU FOCUSING ON YOUR CUSTOMER’S NEEDS?
We are often taught two ways to approach a sale: We either focus on the features and benefits of our product, or we focus on the customer’s needs and wants — the latter being much more effective. Let’s consider an example. When someone enters a hardware store, the sales associate has two options: They can either sell the drill bit or they can focus on the customer’s end goal, which
these questions down, I was able to redefine my answers, and my natural sales pitch developed quickly.
As the company grew and more salespeople were hired, this list became a great training tool. I was able to teach the new hires the most common questions asked by customers and the appropriate responses. Our training time was relatively short, but it was extremely effective. Once they knew the basics, my salespeople could get on the floor and up to speed in no time.
is to drill holes. If they are simply selling a drill bit, they will focus on the features of the product, including its sharpness and the variety of materials it can be used on. Or, in tent rentals, the salesperson might focus on how big the tent is, the material it’s made of, and the type of weather it can withstand. However, a more effective method of selling to the customer is to have their end goal in mind, not just the product they need to use to get there. If a customer needs to drill many holes in a short period of time, you can effectively
“The best sales people focus on customer needs, not on the features of their product.”
One of the most important things to remember is that most people have never rented a tent before coming to you. It’s not a common buying experience; people don’t know what they don’t know. Because of their ignorance, customers often don’t know how to purchase things from you.
The best way to tell if your customer doesn’t know anything about your product or their
point them to the correct drill bit. By focusing on their need, you are focusing on the customer. To do this, a salesperson must approach the situation ready to ask questions and listen, which is much different than showing up ready to explain the technicalities of your product. The best salespeople focus on customer needs, not on the features of their product. When I was first learning my way around tent sales, my mentor began my training by asking me a series of questions. He would ask, “If a customer tells you he wants to rent a tent that doesn’t kill his grass, what do you say?” I would respond with the best option for that specific customer, and we would go back and forth until my mentor was satisfied with my answers. From that experience, I created a list of eight questions that most customers tend to ask during the buying process. Once I wrote
primary need is if they lead off the conversation by asking about price. It’s human nature to ask about the things we know, and if the only thing your customer understands is the price tag, that’s what they are going to ask about first. As a salesperson, it’s your job to briefly address price but then steer the conversation toward your customer’s needs by asking clarifying questions. Then, price takes a back seat and you can uncover which product will best suit their situation, saving them from a bad buying situation. Understanding the process of sales is difficult, and there’s a reason why the best salespeople are professionals! Sales is more than just the ability to talk and make people feel good. The best salespeople take a customer-centric approach by interacting with their customers, asking the important questions and focusing on their customer’s needs.
–Steve Arendt
Contact Us • info@teecosolutions.com • 877-712-9172 • 1
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Conflict resolution is never easy work. One wrong move can trigger the fault lines in an already complicated relationship. On the other hand, nothing good comes of allowing an unresolved problem to fester. Finding common ground is a must, even when it’s difficult or painful. We’ve provided resolution practices for both internal and external affairs so that you can be ready to handle any conflicts that come your way.
heart of the matter within five times of asking why. Understanding and articulating the core of your issue will help you create a win- win scenario.
CREATE A WIN-WIN
In a win-win scenario, your conflict is resolved in a way that satisfies all involved parties. Ensure a win-win by taking these steps.
SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND
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Acknowledge the issue
“Good Leaders Ask Great Questions,” a book written by leadership guru John Maxwell, lays out the foundational concepts behind any effective conflict resolution session. Ask questions. If communication is a two-way street, then conflict resolution is a highway. Asking a great question starts the flow of communication. “Why?” is often the easiest and best question to start with.
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Find common ground
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Understand all sides
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Attack the issue, not the person
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Develop a mutual plan of action
“Five Whys” by Sakichi Toyoda is a method that you can use to untangle any issue. According to this principle, you can get to the
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Not defining the goals in a way you, and anyone in your organization, can clearly understand
The first quarter of 2018 is rapidly coming to an end. What steps have you taken to achieve the goals you’ve set for your business this year? How much progress have you made? Have you already logged a string of successes, or are you struggling? Business owners and entrepreneurs set their sights on a number of goals every year. The problem is that a lot of those goals are left unaccomplished due to flaws in the planning stage. Here are some common goal-setting mistakes.
If you need to make changes or recalibrate — do it! The longer you wait to adapt to changing circumstances, the longer it will take to find the right course. Even the best-laid plans can be disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. It’s up to you and your team to embrace change. It’s not uncommon for marketing strategies to evolve over the course of a year. You may discover that certain aspects of your referral campaign aren’t working. Trimming the fat isn’t necessarily easy, but taking the time to do so will set you up for better results in the long run. Don’t be afraid to make decisive cuts. If a strategy or a goal simply wasn’t a good fit, say goodbye and revisit it later. For now, take some time to review your Q1 progress. What do you need to do to make Q2 — and the rest of 2018 — a smashing success?
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Not having a tracking system in place to monitor and review progress
As you work toward your goals, it’s critical to celebrate the smaller milestones along the way. Recognizing achievements keeps your team energized and motivated. As part of the celebration, discuss what still needs to be done to accomplish big-picture goals. If you find yourself or your team falling short of expectations, use this as a learning opportunity. Evaluate your progress and see if you can identify any roadblocks. Did you give yourself and your team enough resources? Were goals miscommunicated? Did changes in your business, your community, or the economy affect your goals? How can you get back on track?
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Setting goals that are too lofty or unrealistic
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Not taking the proper steps to see goals through
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Not working together as a team to achieve goals
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Tent OX
The Tent OX Installation System was designed by commercial tent rental industry veterans Scott and Jay to reduce the cost of labor spent to install large commercial tents for festivals, trade shows, disaster recovery, weddings, and more. It includes 10 specialized tools that mechanize the most labor-intensive tasks, accelerating everything from materials handling and fabric roof panel pulling to stake driving and center pole pushes. Tent OX solves three key problems: low profitability, injuries on the job, and high seasonal crew turnover. An average job routinely takes several hours to complete and requires 7–12 people on- site. Tent OX meets this challenge by giving tent installation companies an integrated suite of machine-driven tools that shorten installations and enhance profitability. It replaces time- consuming, decades-old methods for installation with advanced mechanization techniques by reducing time and crew numbers. Tent OX takes over the most strenuous and potentially dangerous tent installation tasks, reducing crew injuries exponentially. Tent OX consists of five different model series of four-wheel articulated loaders with lifting capacities that range from 770–3,100 pounds. These machines contain three hydraulically powered tools, including a stake driver, stake puller, and fabric roof panel puller. It also includes several additional attachments that mount on the Tent OX’s articulated arm. Companies that purchase Tent OX report that they complete jobs much more quickly and they can reduce their crew requirements by 25–40 percent. These performance improvements reduce the cost of an installation dramatically, so tent rental companies can achieve higher net profit levels for each job.
COMPROMISE IS KEY
TEECO’S TIPS Most conflicts come from emotional wounds, and those wounds need to be healed. The only way to truly find a solution for both parties is to find mutual compromise. If you are coming from a place of understanding and working toward a win-win, then compromise is a natural stepping stone to conflict resolution. If you aren’t, compromise may just be a way to put a patch on the problem instead of actually solving it. Successful conflict resolution resides in these three ideals, and all of them require emotional intelligence. A certain degree of self- awareness and empathy is the foundation of finding solutions. When these traits are combined with understanding, an effort to find a win-win situation, and willingness to compromise, you’ll find your conflicts resolved in an effective, equitable manner that will maintain relationships for a lifetime. Cleaning Chemicals and Solutions There are two primary things to consider when it comes to chemicals for cleaning your tents. • TIP 1: Take an inventory of the type or nature of the most common stains your tent might have (e.g., tar, tape, mud, acid rain buildup, tree stains/sap). • TIP 2: Location, location, location! Different climates should be considered; what works in Boston may not work in Shreveport or Los Angeles. Certain kinds of deposits on tents can build up over time; it might be worth your time to assess and evaluate the stains that are unique to your area so that you can make a better decision as to how best to treat them. BONUS TIP An important note about rinsing your tents: When cleaning your tents, it is very important to completely rinse all chemicals and cleaning solutions. You might notice the effects of inefficient rinsing in the threads as they will break down more quickly than normal. Also, chemical residue will attract airborne dust, dirtying tents quicker. Thorough rinsing will help extend the life of your tents, and — just an idea — using a tent washing machine is a great way to ensure both complete cleaning and rinsing.
For more information on the Tent OX Installation System, visit their website at tentox.com.
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www.TeecoSolutions.com Toll Free 877-712-9172 info@teecosolutions.com
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Offering the best in tent washing & drying machines
PAGE 1 How Effective Is Your Sales Technique?
PAGE 2 Conflict Resolution Is More Than Just Compromise
Keep Up With Your 2018 Business Goals
PAGE 3 Teeco Tips
Vendor of the Month
PAGE 4 Book Review: ‘Extreme Ownership’
‘EXTREME OWNERSHIP’: HOW U.S. NAVY SEALS LEAD AND WIN
views on leadership. Their stories drop you right in the middle of the action, both on the battlefield and within the confines of corporate America, in order to teach you invaluable leadership lessons. The book is divided into three main points and designed to make it as easy as possible for you to apply extreme ownership in your own life. Leaders are responsible for everything and everyone within their purview. Willink and Babin make the bold assertion that there are no bad teams, just bad leaders. They use examples from the battlefield and the boardroom to show that all failures can be traced back to poor leadership. WINNING THE WAR WITHIN
show how simplifying plans and organizing priorities will improve your operational efficiency. While there is a need for clearly designated leaders, junior leaders must be empowered to make their own decisions — and their own mistakes.
SUSTAINING VICTORY
To drive their point home, Willink and Babin provide a plan for how to implement and sustain the concepts of extreme ownership. They highlight the importance of decisiveness and show you how to create planning checklists that enable your team to operate like one fluid unit. “Extreme Ownership” differs from other leadership books by emphasizing that there can be no leadership where there is no team. Its main points revolve around the importance of teams, not just individuals. Leaders who embody extreme ownership don’t just take the blame for mistakes — they own them.
Effective leadership is the most important key to success, and to say that “Extreme Ownership” will empower you as a leader is an understatement. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin use their experiences as former U.S. Navy SEALs to provide a backdrop for their
LAWS OF COMBAT
Simplify, prioritize and execute, and decentralize command. Applied to an office setting, these combat strategies
4 • Cleaner Tents For Maximum Profit • Teeco Solutions
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ARE YOU LOOKING TO PURCHASE A REFURBISHED TENTWASHING MACHINE?
These are limited in supply and supply is always changing. Email chandra@teecosolutions.com to Þnd out our current stock.
DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE A TENT WASHING MACHINE THAT YOUWOULD LIKE TO TRADE IN? Trade in your old machine for an updated model. We’ve paid customers from $20,000 all the way up to the original market price (depending on the age, size, and type of machine.)
As always, weÕll back up your new machine with a 5 year warranty on all parts and workmanship.
Email chandra@teecosolutions.com for a quote on upgrading your machine.
877-712-9172
WAYS TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT
When a lot of business owners think about customer engagement, they dwell on strategies that encourage people to buy what they’re selling. That’s far from the whole story when it comes to creating a loyal fan base that raves about your company. Customer engagement should be a constant initiative, not something that only happens when customers are thinking about buying.
MAKE PROACTIVE CONTACT If you only engage with customers when they are looking to buy, you’re a pricing company. Once a customer is shopping around, they already know what they want. They’re just looking for the best deal. Conversely, if you reach out to your customers to follow up, provide them with information, or even just share something fun, you’ll build brand loyalty. CREATE A COMMUNITY Speaking to your customers is great, but giving them a way to speak to each other can be just as valuable. Savvy use of social media is a great way to achieve this goal. Give people a reason to share their experience with your business and a forum in which to share it. Even better, incentivize. Offer customers discounts on future purchases for posting about their experience on Facebook. The more creative you are, the more engagement you’ll see. Engaged customers are loyal customers. But it’s up to you to engage them. Don’t fall into the trap of focusing only on customers who will buy in the next 30 days.
Engaged customers won’t forget about you. When the time to buy comes around, yours will be the first name on their lips. Engagement also drives word-of-mouth marketing. According to a recent Nielsen study, consumers rely on referrals from trusted sources more than any other form of marketing. If you give your current customers a reason to rave, they’ll spread the word. Here are a couple of ways to ensure that your customers become fans. BE PERSONAL Treat your customers like a number, and they’ll think of you the same way. Treat them like real people, and they’ll love you forever. Remember details about your customers, address them by name, and go the extra mile to develop a real bond. Mindy Grossman, CEO of Weight Watchers, says, “Our ability to create that one-on-one engagement with a customer is a point of differentiation and strategic advantage for us.” No matter your industry, you can create that advantage for your business.
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