The Juice is Worth the Squeeze
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I recently sold to a customer who hadn’t purchased from us before.
I’m sure this happens daily at your business or shop, and, believe me, it does here, too, but this sale was different.
Way Back in March…
A shop owner hopped on our website and started an Olark chat (read as: one of those pop up chat platforms, but with a non-sucky interface and real people on the other end). He needed a price on a reman unit.
After covering the fun year/make/model basics, I learned he wasn’t in our system yet. Oo score. He asked for more information on the warranty, and I emailed it right over. Our entire interaction wasn’t more than 15 minutes, but I felt good about it leading to a sale.
Later That Day…
He replied with another question. I answered back. He told me he knew where to find me if he made the sale on his end.
5 Days Later…
I had an email from him to price check another vehicle entirely. I replied. Question. Answer. Follow up. New Quote. You get the idea.
And On and On…
He emailed me bright and early (well before I’d had a cup of coffee). He texted pictures of a core to my phone while I was at a trade show. He asked about a transfer case while I was on vacation (which the Dapper Dan handled beautifully).
To say this went on for a while is an understatement.
“But wait,” you ask. “Haven’t you only been talking to this potential customer since March?” Yep – March of 2013.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “It’s been over a year and you couldn’t close this guy? Geez, you must be lousy.”
Trust me, I thought all of those things and worse. What was I doing wrong? Why wouldn’t he buy from me? And where the heck was he getting a better deal?
I dusted off my sales girl hat and tried a different approach. The next time we talked, I asked about his customer. Was it a regular or someone new? Call in or brought their car to the shop immediately? Warranty or price sensitive? High miles? Older car? Only car?
At times, I felt like I was coming off too interested. But he always answered my questions – and I made sure to mimic his chosen communication method and cut the convo short if he seemed busy.
Sounds like a lot of work? You bet. But who said easy sales were fun – or profitable?
Yes, this particular customer went through an atypical sales cycle. But when he was finally ready to give us his business, it wasn’t just one order followed by a bunch of headaches. He quoted 3 units at once, bought another unit, and was quick to make decisions. He even gave us a review and shared constructive feedback about our process.
Now, no one can guarantee how many more transmissions he’ll buy from me. But I do know that hard work in the face of a sales opportunity never hurts – no matter how long or hard you have to squeeze.
As Director of Customer Experience, Jennifer Porter is all over the place. From trade show coordination to sales, there’s no aspect of our customer experience that she’s not on top of. That’s why she’s the perfect person to share how extra effort is worth it in the end. Think it’s worth it? Comment below or share with Jennifer directly.
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