There is an old saying in the coaching profession, “there is no such thing as a late bloomer.” While that may not always be true, in my many years of training and developing new sales representatives 2 things are true most of the time. First, you can never tell who the winners will be at the start of the race. Second, you can be certain who they won’t be after the first leg.
Today we are going to talk about how to get off to a fast start as a new sales representative selling ADT. Make sure you attend your dealership’s orientation training and learn about ADT, the products, the methods of lead generation, and how to organize and give an effective sales presentation. If your dealership does not currently have such a program, ask about attending my webinars offered each week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 11 AM EST. You need this orientation before you attempt to start talking with people about ADT.
Upon completion of orientation the very first activity you should do is to create a list of everyone you know. Friends, relatives, neighbors, people you spend money with, and people you know from the various clubs and organizations you belong. Fortunately, finding this list is easy. You already have these people in your phone contacts. Do not make the mistake of prejudging them regarding their likelihood of becoming a customer. The true value they represent is in their ability to promote your business to their network of acquaintances. Their value as a network of promoters far outweigh their own decision of whether to become your customer or not. Start with this group before you venture out marketing to strangers. You have influence here and that is power!
Once you have your list, the next step is to identify those people on the list who you believe would be most interested in giving you their help. Notice, I didn’t say their money. People generally are willing to help you if they know and care about you. Now it’s time to reach out to this group and ask them for a few minutes of their time.
When they answer and you have exchanged the customary pleasantries, get to the purpose of your call. Let them know that you have recently begun a new position working with an Authorized Provider for ADT. There is a good chance they have already heard of ADT. Regardless, let them know that you have just completed your orientation and your boss suggested that you reach out to some of your closest friends and relatives and ask for the opportunity to come by and share a bit about ADT and their products. It’s important to say right up front that you aren’t going to ask them to purchase anything. In fact, I recommend you tell them that if they have an interest, they will need to ask you for pricing. Let them know the two most important reasons you are coming by is so you can gain some experience talking to people about ADT and so that they will know what it is you do. Knowing that you are in the ADT business puts them in position to recommend you to others they meet who might be looking for a smart home security system.
You can expect some of these early meetings to result in new sales. However, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. The more people that you tell that you are in the ADT business, the greater the chance becomes that you will begin to receive calls from people who know someone or are interested themselves in talking to you about one of your systems. I find it curious that new people joining our business prefer to call on total strangers when they could spend time talking with people who know them and care about them. When I inquire why, the typical two responses are “I don’t want to embarrass myself because I don’t know everything yet” or “I don’t want to take advantage of my friends and family and put them in position of feeling pressure to buy from me.” Relax you know more about ADT and our products then any of your friends and family members. As to the concern over taking advantage of them, don’t ask them to buy! If they are interested, believe me they’ll ask you. And some will!
One last thing about making your list. Don’t forget to include the people you buy from. You might have a realtor, an insurance agent, a mortgage broker, a lawn service, etc. These are all people who value you and want you to be successful at whatever you do. They will do whatever they can to help you be successful including referring their other clients to you, handing out your card or flyers, and even agreeing to invite you to come into their office and speak to their peers.
There is an old saying about the fallacy of expecting things to come to you undeserved. It goes like this, “Don’t wait for your ship to come in, if you never sent one out.” As soon as you leave orientation, make your list and start meeting with the people you know so that your network becomes energized and new prospects flow to you like a river.