How do you ask an account for their business.

[stacey]

I would like to get an idea  on how I can ask for the biz better,  you know after I've talked about my company, addressed their concerns, and addressed how great  our  service can be for them etc my closing/asking for the business  sucks..  I think alot of times a newbie can miss the boat on this one especially if your new to the sales biz.      What I am wondering is how do some of the seasoned full line vendors ask for the business at the end of your meeting and close the deal? 

Thanks in advance

SW

[grumpy]

Stacey,

May I make a suggestion, you say your "closing sucks". Try roll playing with a friend, family member or partner. The more at ease and confident you are they better the approach will be, including the closing. Also during your presentation do not put all the emphasis on the closing, during the presentation ask questions to help measure the response of the audience.

Go shopping for a used car, or new car, listen to the approach of the salesman take these as lessons on doing sales but adjust them to your style. If you buy a car or not is not the purpose of this exercise. Car salesman have a guideline of overcoming all objections during the initial visit, they do this as they know that there will probably not be a second chance. ( see their is free education out there)

And remember you will not close all calls, but the ones you do not; you can thank them for there time and ask them to remember you for the future. Also because you will be dealing with management you can ask them for a critique after the thank you. Something like this well thank you for your time, may I ask for a favor? I have been working on my approach to building my business and would like you to point out a few things that have swayed your decision to take my business or not depending on situation.

 

[nzvendor]

Hi Stacy,

In "closing out an account" I find that like many things, information is key. Firstly, you must gauge their interest on whether a vending machine would interest them and their current situation - this involves telling them a snippet of what you can offer, and asking them questions - about staff, food options they already have etc etc.

Then, whether they want a vending machine or not, you  present your proposal to them in detail. Notice I state "whether they want one or not"...now the reason I say this is that you may need to persuade them that having a vending machine in their location will actually benefit them. Often people have had bad experiences in the past (with vending), and you assuring them on the excellent service you provide may turn that 'no' to a 'yes'.

You must be passing these two stages alright...so; Now to the closing part.

If your presentation has gone well, and their interest in having a vending machine has increased, then there are obviously going to be a few choices/steps to take next:

• Organising a time for another meeting/phone call to discuss the deal further. Often business owners/managers are keen but need to talk it through with other people in the company (unless they are a sole proprietor). This is where you hand them a business card if you havn't already, and ensure they have your contact details. You then proceed to pencil in another date in your diary; including a time and place and away you go. (This is especially true for larger companies that may need to put the idea of having a vending machine through the workers union - i'm currently in this situation now with a fresh food vending machine).

• If they want a machine, and do not need more information, then make a date with the business owner/manager/whoever you talked to to drop the machine off and service it. This may be after hours/in hours. It depends...I'm sure you can iron that out. Thank them for the time, and say something along the lines "it wil be great doing business with you"..or "i'm sure your workers will love the new addition to the staff room"...be creative here! You've just started a business relationship with this person.

• If they are just plainly unsure, and your presentation went well, then ask them if they would like to view the machine, more pictures or even get more information to them. Be proactive not reactive. If they dont seem to keen, just keep being positive. State the times you can drop the machine off...mention that its a free service (or mention the fact that they get a commision - if that's what your offering). If they don't respond to any of this, say that you'll clal next week and give them time to think about it! Thank them for their time, and say that you look forward to contacting them in the future.

Ultimately your offering the business a service. Be bold, yet polite, confident but not arrogant, and ensure that you are always polite! Getting locations is like having a relationship with 100 people. Some are awesome, some your just on friendly terms with, and some are your worst enemies. Not every busness owner/manager will love your pitch.

Easiest way to combat this: Get thick skin, and remain positive!

All the best,

Chris

Retro Vending

NZ

[grumpy]

Wow Chris,

Great respose, I like it even better then mine. I think I will use some of those ideas for myself.

 

"Be proactive not reactive"

Ahh! My favorite saying, to my management.

[nzvendor]

Thanks Grumps!

I like the people side of the vending business! Makes the whole thing worth while sometimes!

[mississippizip]

What a great question! It got me thinking about my own thoughts of fear and nervousness to go out and locate (I start this week). But it got me thinking and here's what I've got to offer here and to myself...

1. Rebutals

When I did telemarketing in college, we were given a script for every no they could possibly imagine with a rebutal answer. When they gave me a particular objections, I read that answer.  So I sugget writing a script a home. Write down all the rejections you are getting and formulate answers for them. This way you aren't scrambling for an answer you haven't thought about before that moment. I'm not quick on my feet usually so this will help me. (BTW, I was the top seller in the office, so this must work.)

2. No's not an answer option.

Try to formulate questions or statements that they can't say no to. In fact, don't give them yes or no questions. Give them multiple choice questions: "Would you like the green machice or the marron machines? - "Of my candy selections, which is your favorite?" Don't help them be negative.  (This is a sales tatic I remember a sales friend told me once.

I hope this helps. If I think of anything else, I'll post it here.

[stacey]

Chris, great post.  I appreciate how you broke it down in different senarios.  This helps me with ideas on how to handle different situations when closing.

Mississippizip is on to something.  Formulating an answer for rejections Iam getting is awesome,

most of my rejections are "Were have a vendor whom were fine with but as I grow Iam sure I'll come across more. 

It would be great if we could share some of our  Rejections and how they were handled.

Thanks guy

SW.

[Summit Vending]

Stacy,

Another thing to remember is this. When being questioned make sure your response is not um,um,um,um. Pause between answers or reply that is a good question and give yourself a moment (not to long) but enough time to formulate your thoughts. If you dont know the answer to a specific question tell them you dont know but will get them the answer asap. Opening the door for another meeting perhaps. Just a thought.

Brian

[nzvendor]

No problem Stacey. If you keep turning up at locations that already have machines there are a few things you can do!

Ask to see the machine

• check it out
• see what stock they have in there
• Is it dirty? Clean?

Then if there are any staff around, ask them about the machine. Ask if they are happy with it and the stock in it.

I've done this a few times, and I came across one particular vendor 3 or 4 times in a row, and it turned out people were sick of his machines - they broke down, didn't give change or the staff were just plainly sick of the food in the machine staying the same 24/7 365 days of the year! BAM - there is your golden opportunity.

Now i'm not saying you should go around looking for other vendors locations to oust them from. Be ethical about it! If a business is genuinely fed up with another vendor, offer them your services again and leave! See what happens.

This way, you get to know a little about your competitors and what things are working..or not working for them!

Hope this helps,

Chris

Retro Vending

NZ

[towelie]

I don't know much about vending yet but I know a little about marketing and if I coud make a suggestion it would be to make sure that you leave something besides your card and a flier with the person in charge and their secretary.

Cards and fliers will most likely get thrown out soon after you leave if they don't have an immediate interest. You might want to try pens or magnets with your info on them. One of my favorites is a candy dish or maybe a smal gumball machine with your company logo. Then if you stop back in a month or two you can refill it for them, this might give you an opener as to why you are there.

The idea is to have something in their office with your info when they are actually having a problem with the current vendor and are considering a change.

Just my 2 cents

[mississippizip]

That's such a great idea! Gimmicks are always fun.

Even if you can't afford giveaways with your logo (this could get costly, especially if you are starting up), at least leave a little bag of candy with your card tied to it. You want to reach their craving spot. So if they don't have a machine, they might want one later after eating your candy. They'll start to wish they had easy access to candy "cause now they crave it." And maybe you'll get a call back in a few weeks.

If nothing else, it makes you seem friendly and personalable which can never hurt.

[nzvendor]

Thats definitely a good idea! Good post!

I spose a follow up call would always help too

[naraol]

Lots of great ideas here, great post.

[stacey]

You guys give some great tips and  think  this post really can help  out newbies or even vieterans  because it  gets you to thinking.

thanks 

[antoniocinisi]

What a great question! It got me thinking about my own thoughts of fear and nervousness to go out and locate (I start this week). But it got me thinking and here's what I've got to offer here and to myself...

1. Rebutals

When I did telemarketing in college, we were given a script for every no they could possibly imagine with a rebutal answer. When they gave me a particular objections, I read that answer.  So I sugget writing a script a home. Write down all the rejections you are getting and formulate answers for them. This way you aren't scrambling for an answer you haven't thought about before that moment. I'm not quick on my feet usually so this will help me. (BTW, I was the top seller in the office, so this must work.)

2. No's not an answer option.

Try to formulate questions or statements that they can't say no to. In fact, don't give them yes or no questions. Give them multiple choice questions: "Would you like the green machice or the marron machines? - "Of my candy selections, which is your favorite?" Don't help them be negative.  (This is a sales tatic I remember a sales friend told me once.

I hope this helps. If I think of anything else, I'll post it here.

this is very true,I also see it with people that try to sell me crap at my pizza shop.

don`t ask any questions where the answer is no because that will put that person in a negative state of mind,increasing your chance of getting a no yourself..

very good advice on this thread guys!

[22931805]

Great ideas here, especially leaving a product sample.

I ran a business for 20+ years.   Unless I was really in need of the product I usually threw the cards and fliers in the trash before the salesman was back in his car.  Magnets, key chains, etc. often were thrown in the trash(or given to kids to play with).  Pens would sometimes get used but, as a businessman, you generally don't want to advertise for someone else, so they wind up in the garage , a tool box, etc.  Product samples either got used or sat on the desk for a while, but they remained visible.  And everytime I saw that sample I thought about the salesman and his offer.  This may be an expensive marketing tool but I think it is more effective.