How do you approach a potential location?

[BanderSnatch]

I mean, what do you bring with you? & what's your pitch kinda deal?

Do you walk in there empty handed? do you walk in w/ a folder/presentation?

If so, what does that folder contain?

just kinda give me/us the breakdown of what you bring w/you & how you present your self w/your pitch etc..

I have been really un-organized the whole time I did it, I want to get organized now.

thanks!

[nam]

It can be done many different ways as we are all different. I change myself according to what I feel like doing at the moment. If I'm going out planning to make a day of just locating in all kinds of businesses, then I'll dress nice in nice slacks and shirt. I will usually walk in with a very small binder with some pictures of machines, pictures of locations with the machines, business cards, locating agreements, etc.. If I'm servicing my accounts and wearing jeans or shorts because I'm delivering a machine or in general dressed more casual, then I might walk in some businesses with nothing in hand and just tell them who I am and explain I was just servicing another location close by and thought I'd stop in while I was in the neighbor. Some times I catch them off guard because they don't know I'm a salesman at that point. If you walk in with any type of briefcase, dressed nicely and looking for the owner, they may tell you the owner isn't in when you are talking to them. lol I've asked employees if the owner was in and watched the owner in the background tying to signal "No" to the employee. So to a certain extent, I may decide to walk into some small business looking like a service guy or a customer but not in other businesses. I'm not gonna call on the mall manager or a nice restuarant in shorts and tennis shoes if you know what I mean. There I want to look professional and come across as someone worth their time to listen to. I want some pics with me in case i get to talk to them so I can do a quick pitch without having to go to my car and come back in. Might not get a second shot. I don't use any type of canned presentation and try to do just the opposite. I want them to see I'm relaxed and know enough about my business to speak without some canned presentation. My presentation is going to change according to the type of business and machine I'm wanting to place. It's going to change according the machine being charity or commission. I'm not used to charity yet and alot more comfortable talking about commission as that is what I've always done in the past. Anyway, these business owners or managers get so many sales people calling on them that if they listened to them all they wouldn't get anything else done. Really. I try to be direct and respect their time by usually letting them no quickly what I'm there for. I let them know I can tell them what I want in 5 min. or less or even 2 min. or less if a charity call. I try to pick out a potential spot to place the machine while waiting for the manager or owner to come out. I'm going to already have something in my mind to say before greeting them in case they are the first one I talk to in the business. I think the basic info such as not taking up much space, providing good service, etc. is something that most of us know how to do. As you make more and more sales calls you get more familar with each type of business. You will learn quick examples and stories about similar businesses with the same machine and their successes. I love showing pictures of locations with my machines and dropping names that hopefully they know that do business with me. It's much harder for me now as I'm totally new and starting over out here. For me, once I start making friends with owners and give good service they start telling their friends about me and thats when it gets really easy! Depending on the situation, sometimes I'd pay them for the referrals and sometimes not. I think you need to be flexable in the way you approach your business. Learn the business well enough that you can be comfortable and just talk normally about what you know. Don't try to memorize a presentation. It doesn't work as they will know that is what you are doing and won't respect you for it. Each business is different and so are the owners. Go with the flow changing as you need to for the circumstance. Well, guess books have been written on this subject and don't want to start another one here. You will get better with experience and the more you do it the better you will get. Take pictures of each location, write down all the names of the people you speak with so when you come back you know their names. Make friends, laugh and joke around with them so they like seeing you come in the door. Before long they will be telling you to go to this business and that business belonging to their relatives and friends. Eventually, you may not even have to done much cold calling anymore but by the time that happens you don't mind doing it anyway. It's really fun!

Oh my god - it's a book.  :shock:  Sorry bout that but hope it helps someone.

nam

[BanderSnatch]

Hey Nam! Thank you! very very much!

that was really good stuff, & I'm glad you emphasized on "A prepared Pitch" isn't organic & it's obvious to the owner that I am pretty much repeating some pitch & they see I haven't made an effort to do something original for them etc.. I understand now.

I seriously did that a few times, & I realized that not only did I not get the location. But, I got the worse responses from each location i did that at.

And number 1- I Wasn't into it at all! I mean at all! Like I didn't care one bit about what I was doing, there was no real integrity etc.. behind what I was saying u know?

anyway, thanks nam!