Supersize your sales

“The population is more diverse and educated now,” said Gary Ross, CEO of Allies in Leadership. “They’re demanding better value to their money and that’s what hardscape does.”

At Hardscape North America, Ross said that homeowners want to get more involved in the process now, but that can lead to overbearing homeowners that might eat up your time. He suggests setting up a time to go through the project with the customer and honing in on your benefits and features to upsell.

Your first impression. “The first thing you sell is yourself,” he said. Keep your appearance professional and be prepared with all your materials prepped and ready.

“Ask questions, and then listen to the customer,” he said. And ask open-ended questions to build a rapport with the potential client.

When you meet your client, have an opening sentence ready to go, introducing yourself and your company. Give them a statement about the prospective job and weave in emotional phrases like “outdoor living space” or “family gathering area” to appeal to the customer.

Using a referral. Ask customers to give you information about the referral. Find out what the previous customer liked about the project to open a dialogue about the potential project. “This way you may have something in common with them and open up the dialogue,” Ross said.

Features and benefits. “You have to take the description of features a little further,” he said. “You want to identify the advantage of that feature.” Ross said contractors can use these three tips to describe features and benefits you can offer.

1. How does this feature save them money?
2. How is this feature going to save them time?
3. How are you going to relieve the customers' stress?

Upselling. Customers see you as an expert, so your opinion will be valued. When you upsell, you are exposing the customer to other options that may not have been previously considered. Ross said there are two versions of upselling: cross-selling and add-on selling. Cross-selling suggests a premium version.

Add-on selling benefits. “There are hidden opportunities in add-ons,” he said. “You’ll have an increased sales volume and you’re adding value to the customer.”

“The moment of transaction is a moment of trust,” he said. The best time to upsell is the time when the buyer is already buying. View upselling as doing the customer a service when you’re explaining to them the additions they can add.

Invite the customer to give you feedback. Ask if you’re in alignment with their thinking and if they understand the add-ons you’re describing. And, at the end of your meetings be sure to ask “When can I start your project?”