(Time to read this Blog article is about 60 seconds)
While speaking at a Conference in Denver this weekend I decided to explore downtown a bit…and off I went. When the weather suddenly changed for the worse, I hailed a cab for the short $6.00 ride back to the Hyatt. That’s when I met Amin from Eretria (in east Africa).
Amin thinks like a businessman. He looks for opportunities and asks for the order. He asked where I’m from and what brings me to Denver. Then, he asked me the ‘money’ question. “When was I flying back to Toronto?” Amin warned that the hotel would offer me an expensive limo to the airport while he, Amin, offered me and money-saving flat rate, any time of the day or night. “I’d love to have your business” he said as he handed me his business card with name and cell number.
This Amin guy is sharp. In just two minutes he turned a $6.00 fare into a $70 add-on sale. He understood the possibility, he was prepared, he asked for the order…and got it. How else could you be helpful to your customers or prime prospects? Have you listed all the possibilities? Are you prepared and have you the guts to nicely ask for the order?
A few years ago my wife and I bought mountain bikes to have more healthy adventures. As soon as we selected our bikes, the young ‘keener’ salesman handed us an ‘Info Sheet’ listing on one side of the page all of the available accessories for our new bikes, from front to back. On the other side of the page was a complete list of all the accessories for us, from head to toe. There was a checkbox beside each item and a price range of product available. This included books, maps and guides about biking in our area, an invitation to join their Cycling Club and the name of a travel agent who specializes in organizing luxury bike tours of France, the Netherlands and Italy. Brilliant.
The accessories came to more money than the bikes…and with much higher gross margins. This shop was sharp, they understood, they were prepared and they nicely asked for order by giving us the list.
In my experience, about 80% – 90% of your target customers are not aware of all the value you offer…and it’s not their fault. The easiest and most profitable way to grow your business is sell more ‘help’ to the people who already like you and trust you. So what might this look like in your business? How soon will you sit down with the best minds and hearts in your business to explore this extraordinary possibility?
