FRANCHISE SELLING TIPS: #7
THE APPROACH:
THE FIRST 30 SECONDS ARE CRUCIAL
As you know, there are three "basic" steps in selling: The Approach, The Demonstration, and The Close. All three are involved, calculated, and must be planned out prior to making or taking a call from a prospective franchise candidate. "Closing" certainly isn't the last thing you do, as you are always "closing" if you're good and highly skilled. But the "Approach" must always be first, and is the most important step of the three. Blow it, and you'll never get to the other steps.
The first 30 seconds are critically important. The best way to make them count is to involve the candidate and arouse his curiosity. When you do this, you have equalized your candidate's mind.
What do we mean by this? Obviously, not everyone you speak to regarding our franchise opportunity is going to be a lay-down sale, which means they are coming to the table with either a little or a whole lot of info in their head about why they are not interested in what you have to say.
Here's a great way to equalize them: "Hi, Bill, this is John Smith and I'm calling you from JANTIZE America Franchise . Have you heard about the remarkable things that are happening within our franchised network?"
What happens when you do this? Several exciting things: You've (1) Gained immediate control through the asking of a question; (2) Caused the prospect to think about what you asked, thus diffusing his or her natural and immediate [negative, defensive, etc.] feelings toward your call; (3) Aroused a sincere curiosity; (4) Involved the prospect by requiring their participation by saying "What do you mean?".
WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?
DON'T ANSWER THE QUESTION. Proceed with something like: " In a moment, I'll tell you a little about those remarkable things, but first may I ask you a question?"
Again, you've stayed in control with another question, and may now begin to uncover needs. Ask a couple of minor open-ended questions such as
"When you think about going into business for yourself, Bill,
What are your most important considerations? or
If the perfect business existed for you, what would it be like?
While the "Big 3" in sales is always Approach-Demonstrate-Close, remember the Approach is the critical first step.
To get to Step 2, you'd better involve your candidate by arousing their curiosity and neutralizing any prejudices they may have.
No go sell something!
