Here’s a great example of how to get new customers involved in your marketing:
A few weeks ago, I stopped into the Shell station to fill up my tank with gas. I think it was probably a Saturday morning after I was coming back from the gym. I usually do some cardio work on Saturdays.
As I drove into the station, in the middle between the two rows of pumps… there was a table fille with bottles of car waxes and cleaners stacked on top of it.
There were 2 guys standing behind the table – clearly sales people – and I remember thinking to myself… “Ok, so this is what all the suckers will be buying today.” And I smiled and laughed to myself, thinking, ‘Boy am I glad I know about selling.”
So I’m filling up my gas tank, and the guy comes over to me and says something like, “Good morning sir, would you like me to clean your car windows for you.”
“No thanks. I’m probably not a good prospect for you, but thanks anyway.”
But… he wasn’t finished with me. In fact, he was just getting started.
I spent a lot of years in belly-to-belly and telephone sales situations, which are MUCH easier than selling in print.
And I’ve always said, the best tools you have in these situations, are your eyes and your ears.
Why?
The answer is simple.
Because if you WATCH and LISTEN to what your buyers are saying… then you know how to react and how to sell to them.
And this guy was no dummy, so he used his tools.
He also knows that “no” really doesn’t mean “No.” It just means, you need to work harder to get a “Yes.”
So looking for opportunity, he noticed I had a 4-inch streak on the rear passenger door of my car, that looked like “black gunk.” I don’t know what it was or how it got there, but I know WHY it was there.
The universe put it there, so this guy can sell me some magic car wax.
He says, “Hey, would you mind if I wiped that nasty stain off?”
It was kind of bothering me, especially because it was also on my rear passenger window a little bit, so I said “Sure.”
Big mistake.
He cleans it off, flawlessly and effortlessly, with a small little squirt of his stuff.
He has two bottles in his hands and he sees I’m intrigued, so he gets me even further involved. He asks me to hold one of the bottles in his hands, for just a minute, so “He can show me something.”
Of course, when you get your buyer to hold your product, it’s not so you can do anything other than get them looking at what’s inside, how it works, and so they can start becoming connected to your products.
That’s why good sales people at those mall kiosks, always get you involved with their pitch.
Anyway, the product was really cool. It’s basically a patented car cleaner. And what makes it unique is it cleans as well as polishes and shines, with one squirt.
It’s also unusual in that it won’t streak.
So if you clean your windows with it, and then you smear your dirty, sweaty fingers across the window, you still won’t see a thing. It’s almost like there’s a protective coating on whatever you’ve just applied it to.
I’m sure if you’re in this business, this isn’t any more revolutionary than say, a pencil is to writing. But it sure had “a bad prospect like me,” pretty engaged.
The guy was a great sales person and really knew how to pitch and demonstrate his products.
In fact, I admired his salesmanship and his pitch so much, and the product was useful to me… I wound up buying some of it.
Of course, I didn’t need $71 dollars worth, but hey – If you want to stop by and wash your car with me sometime… trust me, I got plenty of cleaner for us to use.
Have a great week.
Now go sell something, Craig Garber
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How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers:
listening to:
Xanadu – Rush (1977)