A guy walks into a hardware store and says to the clerk, “I need a drill.”
Clerk says, “Well, not really. You want to make a hole.”
If you’re in retail and your customer comes in and says, “I need a drill,” or “I want a drill,” or “Where are the drills?” you, the salesperson, begin some response dialog.
REALITY: He didn’t come for a drill. He needs a hole.
Now you may have heard some version of ‘drill-hole’ in your career, but you have never heard what the situation is, how to address the buying motive, how to take control of the sale, how to gain trust, and how to create a vision of “outcome” in the mind of the buyer.
HERE’S THE REAL LESSON: (And it can be applied to ANY sales situation where the buyer is wanting a service or a product and needs your help to “find the right answers and achieve the required or desired outcome.”) If you ask, “What kind of drill are you looking for?” you’re asking an annoying, self-serving, time wasting, price-based question. Zero value to the customer. Wrong direction to close a value sale.
It’s likely the customer has NO IDEA what kind of drill he wants – and you, in your sales brilliance, are gonna point out the “drill aisle” and be done with it. You smile and say, “They’re in the hand tool area over by the wall” or “Here’s what’s on sale.”
NO! This is your opportunity to become an advisor rather than a traffic director. So far you don’t know WHAT KIND OF HOLE THE CUSTOMER NEEDS.
How big (what diameter) of a hole are you drilling?
What kind of material are you drilling into?
How deep is the hole?
Are you drilling inside or outside?
If you’re trying to show the customer the 3/8ths inch drill ‘on sale’ and the customer needs a half-inch hole, you’re gonna have an unhappy customer. If you know it’s a half-inch hole through a wooden post, you can recommend the right drill, and also tell them they need a “starter hole” with a smaller drill bit to ensure a perfect outcome.
OK, you get it! Drill – hole – want – need – outcome.
But how does this apply to you and your sales?
Well, it applies to every sale that everyone makes – including yours:
I need a filling in my tooth. No, you want to be healthy and pain free.
I need copies. No, you want to send a proposal in color that reflects your image and wins the sale.
I need a new roof. No, you want to have no leaks, and enjoy quality of life.
I need a credit card. No, you don’t have cash, or you don’t want to spend your cash.
I need tickets to a concert. No, your favorite group of all time is playing and you have never seen them before. It’s on your bucket list!
I need to find a restaurant. No, you need to eat.
I need new tires. No, how do you use your car now? How many miles are on your present tires? City or highway driving?
I need a flight to New York City. No, why are you going? What will you do after you arrive? Where are you staying?
NOTE WELL: Just because you don’t have what the customer needs, does not mean they no longer need it.
If I call a hotel to book a room and they say, “Sorry, we’re full,” I respond, “Oh, I guess I don’t need a room after all.”
Think past ‘sale’ to ‘genuine need and desired outcome.’
What does the customer need or want to do AFTER the sale is made? And how can you show him or prove to them that you have the answers, and you are the best choice to create the best outcome? A happy ending, if you will.
That’s what the customer is really buying: OUTCOME.
It’s not what it is (a perceived need) – a drill.
It’s not just what it does – makes a hole.
It’s the desired outcome – the result of drilling the hole.
As a salesperson, if you’re looking to successfully sell at your price, build a relationship, and earn a referral, you better stop selling the features and benefits of your product, and look to what happens after the sale – after the customer takes ownership.
GOOD NEWS: If you are able to find (by uncovering and asking for) the desired outcome, and agree that your answer, your solution, or your idea will be the best one – the customer will buy.
GREAT NEWS: When the outcome comes to pass, the customer will tell Facebook what happened.
Want insight on buying motives – to help yourself answer the question What makes me want to buy? Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the word EMOTION in the GitBit box.
Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
About the Author
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].
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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.
Episode 42 – Acquiring Management Experience focuses on how to gain management experience even if one does not currently hold a management position. Next, we’ll explore how to convey this experience such that it opens the doors to a management position within one’s organization. During our discussion, Wendy Powell, author of Management Experience Acquired: Necessary Skills for Successfully Managing Any Employee, shares with us her insights and illustrative examples regarding:
the opportunities to ascend into management given today’s economic conditions
what organization leaders are seeking in their managerial candidates
how to gain management experience when one does not hold the position of manager
how to effectively convey one’s management experience so to be considered for such a position
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About the Author
Wendy Powell is the author of Management Experience Acquired. With more than twenty-five years of human resource and management consulting experience, Wendy has spent most of her career at the University of Michigan. She is currently on the business faculty at both Palm Beach State College and the University of Phoenix. A member of the Society of Human Resource Management, she received a leadership award in 2002 from the Midwest College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. She is routinely featured on The Huffington Post and has appeared on Fox Business’s The Strategy Room. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and a Master of Arts degree in organizational management.
Individuals within organizations of all types frequently perform repetitive tasks demanding high levels of consistency and/or quality. In these circumstances, logically sequenced lists of activities serve to drive the desired consistency and quality without themselves being overly burdensome or time consuming.
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I get a ton of emails from people seeking insight or asking me to solve sales dilemmas. Here are a few that may relate to your job, your life and, most important, your sales thought process right now.
Jeffrey, I am a marketing and sales rep for a company that sells emergency cleanup services. I visit prospective customers almost daily, mostly insurance agents and property managers, and provide value. Given the nature of what we do, my biggest challenge is coming up with objectives for each visit. Do you have any advice for me? Roxanne
Roxanne, Bring a current customers that has just had a major cleanup. Talk to them about what happened before, what caused it, what happened during, and then what happened after. What was the outcome? If you’re really looking for an objective, if you’re really looking for subject matter to talk your customers about, what could be better than something you’ve already done and what could be better than the proof you could provide through the voice of your existing customer? Do that and all of your watermelon will come right from the heart. Best regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey, It’s a known fact you are a great believer in the teachings of Napoleon Hill, like many other sales guys out there such as myself. Expanding the sales team with the most suitable people can be a challenge, and if the person who selects the new sales guys is a fan of Napoleon Hill’s philosophy, then it seems natural that the new guys also should share it. How do you personally go about finding new employees, assuming you’re looking for people that share the same philosophy? Do you have a certain approach of recognizing if a person will qualify, in order to spare a potentially unnecessary meeting? David
David, No. There is no way. However, there are questions you can ask during the interview such as, “What are the most impactful books you’ve read?” instead of “Have you read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich?” This will give you a long list of books, or it will tell you the person doesn’t read books. I want to know the most impactful books the person has read. That will tell me a little bit about their philosophy. For example, if he or she is reading a John Grisham novel versus an Ayn Rand novel, I have a clue as to what kind of thinker the person is. If a person has read Woody Allen he or she will likely be kind of a humorist. Or maybe the person has read Dorothy Parker. But the bottom line is whatever that person has read is an insight into his or her thought process. Find that out and you will find out if you have a good person or not. Best Regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey, My company helps small B2B businesses plan a video strategy and develop web series and webinars to tighten their bond with their customers. I’m feeling a great deal of resistance from people about creating videos to grow their business. The objections seem to fall into two major categories: 1) fear of visually being on the web (in fact, their social media is probably non existent as well) and 2) I can do this myself. I can hire the kid next door. Besides leaving them a copy of Social BOOM!, which I do, what approach would you suggest? Pat
Pat, My recommendation is that you have examples of video testimonials from other customers, not just about a video testimonial of a third party, rather a video testimonial about you. It should be about how they were reluctant, about how they thought the kid next door could do it, about how they thought the price was too high, about how they thought they were ugly on film. All of the elements that you have as objections can be overcome by an existing customer who loves you. That’s the easiest way to do it so when you get the objection you can say, “Oh, you know what? You may be right, but let me show you how a couple of my customers feel about the entire process.” That’s the first half of your presentation. The second half should be examples of videos you’ve done that rock – examples of videos you’ve done that are up on somebody else’s Facebook business page or up on their YouTube channel that has 2,000 or 3,000 views. Your job is not to give a sales presentation. Your job is to show examples of how other people can use and profit from what it is that you do. Do that, you win. Best regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey, There’s something that has never made sense to me. I’m required to make cold calls as part of my daily routine. At the same time, my boss man could not be more put out by people that cold call him throughout the day and I agree with him. Yet every morning starts out with the same old “Let’s get smilin’ and dialin’!” Smile for what? You don’t even believe in what I’m doing! Scott
Scott, Have your boss sit down next to you and make cold calls himself. Let him piss off the same people you’re pissing off. Let him see what a total waste of time cold calling is – how it affects your mood, how it affects your belief system, how it affects your personal pride, and how it affects your attitude. Then start to call customers you’re already doing business with, customers who love you. Ask them if you can come over and help them out for an hour. Ask them if you can come over and talk about how your product is used. Ask them if you can come over and help build the relationship. Tell them you need to make a ‘good will’ visit. Those are the people who will invite you right in and talk to you for a half an hour and maybe help you earn a referral. That’s where the money is in sales, not in cold calling. Cold calling pisses off your boss. Imagine what it does to your customers. Referrals – that’s where the money is. Best regards, Jeffrey
Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
About the Author
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].
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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) American author and humorist
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Drill or hole? What are they buying – and what are you selling?
/in Marketing & Sales/by Jeffrey GitomerA guy walks into a hardware store and says to the clerk, “I need a drill.”
Clerk says, “Well, not really. You want to make a hole.”
If you’re in retail and your customer comes in and says, “I need a drill,” or “I want a drill,” or “Where are the drills?” you, the salesperson, begin some response dialog.
REALITY: He didn’t come for a drill. He needs a hole.
Now you may have heard some version of ‘drill-hole’ in your career, but you have never heard what the situation is, how to address the buying motive, how to take control of the sale, how to gain trust, and how to create a vision of “outcome” in the mind of the buyer.
HERE’S THE REAL LESSON: (And it can be applied to ANY sales situation where the buyer is wanting a service or a product and needs your help to “find the right answers and achieve the required or desired outcome.”) If you ask, “What kind of drill are you looking for?” you’re asking an annoying, self-serving, time wasting, price-based question. Zero value to the customer. Wrong direction to close a value sale.
It’s likely the customer has NO IDEA what kind of drill he wants – and you, in your sales brilliance, are gonna point out the “drill aisle” and be done with it. You smile and say, “They’re in the hand tool area over by the wall” or “Here’s what’s on sale.”
NO! This is your opportunity to become an advisor rather than a traffic director. So far you don’t know WHAT KIND OF HOLE THE CUSTOMER NEEDS.
If you’re trying to show the customer the 3/8ths inch drill ‘on sale’ and the customer needs a half-inch hole, you’re gonna have an unhappy customer. If you know it’s a half-inch hole through a wooden post, you can recommend the right drill, and also tell them they need a “starter hole” with a smaller drill bit to ensure a perfect outcome.
OK, you get it! Drill – hole – want – need – outcome.
But how does this apply to you and your sales?
Well, it applies to every sale that everyone makes – including yours:
NOTE WELL: Just because you don’t have what the customer needs, does not mean they no longer need it.
If I call a hotel to book a room and they say, “Sorry, we’re full,” I respond, “Oh, I guess I don’t need a room after all.”
Think past ‘sale’ to ‘genuine need and desired outcome.’
What does the customer need or want to do AFTER the sale is made? And how can you show him or prove to them that you have the answers, and you are the best choice to create the best outcome? A happy ending, if you will.
That’s what the customer is really buying: OUTCOME.
As a salesperson, if you’re looking to successfully sell at your price, build a relationship, and earn a referral, you better stop selling the features and benefits of your product, and look to what happens after the sale – after the customer takes ownership.
GOOD NEWS: If you are able to find (by uncovering and asking for) the desired outcome, and agree that your answer, your solution, or your idea will be the best one – the customer will buy.
GREAT NEWS: When the outcome comes to pass, the customer will tell Facebook what happened.
Want insight on buying motives – to help yourself answer the question What makes me want to buy? Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the word EMOTION in the GitBit box.
Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
About the Author
StrategyDriven Podcast Episode 42 – Acquiring Management Experience
/in Practices for Professionals, StrategyDriven Podcast/by StrategyDrivenEpisode 42 – Acquiring Management Experience focuses on how to gain management experience even if one does not currently hold a management position. Next, we’ll explore how to convey this experience such that it opens the doors to a management position within one’s organization. During our discussion, Wendy Powell, author of Management Experience Acquired: Necessary Skills for Successfully Managing Any Employee
, shares with us her insights and illustrative examples regarding:
Additional Information
In addition to the incredible insights Wendy shares in Management Experience Acquired
and this podcast are the resources accessible from her website, www.ManagementExperienceAcquired.com. Wendy’s book, Management Experience Acquired
, can be purchased by clicking here
.
Final Request…
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!
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Human Performance Management Best Practice 7 – Checklists
/in Human Performance Management, Premium/by StrategyDrivenHi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.
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Salespeople have questions, Jeffrey has answers.
/in Marketing & Sales/by Jeffrey GitomerI get a ton of emails from people seeking insight or asking me to solve sales dilemmas. Here are a few that may relate to your job, your life and, most important, your sales thought process right now.
Jeffrey, I am a marketing and sales rep for a company that sells emergency cleanup services. I visit prospective customers almost daily, mostly insurance agents and property managers, and provide value. Given the nature of what we do, my biggest challenge is coming up with objectives for each visit. Do you have any advice for me? Roxanne
Roxanne, Bring a current customers that has just had a major cleanup. Talk to them about what happened before, what caused it, what happened during, and then what happened after. What was the outcome? If you’re really looking for an objective, if you’re really looking for subject matter to talk your customers about, what could be better than something you’ve already done and what could be better than the proof you could provide through the voice of your existing customer? Do that and all of your watermelon will come right from the heart. Best regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey, It’s a known fact you are a great believer in the teachings of Napoleon Hill, like many other sales guys out there such as myself. Expanding the sales team with the most suitable people can be a challenge, and if the person who selects the new sales guys is a fan of Napoleon Hill’s philosophy, then it seems natural that the new guys also should share it. How do you personally go about finding new employees, assuming you’re looking for people that share the same philosophy? Do you have a certain approach of recognizing if a person will qualify, in order to spare a potentially unnecessary meeting? David
David, No. There is no way. However, there are questions you can ask during the interview such as, “What are the most impactful books you’ve read?” instead of “Have you read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich?” This will give you a long list of books, or it will tell you the person doesn’t read books. I want to know the most impactful books the person has read. That will tell me a little bit about their philosophy. For example, if he or she is reading a John Grisham novel versus an Ayn Rand novel, I have a clue as to what kind of thinker the person is. If a person has read Woody Allen he or she will likely be kind of a humorist. Or maybe the person has read Dorothy Parker. But the bottom line is whatever that person has read is an insight into his or her thought process. Find that out and you will find out if you have a good person or not. Best Regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey, My company helps small B2B businesses plan a video strategy and develop web series and webinars to tighten their bond with their customers. I’m feeling a great deal of resistance from people about creating videos to grow their business. The objections seem to fall into two major categories: 1) fear of visually being on the web (in fact, their social media is probably non existent as well) and 2) I can do this myself. I can hire the kid next door. Besides leaving them a copy of Social BOOM!, which I do, what approach would you suggest? Pat
Pat, My recommendation is that you have examples of video testimonials from other customers, not just about a video testimonial of a third party, rather a video testimonial about you. It should be about how they were reluctant, about how they thought the kid next door could do it, about how they thought the price was too high, about how they thought they were ugly on film. All of the elements that you have as objections can be overcome by an existing customer who loves you. That’s the easiest way to do it so when you get the objection you can say, “Oh, you know what? You may be right, but let me show you how a couple of my customers feel about the entire process.” That’s the first half of your presentation. The second half should be examples of videos you’ve done that rock – examples of videos you’ve done that are up on somebody else’s Facebook business page or up on their YouTube channel that has 2,000 or 3,000 views. Your job is not to give a sales presentation. Your job is to show examples of how other people can use and profit from what it is that you do. Do that, you win. Best regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey, There’s something that has never made sense to me. I’m required to make cold calls as part of my daily routine. At the same time, my boss man could not be more put out by people that cold call him throughout the day and I agree with him. Yet every morning starts out with the same old “Let’s get smilin’ and dialin’!” Smile for what? You don’t even believe in what I’m doing! Scott
Scott, Have your boss sit down next to you and make cold calls himself. Let him piss off the same people you’re pissing off. Let him see what a total waste of time cold calling is – how it affects your mood, how it affects your belief system, how it affects your personal pride, and how it affects your attitude. Then start to call customers you’re already doing business with, customers who love you. Ask them if you can come over and help them out for an hour. Ask them if you can come over and talk about how your product is used. Ask them if you can come over and help build the relationship. Tell them you need to make a ‘good will’ visit. Those are the people who will invite you right in and talk to you for a half an hour and maybe help you earn a referral. That’s where the money is in sales, not in cold calling. Cold calling pisses off your boss. Imagine what it does to your customers. Referrals – that’s where the money is. Best regards, Jeffrey
Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
About the Author
Leadership Inspirations – Be Bold and Not Disappointed
/in Leadership Inspirations/by StrategyDrivenMark Twain (1835 – 1910)
American author and humorist