On the debut edition of PT’s Pointers, Paul breaks down one of the key areas to nail when starting a new business.
Your customer wants to buy. That's a fact of life, people want things. AND if you make it quick and easy for them and they will buy from YOU!
How do you make it easy, especially when you’re starting out?
Prepare your business to be busy. Get those processes streamlined and ready.
If you have ten regular customers prepare your systems for fifty.
Why is your procedure so important? First off is differentiation
A lot of people say when you start off a business you have to do things differently.
But we can’t all be different, afterall you wouldn’t want a plumber to do a different way of fixing your toilet!
So how do you deliver the same product or service at a different quality? Response!
We all have stories about that time we urgently needed our fence/car/window fixed only to search for hours and wait for days!
People expect a response straight away. So when people make a call they want to spend money and fix their problem.
So wouldn’t it make sense to seal the deal in one phone call. That's the dream in sales but with the right procedure, you can make it your reality!
One emphasis you need to get right in processing is knowing costs and margins. However knowing how much something is only the beginning, you have to record and have them in an easy place to access.
At SuperSigns Australia we have pricing calculators accessible online to our sales and production team, enabling us to organise a quote almost instantly. Now more often than not that leads to a sale. When you streamline and prewrite your standard quotes, it leaves your full attention on your client and not fumbling for how much you need to mark up or what your costs will be.
Now to get your costing and sales processes right you have to prepare. You have to know what to do before it even happens. You have to answer your clients questions before they are even your client!
When designing your margins you have to do the basics. So cover your unseen costs, track when you do and don’t make money. More importantly be realistic with your time, don’t quote a two-hour job when it costs you four hours. Whether you’re just starting out or on the cover of Forbes time is your biggest cost, so don’t waste it. If you are starting out you will be working extra hours, so break down your big tasks for instance; Monday night can be the time to write out your main products, Tuesday can be the time to write out your time formulas, Wednesday payment methods e.t.c.
Arm people with all the information the client needs to know, good and bad, and the process that your business does.
With the right procedure and preparation you can make that dream sale.
Want to learn more business tips, stay tuned for next week where we explore Role Models vs Mentors.