The Second First Impression
by Andrew Shedden
As published in Small Business Canada Magazine
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to make your company noticed in today’s market place. This is in no small part the result of the incredible amount of noise present in all communication channels. The very ubiquity of advertising is having an adverse influence on its efficacy. More companies are shouting more messages through more channels than in any point of business history. The resultant lack of differentiation is creating downward pressures on profit margins, communications confusion, and bouts of hopeless hand wringing.
So now what?
The fact that we are over communicated is a blinding glimpse of the obvious. What’s not so obvious is devising an effective way to promote and position your business in our over communicated society. Well, one battle-tested way to keep a step ahead of the competition is to zig when they zag. To do this simply stop trying to make your business heard above the advertising din. Don’t waste your time and money by participating in futile standard industry practices, blaze a trail of your own.
Profit through process
One of the most effective promotional strategies you can adopt is one by which you differentiate your business by its processes. Devote your energies toward differentiating your processes rather than trying to come up with the latest buzzword, funniest slogan, best advertising offer, or most memorable gimmick.
Consider every point of contact your company has with its prospects and customers and methodically optimize all of these interactions. To maximize your probability of profit, ensure you’re paying particular attention to your first and second first impressions.
Begin at the beginning
On a typical day in most businesses the phone incessantly rings with braying creditors, apoplectic bank loans officers, sick children wanting to come home from school, and periodically, a prospect. While all of these callers are lovingly competing for attention it is the prospect you must be most concerned about. The following is a typical sales inquiry.
“Ralphie’s Auto Wreckers here. What can I do youse for?”
“Hey Ralphie, how are ya now. Wese looking for a rad fer a 49 Ford you old bag of dirt.”
“Don’t think I got none of those. Call me after lunch.” Click.
You’d probably respond to such a business conversation with either a great deal of alarm or incredulity. Clearly, Ralphie is not going to become the poster boy for helpful staff. While this is an extreme example anyone consistently dealing with businesses would recognize this conversation as being disturbingly close to the mark.
Your first impression
Many businesspeople forget the receptionist is usually the first point of contact for virtually every prospective purchaser. In some businesses the attitude is “The receptionist, that’s only the person answering the phone.” In actuality the receptionist is the foundation of all of your carefully conceived customer relationship initiatives.
Your receptionist needs to be well trained, cheerful, articulate, and knowledgeable. This doesn’t necessarily mean mastery of the arcane specifics of your business, but rather a working knowledge of the responsibilities and competencies of various staff members.
Be sure to optimize this first point of contact. You can take great comfort knowing your receptionist has undergone the necessary training to positively start the sales process. You can’t underestimate the significance of this crucial first impression.
Your second first impression
A ssuming your receptionist has been able to skillfully handle the incoming call from a sales prospect the next point of contact will presumably be from a salesperson. This second point of contact has great potential to destroy any possibility of further sales activity. Many salespeople poorly handle their initial contact by virtue of either their exuberance or inexperience. In my sales training workshops I spend considerable time stressing the importance of your second first impression.
Many salespeople believe that the typical prospect is only interested in obtaining the lowest cost alternative, this simply isn’t true. For many buyers the single biggest fear in any sales-based transaction is choosing the wrong alternative. That’s right, not product, not price, not the salesperson’s personal tics, but fear of making the wrong choice. Buyers are worried about the repercussions a bad choice will bring from superiors, peers, and subordinates.
The methodology of your entire sales process needs to be shaped by the consideration that in any sales transaction where the seller is an unknown quantity the belief of many buyers is one of being asked to take more of the risk than the seller. You need to devise an effective sales process by which this belief is met with honesty and understanding.
The most effective way for your salespeople to create a positive second first impression is to do the following:
1. Do some homework. Go to the prospect’s web site or a business directory and ferret out some information about what they do. Study their history, product lines, and culture. Take the time to ascertain how they are trying to position themselves in the marketplace. Do they present themselves as a premium quality company? Possibly they are pushing service as their unique selling proposition. They may be promoting their company as the lowest price alternative. In any case forewarned is forearmed.
2. Prior to speaking to the prospect for the first time have a written list of questions sitting on the desk in front of you. Make sure your questions are meaningful and will help you begin the process of narrowing down the prospects needs. Your earlier homework should prevent you from asking obvious questions like “So what do you guys do at Joe’s Cardboard Box Manufacturing?” In the event the sales inquiry is routed directly to you and you haven’t had time to research the company background you can still utilize a basic set of questions to intelligently ascertain need.
3. When you have the opportunity to first speak with your prospect obtain permission to ask a few questions about their specific requirements. Then be sure to ask your questions.
4. Be absolutely certain to listen 80% of the time and speak 20% of the time. The main purpose of this initial contact should be a process of disqualification. Don’t assume that interest in your product or service equates with desire. Lots of people who never buy are very interested in what’s being offered. For example, thousands of people are interested enough in all things nautical to go to the Toronto Boat Show. How many of these attendees have the desire to actively plonk down the money to buy a boat?
5. If through skilful questioning you feel that the prospect is willing, ready, and able to learn more about your products or service you can proceed to make a sales appointment. I am not a big proponent of the “get the appointment at any cost and then close the schmuck” style of selling. If it doesn’t look like a good fit, respectfully advise them of your inability to serve them and move on.
There you have it; you’ve mastered the art of creating a positive first and second first impression. In doing so you’ll successfully differentiate your business from the majority of your competitors. You can optimally position your business at the cost of a little bit of forethought and planning, now that is the best deal of all.
