Deepening Your Sales Relationships

Training Objectives• Asking for Referrals• Cross-Selling• Overcoming Objections

The Referral Network• Introduces two important factors:

• Commonality• Endorsement

• Reduces tension associated with buying ‘cold’

• Shortens the selling cycle

Building The Referral Network• Focus on relationship building first

• Develop relationships with people that are in a position to help you

• Incorporate this as a part of your daily activities

• Take advantage of business and social situations

Relationship Building• Three Key Actions:

– Listening• Most important• Active listening helps you learn and focus• Repeat what you’ve heard to assure that you were paying attention

– Understanding• You’re positioned to understand customer needs, likes, and dislikes• Expectations can be understood and provide you with direction to fulfill them

– Respond• Can take many different forms – assess best plan of action• Provide support, resources, information

Referral Sources• Prospects

– Get an answer, learn a lesson, or obtain a referral

• Customers– Build and serve your customer base well!

• Other Contacts– Business or social situations– Let people know what you do!

Prospecting for Referrals• Ask for referrals when you have served,

not sold

• Mention early on in the process that you work from referrals

• Upgrade the referral, if possible

Cross-Selling This is the process of offering a new or

existing customer a combination of product lines or programs which provide alternative approaches to their fundraising and school spirit needs.

Cross-Selling, cont’d …• Expand your relationship by offering other

additional fundraising solutions from Original Works• They know us, they know our product quality• Benefits include:

• Increasing school profit• Strengthening customer loyalty• Addressing multiple needs for the customer• Increasing overall customer satisfaction• Higher revenue and commissions

Approaches to Cross-Selling• Three different approaches

– Sell an integrated solution: run OP program one season, a Tile Wall the next, offer Spirit Line to a booster club

– Sell to an unrelated need – Spirit Line to school store

– Sell to a related school – ie. SBYB to elementary school, Tile Wall to high school in same district

Uncovering InformationAsk questions to uncover useful information• What other groups or organizations do they have at the school?• Would the decision maker be the same for those other groups or

organizations?• Is the process for making fundraising decisions different for utilization

of other programs?• Explain the different turnaround times for different programs; what

programs would work best based on these turnaround times?• If it’s necessary to speak with someone else, what would be the

procedure for setting up a meeting with that person(s)? • How is your current feeling or experiences with OWY?

Execute Your Cross-Sell Strategy• Be Knowledgeable

– Fully understand each program

• Present the Opportunity– Informing the customer of other goods/services that will help

meet their fundraising needs

• Leverage Contacts– The right contact for the right program – it may be different!

• View the Long Term– Look at the entire school year, not just a season

• Be a Guide– Guide the prospect through identifying their needs in different

areas. Ask key questions!

Overcoming Objections• Objections are a natural part of the sales

process

• Objections can provide an opportunity to ask questions and better understand the customer and their needs

Objections Q&A“We have already booked all fundraisers

for the year.”– When are programs booked?– Consider running as a fun project for the art

class – still building self-esteem– Opportunity for the school to raise more funds– Ask for a referral!

Objections Q&A“Are your profit margins as high as those

offered by candy or gift-wrap?”– Is this the only criteria for running a program?– No door-to-door selling!– No upfront cost or inventory with OWY– Not necessary to use our SRP– Opportunity to raise more funds by running

both programs at separate times

Objections Q&A“There is no money left in the budget this

year to run the program.”

– Program raises money– Other than a nominal freight charge to ship

artwork to us, no start-up costs

Objections Q&A“We don’t have an art teacher.” or“As an art teacher, I only see each group of

children every other week.”– We provide lesson plans– One-day lesson plans– Other school subjects can utilize the program – Run as an after-school program

Objections Q&A“I don’t think the parents would return the

magnets.”– Use OP program– Reminder magnet notices are provided to the

school for distribution to parents

Summary• Referrals

• There’s no time like the present• Building a network takes time• Identify where you can build your network• Ask for referrals when you have served, not sold

• Cross-Selling• Qualify your customer and address their needs through effective questioning• Know your products and programs• Look at a longer term view• Strengthen your service and relationship to the customer while enhancing your

sales efforts

• Overcoming Objections• Know OWY’s competitive advantages• Know our products, programs, and resources• Practice ‘exclusivity’ – know where to position our programs and when

Thanks & Have a Great Day!