Earl King
Appointments: Challenge or Drudgery?
It has long been said that, "a salesperson without an appointment is momentarily unemployed." Making the initial contact is the first major step in the selling cycle. There are five distinct methods in making the initial contact; phone call, cold call, mailing campaigns, associations, and networking. In future articles, I will discuss each in detail, but, for now let's address my favorite: setting appointments by phone. ...
Prospecting in a Challenging Economy
There are always situations where we have little control. One example is the swing of the economic pendulum. In the past 40 years, I've endured several recessions, but never to the magnitude of this one. As I've mentioned, when the going gets tough (financially), building owners and managers look for budget cuts....
Lease Capital Selling: Capitalizing on a Down Economy
A prospect's most apparent needs won't be met if the budget doesn’t allow for replacement of systems. It's common to find buildings with 25-year-plus unitary equipment that has "crashed and burned." Energy consumption and repair bills become unbearable, while comfort isn’t even an after thought. ...
Sales Productivity: What to Expect
The question that's been crossing my desk and popping up in seminars recently is, “How much sales volume should I expect from a service salesperson?” Obviously, there are many variables, which depend upon the role of the salesperson and his or her direct cost to the contractor. ...
Finding the Service Sales Professional
The most successful commercial service companies are those that hire, train, and promote successful sales personnel....
Property Management Firms: Friend or Foe?
Property management groups have long been thrown into a general category of low bid prospects for commercial service agreements. Albeit there is much...
Seeing Is Believing
It's hard to believe, that after all these years and scores of filled seminar rooms, some/most sales people are still winging it. Now, more than ever,...
Objections: Hurdles or Opportunities?
While a “canned pitch” isn't my cup of tea, there are only so many objections you'll encounter when selling service agreements. By responding without a glitch, you'll remain authoritative in your prospect's eyes. ...
Earl King: Task-based Pricing or Price-based Tasking?
In our ever-changing industry some things never change. The economy softens; construction dries up; construction companies begin dabbling in service;...
Prospecting The Property Manager
By Earl King For the past three decades (and then some), Ive advised contractors not to chase property managers as customers. Ive always contended, with...
