By Julie Hansen
How to Turn Small Deals into Big Wins There are no small sales, only small salespeople.
H
ow many times have you gotten a small slice of business when you were hoping for the whole
pie? Maybe you had hoped to sell an entire new system and ended up selling only a small replacement part. After you finished writing up the sale, was your disappointment palpable? Were you anxious to get off the phone or out the door, determined not to waste any more of your time or energy? Or did you treat this buyer with as much respect and patience as you extend to your larger customers? Did you recognize this small piece of business as the larger future business opportunity it was? It’s impossible to avoid experiencing the occasional disappointment as a salesperson, but it is possible to avoid sabotaging yourself in the process. It reminds me of a common expression heard in the theater: “There are no small parts, only small actors.” “Small” actors are the ones who receive what they consider to be a “lesser” role than the one they auditioned for. So instead of giving it their all, they simply go through the motions—like a petulant child who doesn’t realize they’re only hurting themselves. The difference between the professional and the novice in many fields often comes down to how you manage Julie Hansen is a professional sales trainer, speaker, and author. She authored the book ACT Like a Sales Pro in 2011 and has been featured in Selling Power, Entrepreneur, and Sales and Service Excellence magazines. She can be reached at julie@actingforsales.com and www.actingforsales.com.
64/ November 2013 Water Well Journal
Embracing each opportunity and giving the buyer our full attention and respect may reap larger benefits.
your emotions and play with the cards you’ve been dealt. Television is full of examples of smart actors who parlayed what could have been a small or one-time role into something more. Take for example Kelsey Grammer. He was initially cast in just six episodes of Cheers, but turned into a regular member of the cast and went on to star in the wildly popular spinoff, Frasier. And who can forget Chandler Bing’s delightfully annoying nasal girlfriend on Friends, Janice (actor Maggie Wheeler). Originally cast in just one episode, Janice ended up appearing in 19 episodes over 10 seasons! Getting over the initial disappointment of a decision that doesn’t appear to be in one’s favor is the hallmark of a mature performer—whether in the arts or business. And just as it pays to make the most out of every role you’re given as an actor, it pays for sellers to make the most out of every sale. Embracing each opportunity and giving the buyer our full attention and respect may reap larger benefits in the not so distant future, just as this smart seller I encountered found out. Last Christmas, my sister put me in charge of finding a certain very popular charm for my niece, which was available at only a few jewelry stores in the
city. Naturally, I had put my shopping off until the week prior to Christmas and found myself at the mall competing for the attention of a salesperson with throngs of other last minute holiday shoppers. The scenario was the same at each store I visited. I was eagerly greeted by a salesperson, only to see their enthusiasm quickly wane after realizing what I was searching for would take a bit of work on their part and contribute very little toward making their quota. Instead of offering to check other stores or recent shipments, I was dismissed as quickly as possible so they could move on to a more promising high-ticket buyer. Walking into the last jewelry store on my list, I rehearsed how I would explain to my sister that I blew my assignment. As luck would have it, I ended up in front of a young salesperson named Chad. He listened attentively to my description. Then, instead of abruptly throwing the tray of charms out in front of me and tapping his fingers until he could move on to the next Rolex buyer, he spent 15 minutes finding the right charm at their store’s location in a neighboring town. He then arranged to have it on their delivery truck the next day so I would have it in time to give to my niece on Christmas. I thanked Chad profusely as I left the store, feeling more than a little guilty about not buying anything more than an inexpensive piece of jewelry from him. Less than two months later, I had a chance to remedy that. I needed to buy a wedding gift for a good client and I immediately thought of Chad. I happily went back to him and purchased a beauwaterwelljournal.com