How To Sell Anything To Anybody is a best-selling novel by Joe Girard who is ranked by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful salesman. It speaks about customer handling, converting potential leads to long-term customers, making cold calls, building client lists and various other selling techniques. We have prepared a presentation covering the broad topics outlined by the book.
1. How to sell anything to anybody - Joe Girard Presented by Iswarya Murali 17 July, 2009
2. Introduction Girard’s law and his tools Selling on the phone Prospects’ list Importance of mail Agenda
3. Importance of referrals Strategies for handling the customer When to be honest and when not to. Just before the sale closes… and after that. Contd..
4. Joe Girard sold 13,001 cars at a Chevrolet dealership between 1963 and 1978. Ranked the most successful salesman by Guinness book of World Records http://www.joegirard.com/GirarGBFlyer08LR.pdf About the author
5. How the stammering helped – made Girard listen to each word yourself before you say it out to the customer. Girard’s first motivation to sell - a bag of groceries for his family. Knowing what you want will power your drive to sell better. How it all started
6. Girard’s law of 250 – Every person knows on an average of 250 people who are important enough to him/her. What happens when you make a single customer unhappy – the cascading effect. The ‘Mooch’ (customer) is a human being – though it’s war out there. Girard’s law of 250
7. Put everything you know about a customer into his/her file. Let the customer understand you like and care about him/her. Business cards – restaurant tips, football games, anything – never leave out an opportunity. The toolbox
8. Make a pitch. Appeal to the customers – don’t make them realize it’s a cold call. Call back, again, and yet again. Ask them relevant questions – most importantly note the answers. Selling on the phone
9. Selling is like planting seeds and harvesting them. Maintain a list of all customers. Your paid bills is also a good list – a salesperson is always an easy person to sell to! Make sure everyone knows you’re into sales and about what you sell. A prospects list
10. Make every mail personalized Send “how-to” tips, interesting n.ews clippings. Send out cards on occasions - Christmas cards, birthdays, get-well cards... Get them to read their mail
11. Birddogs –> Girard’s referral system. Pay them; never stall them. Find out people who have a lot of influence on others – and subsequently, who have a lot to gain from others. You’re actually doing a birddog a favor – the ‘feel good factor’. Hunting with ‘birddogs’
12. How to pay if people refuse to accept cash (or if it breaks the law). Keep in constant touch with your birddogs. Try making every new customer a birddog. Contd..
13. Selling lies in volume of sales – not just in the profit you make out of each sale. A high pressure salesperson makes the customer buy. Rather, let them buy. Greatest challenge – convince a customer who has turned down a competitor. Be aware of the selling strategies of competition. It’s okay to lose one day, but never 250 customers in a single bad-mood day –> this is why attitude planning is important. Selling Strategies
14. Sell him/her the experience, not just the product or the service. Think differently – The insurance agent story: All insurance agents after a training were told to call people from a Business Directory. One smart insurance agent started calling from the ‘N’s as he figured most people starting from the ‘A’s would never probably reach there! Contd…
15. Selling is war – importance of the initial small talk. Salespeople are not liars, just ‘actors’.. Importance of trust not just during the sale, but also after that. Never lie to the customer about anything that he/she can check back later. Honesty is the best policy
16. Telling the truth is important, but it’s ok to stretch the truth a little bit. A little flattery, and a small lie… People love to show off how good a deal they got - never make a customer get embarrassed later, by overselling. Contd..
17. Don’t compete with the customer. Most common reason for losing a customer – not listening enough. Don’t take advantage of a customer’s lack of knowledge. A customer is a long-term investment – never oversell to anyone who’s in a hurry. Handling the customer
18. Don’t ask a direct Yes-Or-No question. Nudge the customer into talking more. Phrase your questions so the customer feels obligated to help you out. No one likes silences – let him/her fill the gaps in your conversation. Contd..
19. Don’t start operating until you know what the patient has – listen and observe. Ask for a deposit right away, settle down for whatever he/she has(if that’s reasonable enough). Give him what he/she wants, asap, to close the sale – spot delivery works miracles. The final few minutes
20. Thank the customer personally after the sale is over. Treat service problems, and after-sale issues as normal happenings. Throw in a free service once or twice(but not too often) – it’s worth the investment. After the close
21. There is no magic formula – it all comes with practice, and a little bit of patience. Any body you meet is a business opportunity Listen, read, learn – but also develop your own techniques. After the sale give yourself “The test of no regrets for the customer” – always play it fair. Summing Up..
