| Norm Campbell e-mailed me with an opening and | | | | the question in the opening, "Have you ever |
| questions he developed after reading my | | | | heard of GCS?" |
| books, "Telephone Tips that SELL!", and "How | | | | |
| to Sell More in Less Time, With No | | | | This might be appropriate later, but it adds |
| Rejection." | | | | nothing to the opening, the place where we |
| | | | need to gain momentum. |
| Norm sells software to golf course | | | | |
| superintendents, and his goal with this first | | | | 2. Edit the Opening. I suggested revising the |
| call is to get a demo disk in the hands of | | | | opening slightly: |
| the prospect. | | | | |
| | | | "Hello _____, this is Norm Campbell, with |
| "Hello, this is Norm Campbell, with | | | | InCircuit, out of Austin, Texas. You might |
| InCircuit, out of Austin, Texas. We | | | | have seen us advertised in the back of Golf |
| specialize in working with golf course | | | | Course Management magazine (Norm says they |
| superintendents world-wide. Have you ever | | | | advertise in the back of "Golf Course |
| heard of GCS?" | | | | Management" trade magazine each month) . . . |
| | | | We specialize in working with golf course |
| He continues with, "Superintendents now using | | | | superintendents world-wide, helping them to |
| our system find that they are able to save | | | | save in most cases, 2-3 hours per week in |
| 2-3 hours per week in day- to-day activities | | | | day-to-day activities AND at the same time |
| AND at the same time reduce their monthly | | | | reduce their monthly budget costs. |
| budget costs. Are you presently using a | | | | |
| computer to keep track of areas such as your | | | | If I've caught you at a good time, I'd like |
| chemicals/fertilizers, equipment and | | | | to ask you a few questions to see if you'd |
| inventory?" | | | | like more information on what we have |
| | | | available to help superintendents get these |
| Then he follows with these questions. "Are | | | | types of results. (wait for response) Great |
| you presently using any management software?" | | | | . . . ( begin questioning)." |
| | | | |
| "Are you planning to add any type of grounds | | | | 3. Ask Problem-Related Questions. |
| care management software now, or in the next | | | | |
| few months?" "Have you included the purchase | | | | Next, after the qualifying questions, I'd |
| of this type of software in your budget?" | | | | probe deeper with questions to uncover |
| | | | problems the software can solve: "How do you |
| The next step in his process then is to get a | | | | now schedule your herbicide application? How |
| free demo disk in their hands. | | | | much time does that take?" The purpose here |
| | | | is to actually give them a reason to WANT to |
| "We have a FREE demo of our software I would | | | | look at the demo. He could tease them a |
| like to send you and let you determine if our | | | | little. "Our software has a function that |
| software would be of benefit for your course | | | | automatically schedules the routine |
| operations." | | | | maintenance on your mowers, so you don't have |
| | | | to keep it manually, or worse forget . . ." |
| He concludes with a catch-all question to | | | | |
| root out any other key info he can use. | | | | After a few of these that touch the |
| | | | appropriate nerves and gets them excited, |
| "Are there any specific areas where you would | | | | then tell them, "I'd like to send you out a |
| you like to save the most time AND money?" | | | | demo of the program so you could test it |
| | | | yourself and see how easy it would be for you |
| Analysis and Recommendation | | | | to handle . . ." This way, they commit to |
| | | | doing something, they're more interested in |
| Overall, some pretty good tactics here. | | | | the program since they see it filling a need, |
| However, we can strengthen it in several key | | | | and he's following up with better prospects, |
| areas. | | | | and not wasting time with people who just |
| | | | take a demo because it's free, or a way to |
| 1. Don't Ask if They're Familiar. Get rid of | | | | get him off the phone. |