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