Your customer is no longer a prospect. They have placed an order with your company. A lot is riding on this initial order. And a lot is riding on what happens within the first 30 days of working with you. They are very impressionable Here are a few things to consider:

1. They don’t really know you. Yes, they got to know you a little before placing the order, but they are still a little anxious. Perfect opportunity to make them feel comfortable.

2. They don’t know how and when you are going to be in touch with them. Tell them. Reassure them that you will be reaching out to them. Give them a schedule.

3. They don’t want to annoy with dumb questions. Another great opportunity to reach out, after aniticipating what questions and concerns they might have.

4. They don’t know anyone but you. Introduce your team, not only by name and function, but how they will help them. Have your team members call and introduce themselves.

5. They don’t feel that you know their team. Take it upon yourself to learn all about their team. Team member’s names, functions, history with the company, etc.

6. They don’t think you know enough about their customers. Suggest that you spend a day visiting their location, learning everything you can about their customers. Listen in on customer calls, go on customer sales calls, interview key team members, etc.

7. They don’t know what they don’t know. Set up a regular telephone call once a week for the first month where they can ask any question and you can bring up ideas and suggestions.

Don’t let them wander. Anticipate their questions. Put yourself in their shoes.  Listen to their concerns, and learn and adapt for your next new customer.

Keep this new customer close by. You don’t want to lose them because you weren’t paying attention.

I attend a lot of business and social events, and meet a lot of people.  I am amazed at how differently people will shake my hand. Some people come across as confident or down-to-earth. They show a certain amount of warmth in their handshakes. But there are other handshakes that are just terrible, and really undermine the person’s credibility. Let’s take a look at some I regularly encounter:

1. The Dead Fish. No explanation needed. This may be the worst of the lot.

2. The Vise Grip. Uh-oh. Virility issues.

3. The Pump. Up and down, and up and down. Yikes! Let go!

4. The Two-fister. They’re not happy with using just one of their hands. They wrap both of their hands around your hand. Look out. Major control-needs are on display here. Check to make sure you still have your watch.

5. The Two-fister – variation. They shake your hand with their right hand, and grasp your forearm with their left. Serious control issues are lurking here.

6. The Dainty Fingers. Instead of wrapping their hand around yours, they wrap around your fingers. Very 17th century France.

So, you want a firm, but not overbearing handshake. Shake their entire hand, not just their fingers. And, be sure to make eye contact when shaking hands.  Let them look into your eyes to see your sincerity and confidence.

How do you see yourself when explaining your price to a customer? How do you react when they say it’s too expensive? For many of us, it’ can be an unpleasant feeling. A sense of dread. Or, sometimes we get a little defensive. “How dare you question how much I am charging you for this. Can’t you see that it’s worth it?” We might feel better, but we’ve probably blown the sale. Let’s try recalibrating, and focusing on the process.

When a customer resists our price, they are telling us that we haven’t convinced them of the value of our product or service. They are giving us another chance. “C’mon. Try again. Convince me.”

They are almost ready to buy. They like it, they just want to be convinced. I know that when a customer tells me that my price is too high, I am on my way to getting a sale. “It sounds like price is the only thing we need to discuss. Was there anything else besides price getting in the way of the sale?” They rarely bring up anything else. So now I know that if I can work out the price, I have a sale. But I don’t want to give it away. So first I start by revisiting the value of my service.  I show them how they will benefit from hiring me. I will also ask them about their budget. After all, I have given them my price, they should be willing to share their budget, and mostly they do. If it’s clear that they cannot pay my asking price, I’ll start scaling back my services to match their budget.

Dealing with a customer’s price resistance doesn’t have to be scary. Remember, what they are really telling us is that we haven’t sold them yet. So, let’s make them happy, and sell them our product or service.

Repeat customers are invaluable. They pay the bills, and keep you in business. But referrals are how you expand your business. Referrals are the lifeblood of your business, letting you survive and, in some cases, thrive. Everyone agrees on the importance of referrals. However, most salespeople rarely ask for referrals, even from their most loyal customers. “I don’t want to be a pushy salesperson.” Good. I don’t want you to be pushy either. I just want you to be successful.

Here are a few suggestions about getting referrals. First, ask your customer to refer you to a specific person. This helps focus your customer. They don’t have to think about it, they can just act on it. If you have a good working relationship with them, they won’t hesitate in referring you. Second, ask your customer to contact the referral for you, giving them your name. You are doing this to make sure they take your call. Third, after you contact the referral, loop back to your customer and tell them what happened, especially if you got business from the referral. If they have been part of you getting business, they will love hearing about it. Allow your customers to celebrate in your success.

Don’t  be afraid to ask for referrals. It’s a normal part of doing business.  If you’ve done a good job for a customer, they will be glad to recommend you.

“My customers will only buy if I lower my prices.”

Really? Are you sure? I hear this frequently from participants in my training workshops, and it always leads to a healthy conversation about whether they are selling price or value. It also leads to a conversation about assumptions the salesperson might be making about what the customer is able to pay, as opposed to what they want to pay.

I started my training business in 1987. One of my first assignments was to help a VP of Sales plan her first national sales meeting. I met with her on a Friday, where she outlined the project, and asked me to give her a price on Monday. I agonized over what to charge her. Back and forth, up and down. I finally settled on a price. When we spoke that Monday, she asked me what the price was. I told her, and she said “Okay.” I knew right away I had undercharged her. I wasn’t confident enough in the value I would bring her. Instead, I was selling price. That was a very valuable lesson for me, one that I never forgot.

Selling is a challenging endeavor. And if I am a sales manager,  responsible for a group of salespeople, it gets even more challenging.  I am pulled in a lot of directions. I have multiple priorities. I have to adapt to the personalities of my people. I have to keep the peace. All of that and more. My one main responsibility as a sales managers is to help my people perform. Coaching should be one of my strongest skills. However, research from the EcSELL Institute in Lincoln, Nebraska, shows that almost 90% of Sales Reps want their Sales Manager to have strong coaching skills, but only about 6%  of the reps believe their managers possess those strong skills. Why? What;s causing this gap?

First, it’s easy for a sales manager to get bogged down with the administrative minutiae that comes with the job. Sometimes, they hide in it. Second, it’s a question of finding the time that both you and your people can meet 0ne-on-one. Third, and I think most important, some managers are afraid of coaching. They see it as a difficult task they would rather not have to do. They rationalize this by thinking “I hired strong salespoeple. They should be able to make it on their own.” This is faulty thinking. Each of us can benefit from coaching. Learning new approaches, gaining insights, establishing account strategies, etc.

Relax. Take a deep breath. You can do this. It’s just a conversation to help someone else. It’s simpler than you think. And don’t forget, your reps want you to be good at this. The more you coach your people, the less they will need it. You and they will develop your own personal short hand, alloowing you and your people to burn through a productive coaching session in no time.