You’ll remember that in Part 1 of “Damnable Selling” I posted the earnest inquiries of an industrious young man.
As he put it, his frustration was because “…my goal is to get to where I can show why our roofing company is better than the rest.”
If you haven’t read the article yet, take a minute and read it now because it will help you get the most out of what I’m about to share with you.
Did you read it?
Good! Let’s dig in…
First of all, I want each of you to know that I am impressed with his desire to learn the business.
I’ve seen a lot of guys come and go quickly in the roofing business. Some say I’ve developed a 6th sense about who has what it takes and who doesn’t…
My gut tells me this fellow can do it, but he’ll need to develop a different mindset right away to have the kind of success he desires.
Otherwise, he’ll continue to sell the way he’s always sold… thinking that it is true, right and good. Everything he’s trying to express to his prospect may very well be the God’s honest truth.
That’s why it is so disheartening when six weeks later, after he’s worked his tail off, he’s still broke with no hope of things getting better. On the surface, it seems like things should have worked out… but, they didn’t.
Here’s Why…
Humans have a built-in resistance to being sold. Every effort to sell them only increases their desire to resist you. We can be quite stubborn when we decide to be.
The harder you try to sell, the less likely they are to buy. (write that down in your journal)
What are some examples of “damnable selling”?
He mentioned a big example in his comments about… getting out the facts of my company (e.g. Warranty, Years in Biz, BBB, Insured, etc.)
As soon as you start rattling off what you think are selling points, your prospect starts raising their walls. Keep talking and they keep resisting.
Sure, you may sign one or two folks eventually, but you’ll have to hold them down and force them to sign the deal.
That’s hard work! I know because I’ve done it before.
Put Yourself In Their Shoes
A total stranger shows up at their door and immediately starts shoving facts about how great they are in your face…
What’s your first instinct? Slam Close the door, right?
If you’re going to knock on my door, at least do me the favor of not talking about yourself. Not only is that rude, but it is also extremely selfish, isn’t it?
I don’t care how long you’ve been in biz because I. DON’T. KNOW. YOU!
Let me ask you a serious question…
Why did this young man write me in the first place?
Was it because he thought it would be good for me if I spent more time with people I’ve never met before?
Why did he write to me?
If you’ll be honest with yourself, the only person he was thinking about when he wrote to me was himself… the same reason you’re reading this right now… you’re only thinking about you.
You need to make more money to take care of you and so you invested a little bit of your time in hopes of getting something from me that will help you.
Think about that for a minute!
Reality Check!
Now, ask yourself… why am I helping out this young man? For that matter, why am I helping you out?
Does it have anything in the world to do with you?
Your first answer might be, “Well sure it does Mike. He’s a struggling kid full of enthusiasm and you just like to help people out.”
That may very well be true, but you can’t always count on total strangers wanting to help you out… without getting something in return.
We both know that the world doesn’t work like that, right?
If you’re counting on generous strangers to sign contracts with you, you’re going to run out of prospects real soon.
Let me rephrase my earlier question…
Why do you knock on doors?
Is it because you think they’re spending too much time with their family? Because they need the exercise… somebody should make them get off their sofa, or out of their favorite chair and walk to the door?
If you’ll be honest with yourself, the only person you are thinking about when you knock doors is you…
You need to make more money to take care of you and so you invested a little bit of your time in hopes of getting something from them that will help you.
If it wasn’t for the money, you’d be back home taking it easy too. Am I right?
Why in the world would I answer the door for a person like you?
You’re only thinking about yourself. You only want to talk about yourself. You’re just hoping I’ll answer the door so you can numb my mind with boring facts about the your company.
My Roofing Company Is Better?
The whole world is screaming, “Buy from me because I’m better!”
Facts, figures and statistics get shoved in our face from morning to night about why one product or service is better than the other… it is so loud, that we don’t hear a thing.
You staple your biz card to your flyer with a copy of your warranty and all the homeowner thinks is, “oh great, more crap for me to throw away.”
Nobody has time to listen to you talk about why they should do biz with you instead of the guy their neighbors chose.
Besides, that’s insulting to them.
They at least chose their neighbors.
They chose to live in that neighborhood… to send their kids to the same schools as their neighbors… to breath the same air… enjoy the same views… shop in the same stores.
They are their neighbors!
You have insulted them because you have insulted their neighbors. They didn’t choose you. They would rather you didn’t even knock on their door because you are a stranger… a selfish stranger… who only wants to talk about you.
Why would I answer the door for a person like you?
You may as well find another line of work if you’re even thinking about answering, “Because my company is better.”
There’s only one reason why anybody should answer the door for you…
Until you figure that out, you’re going to have a hard time making money in this business.
I hope you figure it out and I hope this young man figures it out soon because I believe he has real potential. It would be a shame for him to waste it.
Peace,
Mike
Mike Coday
Mike started selling roofs in '95 while working as a youth pastor at a small church in North Texas. A decade later he transitioned to speaking at industry conferences and training outside sales teams. Today, he works exclusively as the premier consultant to roofing company owners who are driven for growth.
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