“You have to figure out what is really bothering them, drill down till you can see it clearly, restate it so they distinctly hear it, ask them if that’s really how they feel, and then tell them how you might be able to help them out of that feeling.”
That’s my friend Bruce from PA describing what he considers one of the most honorable callings a person can have, design/remodeling sales. “Yes it’s honorable! Look at how we help people!” he says raising his arms high and wide for emphasis. He pauses, “… when you are full of integrity, and you are truly helping the client out.”
Bruce and I are sitting in his home set back in the woods on a hillside. The leaves are starting to turn crimson and orange. It feels we are in a treehouse. He’s given me a tour of his office and his home. His office showcases a thirty-year career of helping people find their pain, then providing thoughtful solutions, world-class service, and impeccable quality. A long line of awards is displayed in the front windows of his office.
Bruce’s conviction and words caught me off guard. I realized how many times I’d heard remodelers say they would rather not do sales. But here is a professional who has intentionally undergone years of training in a sales system with the aim to better help his clients and his team. When he talks about his sales calls and qualification conversations, he makes it sound like therapy sessions for his clients and himself. There is a framework for his consultative sales approach; that framework allows him the freedom to explore solutions and build rapport. It also requires the responsibility to follow a path that leads to uncovering the client’s pain and then provide the information necessary for the prospect to determine if his company is the best fit to help fix that pain.
Bruce admits he is still finding ways to improve. Regardless, he is certain that when he does it right, he is providing an unparalleled service for his prospects and qualifying the best-fit projects for his team. I agree, that is an honorable calling.
