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Making The Grade

By wmadministrator

Every salesperson, you included, gets a report card – every day. Most salespeople, you included, ignore it.

Every time a customer gives you an order, they’re grading you for your quality, your value, and how you compare against what else is out there in the market.
No one actually gives you a card with grades on it – prospects and customers will tell you how you’re doing by their words and actions.

For example, when a prospective customer says, “Great question! No one ever asked me that before,” that is an excellent grade. Try to get at least one of those per day.

Then there are the subtle grades. Grades that prove you’re making progress, and you have the customer’s attention. When the customer or the prospect says, “I didn’t know that,” or they say, “I’m glad you told me that,” or better, they say, “I wish we had more suppliers like you.” That is high praise. A great grade.

Music to your ears should be when a customer says, “I wish all salespeople I talk to were as good as you.” That’s not praise. That’s a blessing.

There are three top marks. Here are the biggest three marks and most profitable marks you can get on your sales and profit report card:
Mark One: You get an unsolicited re-order. What a profitable and rewarding surprise. You got it because you earned it. Top mark.

Mark Two: You get an unsolicited referral. One of your customers has urged a potential customer to call you with a desire to do business. This is a real high mark. It means your customer is willing to risk a business relationship with someone else, in favor of the trust they have for you. Top mark.

Mark Three: You become a trusted advisor to your customer. I have a few ways to determine this status. Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the words MARK THREE in the GitBit box.