Re: Acceptable time from walk-thru to quotation delivery

["Robert L Bass" <no-sales-spam@bassburglaralarms>]

> And a dollar cheaper?  ;-)

Most of the time price is second to the amount of attention you give to the client.  If there's a significant difference, price will
rule but even that doesn't always apply.  This is one area online and person-to-person sales have in common.  When I'm on the phone,
giving detailed explanation of what to use and how to install it, I can close far more sales than when replying to email or when I
just send a quote.  Even if the customer only asks for a quote by email I usually try to get their phone number and the best time to
call.

I put together a "phone order" which generates an email and saves the proposal data on our server.  Then I call at the appointed
time and ask them to open the email.  Once it's on their screen I go over each line item, explaining what it's for and why I
selected it.  It takes about 30 minutes to do a decent presentation by phone vs. 2 hours in person (less BSing about the weather,
etc.).  If my competitors only send an email or (worse) if the customer only gets a sales clerk (no reference to past nastiness
concerning "clerks" implied) at the other firms, I get the order every time.

One other thing I learned to do when I was selling in person also applies to online sales.  I make certain they know that when
they're installing and programming their systems I *want* them to call with questions and concerns.  For installed systems I
emphasized the same thing only it was about using the system since we would of course do the technical stuff.

In short, while online sales to DIYers are different from in-person sales of professionally installed systems, the general
principles of sales are mostly the same.  As Jim noted, making a bid on the spot is always best.  Obviously, you can't always do
that if the job is complex or large scale.  But make sure the client knows that you're willing to do what he wants / needs rather
than just sell a one-size-fits-all package.  If the customer says he has more bids coming, let him know that your bid is for a
top-of-the-line system.  If he has not budgeted that much there are other options available and you'll be glad to discuss those once
he's had a chance to review the landscape a little.

Best of luck.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>