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Lesson 1 - Provide Your Promise Clients Do Business With Those They Trust Therefore Be Trustworthy
Lesson 1: Provide Your Promise, and more.
Within the ‘Secrets of Closing the Sale’ book, Zig Ziglar often emphasizes, as within the above anecdote, the importance of delivery more than promised during the sale. Indeed, the true professional promises good value via the sale and then delivers more than the client expected.
As this series (Stop Telling, Start Selling) will emphasize, a proper sales process is all about promising wants and needs with desired benefits that are of good value - and then ensuring that all, and more, that was promised is delivered. Now this is not to say that certain outcomes can be promised, those offering legal services cannot promise or guarantee a specific result; however, when promising “best effort” or “timely response” or “clear communication”, among other things, such promises should be delivered and more. When you say to someone, “I’ll get it over to you by Friday”, be sure it is there by 5:00PM - on Thursday! And, if you suspect that delivering by Thursday will be challenging, avoid setting yourself up for failure by instead saying, “I’ll do my best to get it to you earlier than Friday but if it takes all week, will you be happy so long as it arrives before you leave for the weekend?” When the client says, “Yes, before the weekend will be fine”, then, whatever you do, get it there on time.
As another simple and almost obvious tip, always remind the client of the promise and confirm the satisfaction and always be selling (as you always are). When delivering on a promise, even the very simple promise to deliver an email by a certain time, reinforce and confirm satisfaction. For example, start your message by reminding of the promise with, “Hi Bob, as promised, attached you will find the final draft for your review. Please review and confirm your satisfaction. If you have any questions, concerns, thoughts, or further ideas, please advise. Thank you again, as always, for the opportunity to serve you and for your trust with this matter.”
Always show the client that you are delivering your promise. The express promise to provide a document by a certain time along with the express and implied promise to be caring and concerned and attentive and prompt and committed, etc. Always over deliver.
From: Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar, page 75:
I left Johnny with five dollars that time! But again, let me emphasize something I stated earlier. Johnny is a professional salesman and he delivers what he sells. For some strange reason a certain segment of our population seems to believe the professional salesperson must have on a three-piece suit, carry a fancy briefcase, and sell investments, computers, or some specialized product like real estate trusts or mutual funds.
I’ve seen many people in those industries who were highly professional, and I’ve seen some who had only a three-piece suit and the fancy briefcase. By the same token, you can be a highly skilled professional salesperson, as Johnny is, and sell shoeshines. ... The professional learns his product, his job, and his clientele. He learns how to use the right words and body language to persuade people to take action. Then he makes absolutely certain he delivers everything he sells and then some.
From: Selling Yourself by Joe Girard, page 161
It was sound advice I gave Alex. Try it for yourself. Whether they’re big promises or little promises such as agreeing to meet someone at a certain time, or a call to your wife to tell her you’ll be home at six, the rule applies. Think first. Be sure you can do what you say.
Too often we make promises without thinking, yet promises are something we make so many times that they just seem to slip out automatically. Perhaps it is because they are things we say so often that we find it such an easy, unthinking thing to do. ...