Tweet

The Add On Professional

Written by: Gaylen Thornton

Article Overview: Sales pros work hard to establish a close personal relationship with their clients. When the sales person and their company perform as the product or service was promised, a bond is created and mutual trust is established. This trust assists the representative in maintaining the business and obtaining contract renewals. Selling is not a one-time activity. New sales are the lifeblood of every successful thriving business.

The Add On Professional

Sales pros work hard to establish a close personal relationship with their clients. When the sales person and their company perform as the product or service was promised, a bond is created and mutual trust is established. This trust assists the representative in maintaining the business and obtaining contract renewals. Selling is not a one-time activity. New sales are the lifeblood of every successful thriving business.

Companies never retain all of their existing accounts for various reasons, and many times through no fault of their own. Hard economic times result in layoffs or down sizing causing a loss of orders or need for full service. Newer products or systems are developed and sold to replace existing business when there is no other comparable alternative for the current vendor to sell. Non-performance will lose an account no matter how close and respectful the relationship with the sales professional has developed.

Wise sales people understand the need for new business, not only to replace lost, but for long term growth, and they know the best place to accomplish this task is from existing satisfied customers. I call these pros, "Add on Professionals." These sales pros have established a trusting bond with a client on a product or service and their current performance is exemplary. They recognize that now is the time to fill another need for that client.

A personal protective equipment sales person with lines of eye protection, air purifying respiratory, head, and hearing protection has a number of options at their disposal. The client is purchasing eye protection currently and so the sales pro targets another area of need. The manufacturing facility equipment is unusually loud and so hearing protection is presented and sold to the customer - they have "added on" to the existing business.

The same can be accomplished with multiple services. A total facility service provider capable of furnishing janitorial, landscape, maintenance, and sweeping services can "add on," fill needs, and increase business in several areas. For example, the customer is happy with the terrific janitorial cleaning inside of their facility, but the outside has overgrown trees, bushes and debris scattered throughout the property. The sales representative takes the opportunity to sell the client on the "additional" service and with the bundled services can add value while saving the client money to care for the facility.

The sales key to being an "add on professional" is unequaled service, establishment of mutual trust and awareness of the needs of the client then targeting additional products or services to meet those needs. In many cases, the opportunities are available but are overlooked as the sales person finishes the first sale and moves on to find and develop new clients.

New customers are vital to growth, but do not forget to increase sales along the way by being an "add on professional."

Related Articles
  Why Follow a Sales Process?
  Handling Objections in Today’s Sales Environment
  “A Business Coach’s Top Ten Tactics for Marketing Professional Services”
  What is Professional Presence?
  What do you owe the IRS? What to do about it?

Article Tags: contract renewals, economic times, eye protection, hearing protection, landscape maintenance, layoffs, lifeblood, multiple services, mutual trust, new business, personal protective equipment, personal relationship, sales person, satisfied customers, service provider, targets, thriving business, time activity



Related Forum Posts
Re: Auto-DM's on Twitter - dallasberry -- are you using the Professional version of SocialOomph to get those features? Or maybe I just haven't found it in the free version yet.
Introduction - Hi Fellow Entrepreneurs, My name is Rita Cartwright, owner of RJ's Word Processing Services. I am a Professional Administrative Expert offering virtual assistant services. I have been in business for 7 years and specialize in Internet marketing and word processing services. I also offer bookkeeping, transcription services, website design and maintenance, and general administrative assistance. I'm originally from Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University with Magna Cum Laude honors. My degree is a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing with a minor in Spanish. I look forward to networking with each of you.
Why pay a Consultant? - Consultants can bring you into contact with a Funding Source but how do you tell whether a consultant will be successful beforehand? Professional Consultants ALWAYS ask for some kind of retainer so that they can feel they're not being used by a 'chancer'. However, when raising funding, a real consultant will offer to REFUND THAT RETAINER out of the % BROKERAGE he charges, payable once he finds your Funding Source, and payable from initial disbursements. Retainers only cover part of the costs that a consultant has to pay while working on behalf of the Client. Their real wages come from the agreed upon Brokerage, received when they are successful on the Client's behalf.
Kevin's Case Study #5 - Different "hats" you wear - To help all entrepreneurs (especially aspiring new ones), I'd like to ask: 1.) What is your small business? 2.) Then list the numerous "hats" you're required to wear in order to succeed. Moreover, go on to rate each job function on a scale of "1 = generalist" to "10 = expert" and even which tasks you outsource. Perhaps this post will act as a decisive factor on whether a person should pursue a specific business idea or not. [i:exdr7mc8]For example, if I owned my own bakery, I'd create my list as follows: 1.) Professional Baker 2.) Different hats I'm required to wear: -Dessert making (8-10) -Customer service/Sales (7) - Job function is outsourced -Accounting (5) - Job function is outsourced -Marketing (4) - Job function is outsourced -etc...[/i:exdr7mc8]
The 7 Greatest Truths about Successful Women - Picked up a few books on my weekly trip to the library, thought I'd share their tables of contents. The 7 Greatest Truths about Successful Women: How You Can Achieve Financial Independence, Professional Freedom, and Personal Joy, by Marion Luna Brem. From the inside cover: In 1984, battling both cervical and breast cancer, and facing $500,000 in medical bills and a disintegrating marriage, Marion Luna Brem was desperate to find a way to support herself and her two young sons. With more than a few strikes against her, she started knocking on doors, looking for a job. Seventeen doors later, the blunt speaking manager of a car dealership in central TExas declared, "I've been thinking of hiring a broad." And with that invitation, Marion took her own first step on the road to financial independence, yada yada yada Today, this "broad" owns two automobile dealerships, an advertising agency, and a stake in a local bank. She sits on the boards of several businesses, etc. etc. 1. Who Wants to be her own boss? 2. Ladies, Start your engines 3. Resiliency 4. Nurturing 5. Intuition 6. Creativity 7. Passion 8. Self-Value 9. Sensitivity 10. Leadership 11. Balance


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Selling What Sizzles vs. Delivering Real Value

Igniting Your Unstoppable Business Destiny

Why Small Businesses Don't Survive

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.