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sales training with bill guertinSuite Sales Reps:Whose Story Are You Selling?When the early pioneers cameacross the Great Plains, theyhad to figure out most everythingfor themselves. Therewas no “Handbook of Pioneering” to refer to,no friendly Indian guide to lead the way, oreven a map to follow. Trial and error was a wayof life.Today’s suite prospects – the people we sellto – can’t afford to be pioneers.They have no budget or patience for trial anderror. In their minds, pioneers are the ones whoget shot full of arrows. They want the benefitof knowing what mistakes others have madewhen using a suite or premium seats, so theyknow what to avoid. In their world, “best practices”are not just a nice thing to know; they areessential to the buying process.So whose “pioneer tales” are you selling? Arethey the ones from you, the sales rep, that arenaturally biased toward spinning a positiveoutcome? Or are they the ones your prospectsreally want to hear, from real people that haveexperienced the positives and negatives aboutyour suites, who’ve been to the mountain andback?If your presentation includes only informationfrom the team or venue, you’re leaving outa vital piece of sales data. Who else in a similarsituation has experienced success with yoursuites, and how have they made it happen?If Others Say It, It Must Be TrueTestimonials, success stories, and before/afterstatistics from real customers can be someof your most powerful sales information. Thelate Chet Holmes called it “social proof ” in hisbook, The Ultimate Sales Machine. In order to bemore credible, many successful organizationsuse the authentic stories of others to communicatevalue to their prospects.Getting these golden “social proof ” pieces,however, can sometimes be as daunting as thesale itself. Who should you single out, and howshould you go about getting their story for usein your marketing efforts?Lay out the recipe for successas if the person who’s readingis seeing a “cheat sheet” onhow to do premium seatingthe right way from someonewho’s been there before.How to Gather “Social Proof”First, identify those on your current customerlists that would make good testimonial prospects,with a good mix of tenure, experience,and seating goals. Approach them to make surethey’re receiving the kind of ROI that wouldbe print-worthy, and if so, ask if they would beinterested in being a part of your team’s marketingcollateral, spotlighting them as a “forward-thinking”company. Most who are askedare flattered that you’ve thought of them andappreciate the positive publicity.Next, interview 3-4 contacts within thecompany that have connection with their venueinvestment, including the administrator ofthe seats, the decision-maker(s), and those whohave directly used the seats to achieve the company’sobjectives.Some good questions to ask for possible inclusionin the piece might be: “What are yourgeneral impressions of the venue?”, “What doyour guests/users like best about your seats?”,“What would you tell other businesses aboutthe venue/team?”, and “What advice wouldyou have for other businesses looking for (insertcompany’s business objective here)?”Consider videotaping your contacts whileasking them these questions, using their logo inthe background of the shots to give their companiesthe props they deserve. Get a few excellentquotes, and be sure to have each of themsign a waiver OK’ing you to use their likenessand quotes. Finally, produce the piece (whetherin video or printed form) and get their OK onthe final version.Checklist for the FinalProductIn your final, BRIEF video or printed versionfor use by your sales team, here are some ofthe elements your prospects will want to knowabout your “pioneering” current customers:COMPANY INFO: Don’t assume that everyonewill know the company and what they do.Include their primary business category, numberof locations, and number of employees aswell as how long they’ve been associated withyour team. Names and titles of decision-makers(with head shots) can significantly add tothe piece’s credibility.GREAT PHOTOS: If you’re creating a onesheet,don’t skimp on the photos. If you havea professional photographer internally, that’sgreat. But if you don’t, hire someone whoknows what they’re doing. Take a few FAB-ulousphotos of the client(s) and/or their premiumseating guests, getting waiver signaturesfrom them as well.OBJECTIVES: What do they want to accomplishwith your team each season? Be as quantitativeas you can with percentage increasesin sales/closing ratios/retention/satisfaction,[continued on page 92]90 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2013