Few have put thought into what to leave behind after a call and fewer still see it as a significant part of the sales process. It is.

So that we’re all thinking about the same thing, I’ll define “leave behind” as whatever you leave with the customers at the end of the call, whether you make the sale or not.

Do this: in the margin on this page write down what you always leave behind after you make a sale. Then write down what you always leave behind when you do not make the sale. I emphasized “always” because I’m interested in helping you create a standard practice…not an occasional and random one.

I’ll wager that many of you were stumped on the “always” requirement. Your list may include only product literature and a copy of your “bid”. For some of you the margin is blank. Whether you make the sale or not it’s vital that you leave behind appropriate information to either reinforce that the customer made the right decision in buying from you or, if they didn’t buy yet, that they should buy from you.

What to leave behind when you make the sale

So now that you understand why this is an important strategy you’ll see why certain support materials are necessary.  Each of the following is intended to do one or all of these three things: establish trust, differentiate you from others and add value:

1. A custom-made company-logoed folder. This folder has your logo or company photo on the cover along with the logos of your key affiliated companies. That can include your equipment brand logo, Better Business Bureau, NATE and so on. The inside of the folder has two pockets for inserting paperwork. On the left pocket is a slit for your business card. The right pocket has some cool customer testimonials printed on it. The back of the folder has a “dare to compare” list. This is a list of the top 10 great things that you do with a two check boxes next to each line. One of the check box columns is labeled with your company name and the other column has the word “Other” at the top. ALL of your boxes are checked off. It’s as if you want the customer to compare you…you dare them to.
2. Your proposal form. Leave a neat, legible copy or better yet the original.There are still some sales trainers who suggest you don’t leave your proposal unless they agree to buy. I believe that if our intention is to create a lifetime relationship with the customers…creating clients…then we have to act in a trustworthy manner. If you trust someone you’d leave anything that could help them. Leave the proposal.
3. Your company brochure…I hope you have one!  This doesn’t have to be super fancy. The essentials include photos of your owners, group photos of your key people including office persons, techs, installers and you. Add a few customer testimonials and a short list of your credentials such as time in business, licensed, bonded, insured, certifications, a smattering of your good stuff especially if you have some advantages over your competition. For instance if you’ve earned NATE certification and are drug-free and have 24-hour service be sure to mention all of those.If you don’t have a brochure just yet then type something up on your stationary. These days it’s easy to import a few photos and make color copies. Do it.
4. Product literature. Leave information on whatever they bought, of course, and if you talked about upgrades and they had any interest at all include them too. More is better. They can’t buy what they don’t have information about. Some people will surprise you with how cautious they were during the call and then later decided to upgrade everything. Don’t deny them their right to spend more money.
5. Written summary of what’s next.  This is so important. Many, even most, people will have a twinge of buyer’s remorse. They need some re-assurance after you leave that they made a great decision. You’ll be telling them they did as you wrap up after the sale but they need something that “holds their hand” when you’re gone. A simple remedy is to have a checklist including the next steps: who will call to confirm the installation, when she will call, what happens when the installers show up, what will happen while the installers are there, how the lead installer will wrap up the day’s work, what they can expect the first day/night with their new system, whom to call if there are problems, when you will be contacting them again, how to reach you any time for help. It’s all about peace of mind.

What to leave behind when you don’t make the sale

1. As you probably suspect it’s the same list, except for two things: NOW is the time for your referral list. Referral  list? Some of you have one; I’ve seen them. This is a written list of clients (past customers) who have enthusiastically agreed to have their names, addresses and contact information given to potential customers who want personal assurance that you and your company are all that you claim you are.Just having a list provides evidence that you are competent, confident and professional. For some, that will be all they need to be assured they will make the right decision by choosing you. A few will call someone and of course get a glowing recommendation…and the sale is yours.
2. Why paying less is a bad idea. Many people are going to shop you. It’s the way some are and there isn’t anything you can do about it. Except this: create a story…I like the “iceberg story”…that points out why you solutions to their problems cost as much as they do. You have to somehow explain the “hidden costs”, the ones the customers don’t know about and will never see, are very important, even critical to the systems performance and the customer’s satisfaction. This is the old “you get what you pay for” concept. As you are about to leave pull this out and suggest they be cautious about choosing any other contractor, making sure they do all the important, hidden, things that you, for example, as experts, always take care to do. And, if you have courage, ask them again to buy. You’ll get some to say yes!

Now you have some work to do. Get to it…and Good Selling!