It the world of sales there can be a lot of different goals. You might have a client you work on for years to get signed up or an older client that you have to please each and every year so they remain satisfied with your company. As with anything in business, sales can sometimes before fairly stale. Though now and again you have a sale that makes a huge impact and goes down in the record books as one of the best sales you have ever made in your career. Not every noteworthy sale is based on money. Some exciting sales happen after a long haul or working with a picky client. Other sales happen with a client that could mean you get a foot in the door to network with other large clients. Whatever the reason is the sale you make will give you a great feeling. We asked entrepreneurs and business owners to share their story with us about the best sale they ever made.
Making a big sale is always a great way to get the sales ball rolling. Doing so takes strategy and some clever thinking, like offering your client something they just can’t pass up. Social media consultant Alfredo Lopez took a risk with a client and it paid off in a big way. “A couple of years ago I worked in inside sales, where I cold called people/business owners every day. One day, I happened to hit the jackpot in being able to connect with a business owner, who owned 15 restaurants. He understood the value of what I was offering, namely, social media management. He said he was interested, but didn't want to give up any money until he was certain it would pay off in ROI. Noting the opportunity, I offered him a free trial for 1 of his restaurants (which we were not allowed to do), and I myself took up the responsibility of managing his account and doing the work for him. I did it on one condition. That if it worked, and he liked it, he would bring on his other 14 restaurants. He agreed. I worked about 80 hours a week for about a month and a half, following up with him, and tracking everything. Finally, after 6 weeks, he was floored. He said he'd never seen anyone stick their neck on the line to offer him value like that (bear in mind I was managing this account for free. I was a salesman, not an account manager, but I managed his account for 6 weeks for free). It was worth it. In one fell swoop, he signed up for our services, for all 15 of his restaurants, and I got a fat commission check, along with the most revenue for 1 day in the company's history. Perhaps more importantly, I created a real bond with my client, and I consider him a lifer now.”
For most part when you think of sales you think of selling a product for your company or selling your business presence to potential clients. Phyllis Pierce of My Luck Club has a different kind of sale in mind for her favorite – selling herself. “I knew it would be challenging to stand out from the crowd. By selling myself and what I believed I could do, I ended up being one of only 9 entrepreneurs in the State of Connecticut to receive $25,000 in funding from Connecticut Innovations. To achieve that — I had to sell myself. I had to convince these investors that I could deliver and get the job done. Investors often say that they invest in people first — then ideas. So for me, the best sale I ever made, was as an entrepreneur getting funding for My Luck Club.”
Sometimes a sale comes down to getting to do the best thing for a client, no matter what the product is. Ben Katt of The Circle Of Persuasion comments on why his favorite sale made such an impact on him. “One of the best sales I ever had was selling an elevator modernization to a 13 story building. The small independent company in town offered to do the work for $365,000. My company's bid was $495,000.. It was an example of selling value against low price. Because of the value proposition of my company and the professional relationship I had established with the owner, we were rewarded the contract. A year later, the independent company was sold to another company and is no longer in business. The exciting aspect of this sale was to sell value against a lower price and get the sale because the value we brought to the customer was worth the extra cost.”
A great sale can revive your love of the art of selling. Reading about a great sale can also give you some new ideas and techniques to use during your next meeting. Having an exciting sale in your background can give you a huge perspective on the business world. When things get slow you can look back on the best sale you’ve made and dust off to move ahead.