The 3Hs: the easiest way to sell more

Some indisputable facts about selling:

• Your business needs more sales
• You’ll save lots of time, cost and hassle if you win sales using the easiest methods
• It’s easier to sell to people who know you than people who don’t
• Most of your customers could buy more from you than they currently do

Obvious, yes?

So, isn’t it weird how people often forget to sell to their existing customers?  Instead, they trawl along to hundreds of networking events meeting strangers.  This is often worthwhile; but not the easiest way to win quick sales.

Now it’s usually about this point that someone says “yes, but I don’t want to annoy my customers by selling to them”

So, don’t annoy them.

But do sell to them, just do it in a way that they’ll love. Here’s a great way to do – my 3Hs. Simply call/visit them, and have this conversation…

#1 Hot buttons

Ask what their current priorities are (a good question: “what are your priorities?”). Discuss them in detail, so you understand exactly where their current focus is.

#2 How can I best help with that?

After they have told you their priorities, ask how they would like your help.

There are only three answers they can give: ‘you can help; you can’t; I’ve no idea’.

If they say you can help, you’re well on the way to making a sale.  It’s now just a question of finding out what they want you to do, and how much it’ll cost.

If they say “no” or “don’t know”, go to the third H…

#3 How about…?

If they haven’t thought of a way you can help, suggest something – ‘How about I do X or Y?  Would either of these help you?”

If you can’t immediately think of ways you can help them – or if they answered “no” to the second H – say “would you mind if I thought about it/asked around, to see how I might be able to help?”

There’s a good chance they’ll answer “yes”.  After all, they’ve just told you what their priorities are, and you’re offering to help with them.

And, when they do say “yes”, they are – in effect – saying “think about how you might be able to help me (a sale to you) or somebody else might (a referral for a BNI colleague)”.

The best outcome you’ll get? The customer will think they have had great customer service, will be impressed with your proactivity, will think that you are nice and will buy something.

The worst? All the above paragraph, except the sale!  In short, they will love that you have asked.

So, let’s finish with one more indisputable fact about selling:

When you do things that your customers love, everyone benefits.

Who will you try the 3Hs with first?

Andy Bounds is an expert at helping businesses sell and communicate better. His books The Snowball Effect and The Jelly Effect are international best-sellers. You can contact him on andy@andybounds.com

Tagged as: business networking, customers, priorities, sales