Leaning into the wind just a bit. The power of the pencil.

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Leaning into the wind…

Well just a bit

 

Collecting what our customers owe us isn’t a sometimes thing. Nope, it’s an all of the time, every time we see them kind of thing. And to facilitate that process we need to be constantly on top of the collection status of all our customers.

 

That means updating that collection report that you should be carrying with you every day – so that when someone slips past that due date you’re on top of the situation and are planning to either call them or drop by to follow up.

 

As you’re preparing to review that service report to market all the good things you’ve done after your service, be sure to take that list out of your pocket to confirm that they’re paid up to date and that you don’t need to prod them for a check that’s now several days late.

 

We need to bear in mind that just like us, when it comes to paying bills, most customers find that task to be one of the least rewarding aspects of being in business. There’s an understandable downside to opening that checkbook and spending some of that hard fought for cash in the old account! And that’s why we need to always be leaning forward when it comes to getting paid.

The power …

Of the pen(cil)

 

Pencil selling may already be, or at a minimum is becoming, a lost art. Our reliance on the more efficient, accurate and handy electronic methods available with our iPads, Tablets, and our larger smart phones is understandable. It’s certainly not surprising then that we’d choose to use those tools, versus pen and paper to support our presentations.

 

BTW, for the Generation X and Millennials reading this – and who are asking what the heck this pencil selling thing is, the phrase refers to using a pen and paper to emphasize the points we’re making in our presentation. It’s done contemporaneously as we speak and can be extremely effective in amplifying our points. It can be powerful in involving the buyer by directing their attention to the key points we’re making.

 

So while we certainly should use those electronic tools in our sales work, we also shouldn’t overlook the power of the pencil and paper. Seeing that 20% savings your promising written down – especially with the word “guaranteed” written beside it, can be very powerful and persuasive.