Q&A: Closing sales, marketing with IPM and crawl line advertising

Photo: ©iStock.com/Drazen Lovric

Q: How can I get my sales team to increase their closing percentages?

You’ll see significant increases in your close ratios if you focus on these two areas:

1. Train your salespeople to begin differentiating your company at the very beginning of the sales process. This method helps build value early on, and helps take the customer’s focus off of price.
2. Become the prospective customer’s consultant, not “just” the salesperson. You can create a nurturing atmosphere by listening more and by thinking about customers in terms of helping them through the sales process. The building of a selling rapport/relationship will bolster close ratios significantly.

Roleplaying will hone your sales team’s skills in both areas.

Q: I would like my sales staff to use integrated pest management (IPM) as a marketing tool. Any suggestions?

First, can your staff truly define IPM? Many salespeople and technicians cannot. Here is how I define the term: IPM integrates the use of inspection, sanitation recommendations, exclusion, mechanical controls (snap traps, etc.), cultural control (pruning, etc.), biological control (insect growth regulators, pheromones, etc.), the judicious use of materials (as needed), and education and communication. If your staff can define it, that gives you a huge marketing advantage over your competition.

Q: I’ve been approached by my local cable company to purchase “crawl line” advertising on the weather channel in my local market. What do you think?

I think not! Generally speaking, it’s a waste of money.

Email your industry marketing questions to Harvey F. Goldglantz, president of Pest Control Marketing Co., Elkins Park, Pa., at hgpcmcinc@aol.com. Your questions may be printed and answered in one of Pest Management Professional’s upcoming Marketing Matters columns.