Selling Myself and My Work
As promised at the end of the last blog entry, I will be talking about how I am going about selling myself and my work.
Some people may wonder why I add the “selling myself” part in with the “selling my product.” It’s because I build custom furniture, not off the shelf, stock products. I am interacting, listening, and talking to the client throughout every step of a projects life cycle. The clients don’t actually have a product in hand until they have invested a good chunk of money and time in me and my company. I have to make sure that the client sees me as someone who is profession, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. I have been very particular about this aspect of the business. I believe the general public views woodworkers, even professional woodworkers, as some dirty, dusty, sweaty guy in a dark, dusty, cluttered wood shop. Most of that may be true. I know after a long day in the shop I am a few steps removed from my “salesman” costume. But there is no reason the customer needs to see us in that “state.”
I have identified four main aspects “professionalisms”: Dress attire, returning phone calls, quoting jobs, and providing 3D renderings.
As a woodworker, I tend to identify more with the construction worker in his well worn shirt and pants than with the business manager in his suit and tie. I love the feeling of accomplishment and the sense of pride after a long day in the shop. I love getting dust on my clothes and stain on my hands! It is why we are woodworkers! I also know that look is not what strikes confidence in the hearts of clients and encourages them to pay you $5,000 for a custom entertainment center or dining set! I make sure that when I meet with clients at their homes I am dressed in clean slacks and a polo shirt, not yesterday’s work shirt and stained/painted work shorts. If I ever have clients come to my shop, which happened two times in my first five jobs, I either stay clean or clean myself up prior to their arrival, making sure to blow the dust from my hair and wash the stain from my hands.
Even more important than the dress attire and “look”, and an area that I believe is woefully ignored by many businesspeople, is answering the phone or promptly returning a missed call. I picked up a wholesale client, in part, because the gentleman they worked with before took a week or more to return their calls. I strive to always answer the phone when it rings…I have almost excuse, my work number is my cell number…and if I miss the call, I return it ASAP. Oh yeah, and don’t answer the phone sounding like you just woke up! Is it just me, or does it seem like a lot of companies have people fielding calls who sound like that?
The third thing is providing timely quotes to my clients. I provide free “rough” quotes to my clients and strive to have them sent back within 2 working days of when I received the information. I have even gotten a quote back to a client within three hours, which was pretty good given the scope of the quote! My hope is to never lose a job because I was to late in getting back to the customer and they decided to go elsewhere with their business. Also, all the quotes are sent out in company letterhead from Quickbooks, not sketched out on a scratch piece of paper or a napkin.
The fourth area I have focused on is providing a Google SketchUp drawing when needed, and boy it has saved the day more than once. Since starting a couple of months ago, the SketchUp drawing has played a key role in four of my first six jobs and in one of my early quotes. I never actually begin working on a 3D drawing until after I have already secured the job, that way I don’t waste hour upon hour in front of the computer. But I have decided that four or six hours spent drawing the project will save me hours later on down the road by bringing to light unseen issues in the design and by giving me a model to constantly refer back to when I have questions regarding dimensions, or scale, or design. And those are just the benefits that I derive from the drawing! The benefits to the client are even more! It is very hard for people to envision what a final piece will look like without seeing a drawing. Show the client a scale picture, with the correct wood colors, and place it within their virtual room, and you have a much better chance of convincing them to go forward with the job.
Next entry I will discuss who I have identified as my target audiences.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:12 am
Marc
You are so right on!
I have spent 30 years in sales and I firmly believe that anybody can make a go in any business with the right attitude when it comes to the phone (and nowadays email).
I have made sales when I had no more than a phone number on my caller ID from someone who called and didn’t even leave a message on my voicemail.
One additional point - If you’re on time for an appointment, you’re at least five minutes late.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I actually think it can be rude to be more than a few minutes early for an appointment. Especially when you are going to someone’s home. I try to be ready when someone is coming over, whether it’s the cable guy or a friend but 5 minutes can be the difference between feeling rushed and embarrassed because the kitchen table still has dirty dishes on it and feeling calm and collected because I got them into the sink. With small children in the house, cleanliness is a constant job.