We’ve spoken about the idea of researching a market and a strategy to capture new business by combining different techniques including postcards and in-person.

I’ve also mentioned a technique for in-house sales people to follow-up with at-need families.

I’ve given you some real world numbers and results from this strategy.

In part 3 we talked about combining these strategies and how to use them for in-house sales specifically at-need follow-up.

Below are the links to the previous parts:

Click here for part one

Click here for part two

Click here for part three

The question for you today…

What other methods of prospecting can you incorporate into your own current system?

The next step is to take all of these strategies and figure a way to apply them to your own unique situation.

There are individuals who keep up with this site that do not sell pre-arrangements.

I’ve had car sales people, realtors, small business owners…. to name a few.

Why do you think they keep up with this site?

Because they can transfer the prospecting techniques I talk about into their own profession.

In other words, this stuff works for anyone in Sales.

I just happen to focus on pre-need.

But, it also points out an obvious observation you might have missed.

People from other industries keeping up with this site are trying to improve.  They are going outside there own industry to improve.

This is why I talk about so called “industry gurus” who have never sold anything let alone what they are preaching to you about how or what to do.

You should study successful sellers. 

Period.

You should invest in YOUR SELF because no one else will do it for you and no one can take it away from you.

The more successful you are the more you call the shots. 

Finally, do the 5/60 rule.

Spend 5 minutes a day working on your goals and 60 minutes a day improving your self. 

There’s plenty of material on this site plus the catalog page to equip you.

Now, quit fiddle farting around and do it!

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  Subscribers to my site are about to receive an email offer of the Whole Enchilada (everything I’ve got including the kitchen sink!)

If you aren’t a subscriber yet hurry up….

The offer will be in the mail shortly.

……..

I know we like immediate results when it comes to sales and sometimes you get a quick sale from your new system but it really does take several days maybe even a few weeks to really see the fruits of your labor.

I recently began doing drop-bys on some old files from the vault. These are folks the cemetery had done business with some 15 – 45 years ago.

That’s a long time ago.

I did this research in a way that I wasn’t noticed by my fellow sales associates but one associate found out and immediately laughed because those folks had moved, died, or were a complete waste of time.

There’s a lesson I could talk about just from her response but that’s for another time.

All told I came up with 289 leads that I managed to cross reference with the on-line white pages and used map-qwest to make a few notes at the bottom of each page and lumped them geographically together to save time dropping by.

Next, I used the Post Office to mail a postcard to those people with an offer.

One week later I began my drop-bys.

By the way, I received one response to the postcard and met that couple at the cemetery.

So, arguable, you could say I got an immediate result from the mailing.

There are many strategies for dropping in on families.

I dedicated two solid weeks to nothing but dropping by those 289 folks.  I only managed to drop-by 100 total in those two weeks. So, there are still 189 to go.

The goal?

Review the file with the prospect, warm the lead, and set an appointment or better time to drop by in the future.

Or you could say, warm the lead up or toast the lead.

Here are the results of this 2-week test. 4 appointments (not counting the postcard mailing appointment), 3 future “ok” to drop by, 12 warmed-up leads (no commitments), 6 “no”, and 4 contracts written.

And, a side note, several remembered my postcard mailing.

Here’s the point.

You can combine more than one strategy to create new business out of thin air.

Don’t rely on one strategy to generate new business.

Utilize several strategies and begin to merge completely different forms of in-person and non-in-person techniques.

Next time I’ll elaborate on the lessons learned from “drop-bys”.

Click  below for part one.

http://howtosellpreneed.com/prospecting/the-pre-need-seller-and-drop-bys-part-2

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  If you’re new to the site be sure and check out previous posts (archives).  Also, for the next few weeks we’re going to be taking it to the next level.  If you aren’t familiar with Prospecting 101 you might have a tough time keeping up so skip over to the catalog site and invest in YOUR SELF because if you don’t do it no one will do it for you (click here).

P.P.S.  If you haven’t subscribed yet, well, why the heck not?  It’s free and I offer special deals for subscribers only.  So, go to the top right hand side of the page and subscribe and don’t forget to confirm the email I send to you.  You might have to rescue that email from the junk-trash-can so don’t forget.

…

I know we’re working through a different series and I’ve interrupted it twice now based on some emails.

I thought I’d address this point before we continue with our series, Selling Opportunities Come From Everywhere, part one:

 http://howtosellpreneed.com/prospecting/selling-opportunities-come-from-everywhere#more-2650

“Someone asked me if I could narrow everything down to one simple
concise “thing” to generate more business NOW
what would that thing be?”

Well, to keep it simple… And there is not magic bullet.  It takes a lot of bullets to succeed in this business.  In fact, you’ve got to keep growing and developing your selling skills and experience.

Anyway, the real answer to the problem of consistent selling and the one “THING” most pre-need sellers forget is…

It’s about your lead box

Many people use different terms to identify what I call the “lead box”.  If you’re the business owner it is about your customer/marketing list.

Well, Pre-Need Sellers are really in business for them SELF.

You really are in business for your SELF.

There’s no other way to describe it. I realize you might be a W-2 employee with the company (or W-4) and maybe even have regular set hours but none-the-less you are in business for your SELF.

For the Pre-Need Seller it really is about your Lead Box (or list of potential customers).

We’ve spoken about how you can tap into your own spheres of influence (these are potential leads and referrals sources).

We’ve spoken about generating new leads through a variety of sources (see previous archive posts)

What you truly want to do is warm up those leads. If you were to imagine all of your leads in one box….the lead box, how warm is your box?

Inside your lead box are various leads and previous customers and potential leads.

A lead is someone who doesn’t own arrangements and open to discussing it.

Your leads can be categorized and organized into different smaller groups with the same characteristics.

Champion Endorser® leads would be organized under a different tab.

Door-Knocking Leads would be organized under a different tab.

Follow-up(s) Leads would be organized under a different tab.

Cemetery Grounds leads would be organized under a different tab.

Stay-in-touch leads would be organized under a different tab.

You get the picture. Label your group no matter how large or small, categorize, and have a system in place that ultimately puts them into a different status in your lead box.

I could go on but hopefully you’re getting the point. Once you input your lead into your “lead box” the system takes over.

Now, I’m using a lead box as an example but the box can be your computer software program.

Your box can be your old fashioned 3×5 card box.

Your lead box can be an elaborate paper filing system.

Whatever it is you need a system to manage your leads because I guarantee you the number one problem with Pre-Need Sellers is FOLLOW-UP.

Most Pre-Need Sellers go for the sale and if they can’t or don’t get it they give up. I know some sellers of pre-arrangements who will call once or twice and forget all about it.

The reason they forget to continue to follow-up is they have no system in place to take over for them.

You can only remember so many names and soon the interest is gone and the note gets misplaced and they forget all about that Prospective New Sale.

So, get this picture in your head.

Organize your leads into categories.  Using time or number of contacts and you can put those leads into a follow-up program (it can be snail-mail, phoning, drop-by, or combinations of all the above) and systematize the program so you don’t have to think about it.

Each day you arrive in the office the system spits out what you need to do next.

Follow-up until your Prospect tells you to quit following up or buys.

Be persistent because I guarantee you no one else stays in touch with Prospects.

When you do the things nobody else will do
you’ll get the things nobody else will get.

Your biggest asset is your Lead Box.

So, for example, our current series covers places you can get leads.

There are plenty of places to get leads.  The bigger issue is; what are you doing with those leads?

Selling Opportunities Come From Everywhere, but successful selling comes from managing your Lead Box.

Remember no one can take away your education and experience.

NO ONE!

But, YOU are the person who’s responsible for getting the education and experience that makes you so valuable you get to call the shots with the company.

In fact,
top producers go from
the passenger to
the driver’s seat.

There are a lot of companies out there (especially with the New Economy) who want top producers. Head over to the catalog page and begin to equip yourself for the New Economy and get more sales in the next 6 months than you did in the last 12.

Take care of your Lead Box and it will take care of you…

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S. In today’s new Economy it is critical to your success to understand how to tap into your spheres of influence and discover new leads sources. You ain’t gonna do it sittin’ around.

So, get up and do something.

Head to the catalog page or become a new subscriber (subscribing is FREE) today….top right hand side of the page and I’ll send you a special offer only subscribers get.

Also, I’ll send you a series of email strategies to sell more pre-arrangements in the next 6 months than the last 12.

Get a move on. That’s right. And don’t forget after you subscribe you gotta hit the confirmation link I send you to confirm you’re you….

A little side note. You might have to rescue my confirmation link from the junk spam garbage can. So, get on with it and quit dilly dallying around…..

…

Here’s a quick review:

The goal is to determine if door-knocking still works in the year 2009.  The first test consisted of a two week time period where I’d door knock 5 days a week.  The first two weeks generated plus 50 leads and two immediate presentations and sales.  The reactions of Prospects was much the same as it was for me better than 7 years ago when I door-knocked more regularly.

The test was extended for two more weeks to run those leads.  Week three; a sale off a drop-by, week four; another sale off a door-knock.  Also, by the end of the fourth week I determined you need at least 100 leads to succeed.  I was now up to 76 leads. 

Does Door Knocking still work?

I door-knocked rich areas, poor areas, north, south, east, and west.  Though I got sales in all parts of town I couldn’t say one area was better than another area.  The poor areas tended to finance over time while the affluent areas paid cash.  Ironically, I could not pre-judge how people would react.  Some were nice, some were not nice.  If the prospect wasn’t interested they just wanted to get rid of me, though for the most part, they were pretty nice.

No one yelled at me or threatened me in any way.  For the most part my leads turned into a short conversation and I’d note some basic info and moved on to the next door.  If you listen real close your Prospects will tell you what they are interested in.

How does door-knocking work in the year 2009?

The end of the first week I had 26 leads and one sale.  The sale was off a door-knock, presentation was made on the spot, and a pre-need funeral sale.  Though I knocked a lot of doors I didn’t kill myself working.   The second week I generated plus 26 leads and got into another house and made a cemetery sale.  With a two week total of 54 leads I extended the door-knocking test for two more weeks.  The third week resulted in a sale off the drop-by from a previous door-knock lead.

The end of the first week door knocking

Armed with 54 leads (third week) I began running drop by(s).  Monday I dropped in on 8 leads.  The goal is to get into the home for presentation, warm the lead, or toast the lead.  It really is a good thing to burn those leads.  It’s also important to warm your box of leads evenly.  Don’t pre-judge your leads.

What is the true goal of door-knocking?

Organization and a system are necessary to succeed.  Never use just one method of Prospecting.  I recommend 3 separate Prospsecting strategies.  Door-knocking alone wont do it.  But, you’ll soon begin to forget about some of these individual leads so it’s important to stay organized.

Short, medium term prospecting through door-knocking

It really is about getting as many leads as you can than whittle them down.  Burning leads is a good thing.  Don’t hang onto Prospect who are not really Prospects.  You want people who do not own pre-arrangements but open to discussing it.  After you get your  lead you’ll drop by to warm up, burn, or get in the door for a presentation.

Where to door-knock and what to expect

By the time this series ends I’ll be adding a Door-Knocking Kit to the Ultimate Package Members.  Membership has privileges.  For a limited time you  can get a FREE life time membership to this site if you’ll invest in the Ultimate Package.  Click here for more info.

Hurry though, this offer ends when the series ends!

Happy Selling

David…

P.S.  Be sure and enroll at the top right hand corner of this page for all the latest updates and freebies.  Subscribing has benefits.  If you’re new to the business feel free to roam around the site.  Currently, I’m offering FREE life time membership as a bonus to everyone who invests in the Ultimate Package of everything I’ve got.  As a member you’ll have free access to everything I add to the membership area…for Life!

So, for Pete’s sake, invest in yourself because no body else will do it for you.  No matter what they can’t take away your education and your experience.  Let me tell you when you are a top producer you can go to any cemetery, funeral home, group, regional, conglomerate, you name it because you’ll be in demand.  There aren’t a lot of pre-need sellers that make six-figures selling.  If I can do it, you can do it.

Either head over to the Ultimate Package for info or I’ve made it real easy for you to get it now.  Click below and get instant member access.

…

If you sell pre-need funerals a quick way to make some sales and cash is to go through the un-fundeds. Every funeral home has a stack of pre-arrangements that have not been funded.

These folks came into the funeral home to pre-plan and for whatever reason decided not to fund the pre-arrangement. Most of the time funeral directors don’t ask for the money. They just make notes of the decisions and file it.

All you have to do is contact these people through the mail. Put together a simple letter and include testimonials. I recommend a minimum of one page with both sides packed with copies of notes sent in by customers.

Testimonials are golden. Nothing beats someone other than you singing praises about you. You can sing you praises all day and all night but no one will notice. Other people however singing your praises will get you a lot of sales.

Anyway, don’t just send one letter. Send three letters. Space your letters two weeks apart and mail them on Monday mornings (unless Monday is a holiday).

Don’t waste another second. Your letter can be lousy. Do the best you can and continue tweaking the letter based on any and all comments you get. But what ever you do put out something.

Get the letters out today!

David Dassow

So the first and most important lesson for sales letters is you’ve got to get your prospect to open the letter (that’s why I encourage you to use a champion endorser™).

The second most important thing about a sales letter is you’ve got to get them to read the letter!!! This may sound simple but I can assure you most pre-need sellers automatically think if they send a letter to a prospect the prospect is going to gladly open the letter and read it.

It is critical to get them to open the letter and read it.

A headline is important because it needs to get the attention of the reader. If your reader just opened up the envelope and there are thick paragraphs and the letter looks hard to read forget it. Your prospect won’t read it!

A headline captures the attention of your prospect. A headline tells your prospect what you want to communicate in a compelling way.

The Ugly Truth About Pre-Planning

The Quickest Way I know To Make Pre-Arrangements

The Lazy Man’s Way To Make Pre-Arrangements

At Last…Someone Has Unlocked The Secrets Of….

The purpose of the headline is to get your reader to read the next sentence. Yes, if you were wondering what the purpose of a paragraph or sentence is….Yes, the purpose of every sentence in a sales letter is to get your reader to read the next sentence.

Make your headlines appealing to your Prospecting Group. Profile who is a likely person to pre-plan with you. Learn all you can learn and communicate a message the way your prospect is comfortable.

Better to have a lousy sales letter going to a likely prospect than to have a great sales letter going to a lousy prospect.

David Dassow