MP 1: Spark Interest

The following steps make up MP 1: Spark Interest.

Step One: Research and Membership

John: Good evening, Mr. Walters. This is John Peters with Water Heaters Inc. I'm calling you because of our successes in helping your neighbors with their water-heating requirements. We achieve our best results in 2,200-square-foot or larger homes built before 1971 that still use their original water heaters. Real estate records indicate your home falls into those categories; is that correct? (The only yes-or-no question John asks. He needs to verify that Mr. Walters shares these organizational characteristics. If Mr. Walters does, he gets to start with a positive customer response, a yes. Don't worry; he has used up only twenty seconds.)

Brian: Yeah, That's right. But, my water heater still works just fine. (He confirms that it is the original one.)

Step Two: Take Your Pick

John: Well, Mr. Walters, regardless of how well your water heater works, if it's still the original one, we might be able to help you reduce your electrical or gas bill costs significantly while greatly increasing your hot water capacity. Are these goals that you'd like to pursue, or are there other ones that might be more important to you? (John suggests two broad goals that reflect Mr. Walters's organizational characteristics and potentially connect to John's XLX 9000 features. John also asks a clarifying question.)

Step Three: Track Record

Brian: Well I actually haven't given my water heater a lot of thought other than when it doesn't work, I get it fixed. However, you got my interest, so keep going. (John receives his first customer confirmation and some indication that Mr. Walters has had problems with his water heater in the past. He will explore that issue in MP 2: Measure Potential.)

John: Mr. Walters, judging by our results in the Justinville area, we might be able to achieve the same results with your home. Their homes are similar in size and age as yours. In more than twenty-five Justinville homes that still had the original water heaters we averaged 38 percent energy savings while increasing capacity by an average of 40 percent during the last year. (John validates his proven performance in the same market segment.)

MPC 1: Interest Confirmed

John: However, Mr. Walters, do you feel it's worth pursuing these opportunities to lower your utility costs and increase capacity? I would welcome the opportunity to see whether you can achieve the same improvements at your home that others achieved in similar situations. (John indicates that he and Mr. Walters will need to make an investment of time. He uses a yes-or-no question to verify that there is customer agreement.)

Brian: I'm willing to find out. (John receives a confirmed customer's agreement.)

John: Well, thanks for your time. Can we meet next Thursday if that's convenient for you? It will take about a half hour. (John's call for action is a meeting to conduct MP 2. In addition, because this is a telephone call, he lets Mr. Walters know how long a meeting would take. He makes sure he schedules the meeting before concluding the call.)

Brian: Thursday is good; see you then. (John receives MPC 1: Interest Confirmed to end MP 1.)

Note

Of course, sometimes sales calls do not go as planned (Chapter 8 examines this topic in detail). However, like everything else in the MeasureMax selling system, if you can find your way back to the customers' goals, you can get back on track. Suppose our Mr. Walters cut John short and said, "What are you selling, John?'' All John would have to say is the truth. His reply would resemble this goal statement: "Hopefully, cost-justified reliability, improved efficiency, increased capacity, and utility savings in the form of a water heater. I will need to get more information, though, to determine if we can achieve the same success with you that we have had with similar customers.''

Again, the reason to meet is to see what the unique circumstances of Mr. Walters' filters are and the measurable benefits these goals can produce. John can proceed to the second phase after obtaining MPC 1: Interest Confirmed.