I did B2B sales for over 10 years and I was what could be deemed by any measure, successful at it. However, the economy blahblahblah. Here's the thing: I recently got a job doing in home sales. It's a good product, an excellent service, and one that really does add value to one's home as well as making it a more pleasant place to live. The leads are warm and only a couple of the leads have turned out to be stinkers. In my first week I've closed 5 out ten leads. Great, right? Wrong.

Of the five that I've closed, four have cancelled their orders within anywhere from 14-72 hours. I just got the latest cancellation a couple of hours ago and I've been stewing over it since. I have to call my boss soon and let her know the bad news.

I'm an affable and well spoken guy and I always look my best when I go into someone's home. And when I leave these people's homes I feel good about what they've purchased from me and they seem happy as well. The reasons they've given for cancelling have all been different with the exception of one thing--price,  but that's not the real problem. The problem is obviously me. There is something I'm not doing to keep these people secure enough to not cancel but for the life of me I just don't know what it is.

Getting them to sign is not a problem and price negotiation usually goes pretty well. Of course some people simply can't afford what we sell or they didn't anticipate that home improvement costs more than buying an area rug at Costco. Those people have unrealistic expectations and there's simply not much that can be done to un-shock them when I present them with what it will cost to have the work done. But for those that have signed, and then cancelled... I go through the whole process with them, from making them feel like they've gotten a good deal, that they're dealing with a customer service oriented organization, and of course that they can count on me to address any concerns that they might have.

There are some pricing issues that company has---some that I would even call misleading. But again, those issues are being overcome by other reps so I don't want to use that as a big excuse.

So why are people signing up in good numbers but then cancelling in nearly equal numbers?

I've been trained to always get the signature before I leave the home; "Don't leave without a P.O.!" In B2B there was time to build a relationship and have other people in the industry attest to the quality of our business. But for in-home sales, if you don't get that signature NOW, that guy's gonna go somewhere else and some rep from some other company is going to get an easy sale because you (meaning me) have already done the hard work. I present the product, I hit them with the priceIn short, I educate the client on the entire process. Then they go out, shop price for an hour and hire someone else on the spot. That has happened twice already in just my first week.

Am I failing at presenting them with the quality of the service? Are they signing because they feel pressured to; and when I leave they're just glad that I'm gone, knowing they can cancel without risk? I haven't had a chance to really ask my fellow reps about any of this as this was our class' first week out to see if they're running up against the same thing.

But really, I just need to figure out what it is that I'm doing so wrong. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

 Hi Ingersoll,

As you are fully aware by now, In-home sales is different than B2B sales, and you are correct in realizing that if you leave the home without having the sale finalized then your chances of winning the business decrease significantly.  Research has shown that if you enter the home then you have a major barrier already removed.  However, if you are receiving large cancellations then something in your sales process is not working properly.   Time and time again, buyer's remorse will set in if sufficient value and a proper sales process is not in place to allow you to focus on your customer's needs and wants.  If you are simply using closing techniques to finalize the transaction and your customers are succumbing to the pressure to buy then once you leave you can expect to see huge cancellations within 48 hours. 

Without knowing more about your particular situation and how you are actually selling, it would be foolish of me to offer advice because I do not have all the facts.  You mentioned several areas and there could be a number of reasons affecting these areas.

My question to you is are you asking enough of the right questions, presenting a solution that is on point with the answers you received to your questions and then making sure you have their buy-in that your solution is right for them, or are you just doing product demo's and pushing for a close?   I'd like to know more about how you are selling before I can offer advice.

When you have a chance, please provide some more information about what your sales process looks like?  How do you open the sale?  When do you do a demo?  What are you selling?

Warm Regards,

Tony

 Gee, I feel compelled to respond although I don't have a clear cut answer for you.  We can break it down to price, product, personal.  Could be your very likeable and they don't want to hurt your feelings so they sign in good conscience.  However, they might have concerns on the price and cancel within the alloted time frame.

I've been in sales for over 20 years and my advice to you would be to get back in touch and ask why they cancelled.  You don't have to be confrontational (I'm sure you wouldn't be) but let them know you were curious as to why they cancelled .  And knowing the reason can help you address it with other customers.  Good luck.

The reason they cancel the sales is because they are uncomfortable with some part of the sale whether it be the price, quality, or a little too much sales pressure. Disucss this with the other reps. Some of them must have been through this at one point.

If you can, post more information. I'd love to analyze this situation a little more. Especially after you speak with the other reps. Circle back with the homeowners as well. Find out exactly why they signed and cancelled in a short time span.

Myself, i've worked in the exterior paint job sales role. Some homeowners will cancel, for sure. Most will stick. The best part about B2C is that it's a very emotional sale. If you can establish their trust, you'll close it and have much success. You know this but be 100% sure to prove the product 's or service's ability, show integrity, and above all prove to the homeowner that you really care about their well-being.

Hope this helps somewhat.

 Sorry I haven't been back sooner. That first week was brutal. However, since then, I've been closing at 60%+ for over two weeks now, which is a huge relief for me. I think a lot of it was my obvious discomfort with the amount of paperwork and calling in credit apps. I was not confident.

At this point I can now comfortably say that the training provided for the above was next to nothing. "It's all self explanatory, don't worry about it". I will never understand why such a large company would provide such poor training for its employees. It cost me money that week, it cost the company money that week. It also cost me appointments and money the following week as I was down at the bottom of the list to get appointments.

However, I managed to overcome and when I go to an appointment now I have every reason to believe that I can close the sale.

I'm happy to hear you're on the right track. Happy selling.