Hi Rob,
Well, your post made me smile. Rod swears it makes a difference. But he's biased, I think.
Now at prior jobs I have been selling via phone and no one could see me, so I'll say skill has alot to do with it too.
When Rod and I go out and team sell, he lets me talk. He knows I will turn it over to him for questions I don't have answers to, or will find an opening to involve him. But he also knows our close rate goes through the roof when I am with him. Not many women step onto a construction site, and when a woman smiles and asks for a chance to do business, well..... draw your own conclusions. Personally, I think my background has as much to do with it as anything else does though.
Bottom line, when you hire a sales person, make sure they can:
1. listen well - Seek to understand!
2. follow up well - builds reliability!
3. ask intelligent questions that get them to where they need to go in the sales process - they'll tell you how to close them and how to keep them!
In December we got 100% of our fall prospects for commercial business to try our services. Now many had multiple jobs, and all we asked was one job from each one. We got it. In fact, of those new clients so far 75% of them are giving us other jobs now, and the other 25% don't have projects far enough along for us to bid yet. None have closed the door in our face.
Can GUYS do this???? YES!!!!!!! How? Well, it's not all about looks. It's about how you handle the prospect face to face. Psychology based selling works for men and women alike. Build rapport, find the pain, let them sell themselves. They will tell you how... they will tell you exactly why they were unhappy, thus handing you on a silver platter the very thing you need to avoid, and to do better. You don't have to be cute for that, but you MUST be a good listener and ask the right questions for their circumstances.
I feel so strongly about this method of selling that I'm covering it in Las Vegas at PWNA. It's going to be aimed at commercial business.
Anyway, I hope this helps. And I hope to see you in Las Vegas.
Beth