In these treacherous economic times, you have undoubtedly seen an increase in restaurant owners and managers who are initially unreceptive to your Filta services. The harsh reality is that when the economy hits a down period, people spend less on luxuries like dining out. As a result, businesses look for ways to tighten their belts and simple shut out the possibility of looking at any new products or services. That being the case, many owners and managers are already in a “no” mindset before you ever have a chance to make your opening pitch.
You know that you are offering services that can help save these businesses money. So how do you get past the initial wall of unreceptive mentality so that you can convey the benefits of using FiltaFry and FiltaCool to help eliminate waste and cut cost in their businesses? Let’s look at some ways you can change your approach and improve your chances of landing those new clients even in a suffering economy.
Focus on Savings
While there is a big trend toward environmental conscientious business practices, when the economy is lagging business owners are not nearly as concerned with putting on a good public image as they are with just maintaining their profits. As such, now is not the best time to lead in with how eco-friendly FiltaFry and FiltaCool products and services are. This isn’t to say that these aspects shouldn’t be mentioned, but shift the focus away from the environmental aspect and lead in with cold, hard facts and figures as to how Filta can save the business money immediately.
You will get a lot further if you start your pitch with mentioning how FiltaFry can reduce their cooking oil cost by half, while simultaneously reducing their energy usage and decreasing their liability for work related injuries. If the business is a likely candidate for FiltaCool filters, mention rising food costs and how your filters can reduce the amount of produce and other perishables that they have to discard by 10% or more, while also extending the life of their cooler, reducing maintenance costs and energy bills.
Be Conversational
If you are used to delivering your pitch by rote, learn to be a bit more flexible in your approach. Rather than launch directly into the pitch, try to engage the owner or manager in conversation. Ask questions about how much they typically spend on cooking oil, and on their perishable foodstuffs. If you can get them talking about costs, then you provide yourself the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how your service will benefit them in a way that strikes right at the heart of their greatest concern – maintaining the profitability of their business.
Don’t Take No for an Answer
While you can’t win anyone over by being pushy, you also won’t get far if you aren’t willing to assert yourself. Chances are that 4 out of 5 times you are going to get a “no” at first. Don’t get discouraged. Try to get the owner or manager talking so you can at least tell them about the savings benefits of your services. Again, come at them with figures and always insist on giving them a free demonstration. The benefits of using FiltaFry and FiltaCool are obvious and in most cases a simple demonstration of their effectiveness is all that is needed to change the opinion of even the hardest skeptic.