November 8, 2006
Section: LIFE
Sales pitch: "Heart" connection
SHANNON MULLEN/STAFF WRITER
Asbury Park Press
A former elementary schoolteacher, Flo Schell soon discovered she got the best results when she focused on being herself and connecting with prospective franchisees on a personal level, as opposed to doing whatever it took to close a deal.
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That approach worked wonders for Sylvan: Over a period of seven years, Schell and her team more than doubled the number of tutoring franchises in the United States and Canada, making the company the top-ranked franchise opportunity in North America.
The pressure of meeting ever-higher sales goals eventually took a toll on her health, however, prompting Schell to make a major career change. Five years ago, she became a personal or "life" coach, an emerging new profession that aims to help people realize their personal and career goals.
Today, in a sense, Schell's professional life has come full-circle. Her new company, Franchise Coaching Systems, based at her home in Brielle, specializes in helping franchise corporations and franchisees grow their businesses. And her new book "Stop Selling . . . Start Clicking!" (MP Press, $24.95) proposes a fresh "heart-based" approach to sales that draws on both her experiences at Sylvan as well as the fundamental principles of coaching.
Schell says the book is primarily aimed at those in the franchise industry, but she believes it also can help any small-business owner or aspiring entrepreneur who is either averse to selling themselves and their services or simply doesn't know how.
She takes an introspective, holistic approach to sales, a process that begins with some serious soul searching. Her 178-page book guides readers through a series of questions and exercises designed to help them understand themselves better.
That's a critical component, she says, because knowing whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, the kind of people you're drawn to and the time of day when you're at your best, for example, can have a major impact on the sales process.
"One thing coaching has taught me is how much we can learn about ourselves and better ourselves. Coaching isn't afraid to go deeper," she says. "My guess is that you will not be able to do great at anything until you know what makes you tick."
Schell's approach also incorporates the empathetic listening skills that underlie the coaching process and a way of communicating that "honors" the other person. For instance, rather than directly launching into a sales pitch, Schell would suggest asking a question, such as, "Can I take a moment to tell you what we do?"
"Do you see the nuance there?" she asks. "People really appreciate that."
The "clicking" in the book's title refers to what Schell calls the "Magic Click" — that moment when two people — in this case the seller and the potential customer — just seem to connect with one another.
Schell recalls how she used to experience that "click" at Sylvan when talking with prospective franchisees from New Jersey, her home state. She felt at ease with their direct manner and skepticism. Whatever the connection is, finding something you have in common can take the formality and nervousness out of the sales process.
"You can't make this a numbers thing," Schell maintains. "This is about relationships, this is about clicking with people."
Christine and Lenny Rankin, who sold their floor-covering store in Mount Laurel in 1993 to launch Carpet Network, a home-direct franchising company, felt that "click" with Schell when they hired her as a coach a year and a half ago.
They always took a personal approach with customers in their retail store, but when they got into franchising they were exposed to more formulaic strategies that didn't feel right to them.
Schell encouraged them to use the same approach that worked in the past and fit with their personalities and values.
"She was fantastic," Christine Rankin says of Schell.
Now, instead of focusing on growing as fast as possible, the Rankins make a conscious effort to get to know their prospective franchisees and look for "the right fit," which they believe will make for a more healthy company in the long run. So far the results have been positive: Carpet Network now has 42 franchises across the country.
Schell knows her ideas won't resonate with everyone in the sales field. "The truth is that sometimes you just have to make the sale," with or without a "click," she acknowledges.
Still, she believes over time her approach can make the sales process less stressful and more productive, for everyone involved.
Shannon Mullen: (732) 643-4278; shannon@app.com
Meet the author
Flo Schell will be discussing her book "Stop Selling . . . Start Clicking!" from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 16 at Landmark Books, 171 Main St., Manasquan. For more information, call the store at (732) 292-9000.
A 10-step approach to "heart-based" sales:
- Know what makes you special.
- Choose your customers well.
- Get clear on precisely what you have to offer.
- Tell your customers how you solve their problems.
- Create a marketing image for your customers.
- Reach out to your favorite customers.
- Greet your favorite customers everywhere.
- Create "the magic click" and move the relationship forward.
- Navigate the land mines and come to commitment.
- Be masterful with your customer relations.
— from "Stop Selling...Start Clicking!"
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Copyright (c) Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
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