COVID19 "Remote Working" Day One Hundred and Seven of Selling

COVID19 "Remote Working" Day One Hundred and Seven of Selling Copiers

Earlier in the week I would have bet the ranch that my forecast for $20K would come to fruition this week.  I had the verbal for the $20K mid day on Tuesday, prepared all of the docs on Wednesday because there were a few moving parts to this order.  However those best laid plans of mice and men sometimes don't happen. I'm sure my DM was busy with other tasks and the thought of dropping everything so I could get the documents by the end of week never crossed him mind.  It isn't the first time and probably won't be the last time that this happens.

I did get a surprise order this week for a pre-owned wide format, that order put me up another $7K for the month. With six days left to the month (more than 25% left) I've got a decent shot at cracking $100K for the month.  However after next week there's really not much out there that has a shot of closing in two weeks.  I've got 23 opportunities for the next 60 days but most of them at this point are 50/50 at best.  The one thing I've always loved about this business is that if you work every day you never know what the tomorrows will bring you.  Just like that surprise order for the wide format I received this week.

It was about 2PM when I decided I would take a break and run out the to dry cleaners,  Did I say the dry cleaners?  I use to go every Saturday and each Saturday I'd be putting forty of fifty bucks on the table.   This was my first trip to the cleaners since the first week of March.  That dry cleaner is in Atlantic Highlands and no more than a 5 minute ride.  Atlantic Highlands is know for it's busy harbor, restaurants and fishing fleet.  Atlantic Highlands is also a port of call for SeaStreak Ferry service to NYC.  On any given day there can be at least four departures to Manhattan and just as many coming home.  Parking is never an issue because there's one main lot and an over flow lot.  I'm thinking enough for 300-500 cars. I never counted but just a rough estimate from the size of the lots.

The picture below at 2PM tells the story of COVID19 in New Jersey.  To me it looks like the Ferries are not even running. The picture below shows the end of the lot looking northwest into the bay.  Past the gate is the where the boarding takes place.

On my way home there was a large engineering firm that I drove past.  On most days the parking lot is full and there's probably 100 or so spaces.  As I did my drive by there were ten cars in the lot.  I know this business well because I've cold called it many times over the years. I've never been able to get any business but I do know that they use a facilities maintenance plan for their wide format print devices. I can only think that those companies that offer facilities management for wide format devices are in bad shape.  Those are the companies that offer propose the client pays $3.50 per square foot for every print and they supply the hardware, maintenance, supplies and in some cases even an operator.

The last thing I want to sound like is a pessimist about business in New Jersey but something needs to change really soon.  

My plan for next week to contact by various methods at least 200 accounts.  Out of those 200 accounts I'm hoping to create 4 or 5 new opportunities.  Will it be a struggle, hell yes it will.  But there's no shot I'm going to give up and say all is lost.

It's almost 11PM in Jersey, time to get ready for the weekend and stay tuned because in the upcoming weeks I'll post a link to my first guest podcast with Jesse.  It was awesome to be his first guest and Jesse asked some pretty interesting questions about my sales and personal life.

-=Good Selling=-