Popcorn, Bar-B-Que and Your Business
by Ann Barr

Here is a question for you: What can you learn about Popcorn and Bar-B- Que that will help your business?

(To be more precise: The Garrett Popcorn Shop in Chicago and Pierce's Bar-B-Que near Williamsburg, Virginia.)

Answer:

In addition to a long history of amazing success and lines of customers waiting to buy, both Garrett's Popcorn and Pierce's Bar-B-Que have something very important in common.

THEY SPECIALIZE

Plenty of businesses sell multiple products and services. And they do well. But if you want to see the companies who are extremely successful, look at businesses that SPECIALIZE in one good product. And both Garrett's and Pierce's are excellent examples. (You can see more details about these two businesses below.)

You may be thinking: But my company sells a lot of different products. How can I specialize in just one thing?  Well, specializing can be done with ANY type of business.

GOT POPCORN?

If you LOVE popcorn and you plan to visit Chicago, you must stop at the Garrett Popcorn Shop for absolutely the best popcorn you have ever tasted. That is, if you have the time to stand in a long line. For 50 years Garrett's has been popping all kinds of delicious popcorn: plain, buttered, cheese, caramel and the list goes on.  Garrett’s is a legend in Chicago. For more info, visit www.garrettpopcorn.com

BETTER THAN TEXAS BAR-B-QUE

I can just see the Texans reading this and disagreeing, but when you have tasted Pierce's Bar-B-Que (near Williamsburg, Virginia at the Lightfoot exit) you just might turn into a Virginia bar-b-que fan.

Pierce's is ALWAYS crowded, no matter what time of the day. But I guarantee it is worth the wait. You can find out more at www.pierces.com

What do Garrett's and Pierce's have to do with YOUR business?

They each specialize in a specific product, and you can, too, no matter what business you are in - depending on who you are calling.

HOW YOU CAN SPECIALIZE

Since we have only nine to 15 seconds to get a prospect's attention during a cold call, it makes sense to make the most of those precious few seconds.  One way to do this is to specialize - according to whom you are calling.  This requires some preparation ahead of time.

Example: If you sell compatible toner cartridges and are calling a law firm, instead of saying "we can save you a lot of money on your toner cartridges and I'd like to quote you a price," be more specific and specialize.

EXAMPLE

"This is Mary Smith calling from XYZ Printer Solutions here in Des Moines.  We specialize in working with law firms, helping them save up to 40% on their toner cartridges.  I'd like to ask a few questions to see if this might be of interest to you.

"How are your toner cartridges being purchased now?"

Mortgage company example:

"Good morning Mrs. Jones, this is Kevin Chapman with the ABC Mortgage Company here in Dallas.

"We specialize in providing low-interest mortgage loans for homeowners in your area.

"I’m calling today to let you know about some refinancing options that are available for your mortgage loan.

"We may be able to save you several thousand dollars, depending on your current

interest rate. I’d like to ask a couple of questions to learn if this would be of value to you.

"What interest rate are you paying now?"

You can create your own attention-getting opening statement using the worksheet at

www.telephonesales.com/Script.htm

When you say you specialize in something specific, you sound like the expert!  The premium customer will seek out the knowledgeable specialist for help in making buying decisions.

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Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who has written eight books on sales and marketing. You can sign up for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips e-mailed newsletter at her web site www.sellingsupplies.com or contact Ann,  e-mail to: annbarr3@cox.net