A lot of people don’t know this (mainly because I don’t usually mention it), but for about 18 months in the early 2000s, I made a living selling Gutter Helmet and replacement windows.
Well, “made a living” is probably a bit generous; I wasn’t ever able to make quite enough to get by, nor did I really enjoy it. It was an incredibly valuable experience, however. God has a funny way of using everything in our past—someday I’ll tell you about the chain of tanning salons I owned—to further His Kingdom.
The other day, I was reflecting back on those wonderful, interesting, educational days, and drew some parallels to how I now approach front of house mix work. You might not see the connection right away, but remember: mixing is at least 33 percent people skills. And selling home improvement products is all about people skills. These are a few lessons that I learned that still impact how I mix.
Build Trust Quickly
Even though my prospective customers all called for an appointment, I still had just a few minutes to build rapport and trust with them. People don’t buy from someone they don’t trust, so I had to win them over quickly. I dressed professionally, carried a clipboard, and arrived on time. I smiled, shook hands and pet the dog if they had one. I explained exactly what I was going to do during the appointment and tried to set them at ease.
I do the same thing with musicians. I like to be on stage when they start arriving, saying hi, smiling and seeing how they’re doing. If we have a new musician, I will orient them to our stage, make sure they have what they need and explain how we run rehearsal. I dress professionally, and do my best to set them at ease, making sure they know I will do my level best for them to have a great experience. This goes a long way toward helping musicians do their best, which makes my job a lot easier.
Be Prepared
I never really knew exactly what type of house I would be measuring up, or what objections they may have. We had different types of contracts, sales slips and credit card forms, so I made sure to have a full supply of those in the truck at all times.
I made up my own presentation book that answered common questions and demonstrated how our system was different and better than the competition. I practiced my presentation so I looked and sounded confident. Even though I don’t consider myself good at sales, my closing rate was nearly 40 percent, which I’m told is rather good for in-home sales.
