Bush
Having passion for the roofing business is a Jim Bush trait; closing a deal takes a little more skill. Both were on display as Bush presented his seminar titled “Passion in Leadership and Sales.”
Bush, Owner and President of WeatherShield Roofing Systems in Grand Rapids, Mich., founded the company in 1980 and has steadily grown the business ever since.
Bush said his focus is on sales and entrepreneurship. He likes doing training at seminars, and also consulting with other businesspeople on practical ways to make their business more profitable and successful.
“Learn to win more jobs at your price,” he said. “This is the fastest and least expensive way to increase your business. Increase your closing percentage.”
Bush listed seven points to follow for closing a deal:
1. Pre-qualify every lead. “Pre-qualify that call,” he said. “Gather basic information. Negotiate work. You know more about your customers’ needs than they do.”
2. Control the sales process. “Don’t allow yourself to be at their mercy,” he said. “Why not do a Request for Proposal?”
3. Gather better information. “Knowledge is power,” he said. “The client will tell you what they want, when and how much they’ll pay for it - you just have to listen.”
4. Submit killer proposals. “No one-page proposals,” he said. “You need to change that way of thinking.… Never talk price until you first establish value.”
5. Give great presentations. “Some people don’t do that,” he said. “Never fax or mail a bid no matter how busy you are.”
6. Have great installation processes. “Your job is to keep all the promises I make,” he said. “That’s what I tell my operations people. Give them a great experience. It’s the experience that makes them come back.”
7. Deliver great communication. “Make sure you continue to contact the client,” he said.
His last tip resonated with everyone: “Just do it,” said Bush, who then quoted Albert Einstein. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
