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very qualified prospect matters. When someone
is eligible, interested, and serious about becoming
one of your customers, it is critical to your ability
to reach your sales goals that you take the necessary
marketing actions and practice the sales techniques
that will work to convert those prospects into
buyers. Whether you are selling alpacas, breeding
services, fiber products, or other related goods and
services, your success depends on turning those
prospects into customers.
Let’s say you’ve done your best at explaining
your alpacas, farm, and support services to
prospects who have inquired by telephone, from
your website, or at your show booth. Yet they are
hesitant to schedule a farm visit or, if they are
already at the farm, they are not taking the initiative
to purchase. What is missing?
I like to say that selling is really two things:
1. Helping prospects make a good buying decision.
2. Getting them to act on your recommendations.
The first involves presenting information in a way
that tells prospects what they can get from you.
This information helps them make a good buying
decision on their selection of alpacas and whether
or not you are the breeder from whom they make
their purchase. They come expecting you to be
the knowledgeable, reliable resource they can
trust. Their perception of your alpacas, the people
working in your business, your farm, and any
information you give them has a significant
influence on whether or not they feel you can
meet their needs and satisfy their desires.
If you are like many alpaca breeders, you are
very skilled at communicating your knowledge of
your alpaca’s bloodlines and strongest characteristics,
what brought you into the industry, specific herd
management techniques you use, farm operations,
lifestyle factors about the industry, and maybe
even all you do to provide outstanding customer
support. You are passionate and want to educate
your prospects and might even make recommen-
dations for them to consider.
However, this first step – no matter how well
executed – is
not
enough to convert prospects to
buyers.
Getting the prospect to
act
on your recommen-
dations is the step that actually converts a well-
informed prospect into a customer. This involves
asking
the right kinds of questions during the
inquiry, on subsequent farm visits, during follow-
up contacts, and especially at the point when the
prospect is ready to make a buying decision.
Inquiry –
Be sure to include several good ques-
tions to assess the real needs of your inquiring
prospects. Go beyond asking about color, blood-
lines, and other specifics to open questions that
generate a detailed response. Try these, “What
appeals to you most about getting into the alpaca
industry?” or “What specific characteristics are
you looking for?” or “What is most important to
you in selecting the alpacas you intend to buy?”
Their response will give you decision-making
factors you can then address.
Be sure to ASK for the farm visit, requesting a
specific time when you can schedule it. Until they
see your farm and your alpacas, most prospective
buyers do not yet have enough information to
make this important business/lifestyle decision.
Your job is to make sure they get there.
Try questions that offer prospects a choice, such
as which day or what time they want to schedule
a visit. For example, you might say, “Would you
like to schedule a farm visit this weekend or is
48
Alpacas
Magazine
The Missing Step in Converting
Prospects to Buyers
Market ing Magic
by Jul ie Wassom
Finding and reaching your customers can be your greatest challenge. Marketing is an essential part of any successful
business, and raising alpacas is no exception. Make your farm or ranch stand out from the crowd.