“Exit Here!”

I have designed several exit programs for developers over the last few years, and must confess to being a great believer in the product. If you are not familiar with exactly what an “exit” program is let me explain. Originally the program was designed to help recoup some of the enormous marketing costs in bringing a prospect to the table. When all efforts to persuade a prospect to make their buying decision to-day had failed, the client was handed over to a ´manager´ who would offer an alternative product usually in the form of a return holiday at a very attractive price too good to refuse. This accomplished two objectives:

The developer received some of their marketing costs back and
The prospect would return, giving the developer another crack at ´making the sale´.

It was, and for that matter still is, a win/ win situation. The prospect gets a great return holiday deal!

"Exit" programs today vary in price from a few hundred dollars to over $2,000. Some involve year long trial programs whilst others can include actual membership in the Developers program with full membership rights and privileges or even a cruise. Today a developer introducing a well thought out ´exit´ program would find that this group result in the highest percentage of sales. (A recent result from such a department with approximately 15 sales people devoted strictly to ´exit´ sales, produced over $800,000.00 to the developer’s bottom line in one month!) Despite this there is always a great deal of reluctance by the average sales associate to ´turn-over´ their departing prospect. Perhaps it is the subconscious thought that someone else might ´sell´ the prospect that they just let ´slip through their hands´ and management might think, therefore that they had not done a thorough job! In reality quite the opposite is usually true. If the original sale agent has not done a good job - the sale of the exit program will not happen. In every case that I am familiar with, the originating sales person not only receives a small commission on the guest they were about to push out the door, but they also receive a commission when the guest returns to buy!

As we in sales are only too well aware there are those who visit our tables who for a number of reasons are just not able to commit on the day. In some cases it could be financial, others timing and for many just the comfort zone of not feeling they had made a hasty decision. If the sales person has done their job and created the desire and suitably explained the tremendous advantages and savings that our product truly represents ¨then the ´exit´ option is a natural and acceptable ´option´, enabling the client to save face and continue the process to full owner/membership. In the case of the programs that I have been associated with the client not only gets a great deal but a full refund of their ´exit´ cost at the time of purchase. In most cases that ´cost´ is equal to the full deposit! What could be better for both buyer and seller than a situation where the deal can eventually be consummated with no money changing hands!

One of this industries top sales executives told me recently that he would no longer accept a ´Pender´ (partial deposit), but now preferred to lock in the prospect with their ´exit´ program. Far less chance of a recession, an immediate up front commission, and at the same time building a ´bank´ of very real prospects!

It is my firm belief that a good ´exit´ program is the safety net that no sales deck should be without. If you’re interested in a unique method of lead generation - check out http://picturethedifference.com

Peter J. Shield ARP

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Contact Peter at pshield@onvol.net

Shield International Marketing Partners Ltd, 3205 #D Pinehurst Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89109 USA. Phone (702) 731 3660