The Adventures of Michel and Santeena...a tale of Co-op work at Tri-County Copiers Plus - Xerox

Welcome back to our blog! We'll be discussing the good and bad experiences of our meetings from this week. We were both excited to complete our first initial meetings, and we are looking forward to future ones.

How Santeena's meetings went...

This week, I had 3 meetings scheduled at a doctor's office, a dentist's office, and a lawyer's office, respectively. Paul had accompanied me during the meetings. Unexpectedly, all 3 "meetings" didn't actually take place. When we arrived to the doctor's office, the receptionist told us the meeting was booked by mistake. We were turned away quickly after they told us their current equipment was recently purchased. Onto the second meeting, the receptionist at the dentist's office told us that the office manager left for lunch and she hadn't mentioned anything about a meeting. It was disappointing because I scheduled the meeting with her in person. People are busy and can often forget dates, which is understandable. I'm hoping to reschedule the meeting and actually have the chance to discuss ways Xerox can help them. For the last meeting, we were hoping for a better outcome. Unsurprisingly, the third scheduled meeting also did not happen. The lawyer had a family emergency and left Windsor.

We were taken by surprise that all 3 meetings fell through. Things can occur suddenly and all we can do is look forward to another chance. By next week, I'm hoping these "meetings" actually take place. 

How Michel's meetings went...

During the first week of scheduling meetings, I managed to lock in two meetings in Amherstburg. The first one was with a car dealership, that was looking for a quote from Xerox for their office equipment needs. The meeting was a very productive one, and we asked questions and answered any that they had. Later this week, Paul and I are going back to Amherstburg to follow up and to give them a quote on Xerox equipment. The second meeting was at doctor's office, who was already an existing customer. Instead of a meeting like the other ones, this was a Customer Care Call. Since they are existing customers, the "meeting" is a quick check-up on their equipment and resolving any issues, if applicable. However, the meeting was postponed until later this week. We also had a meeting at a law office in the Amherstburg area. Unfortunately, the person we were supposed to meet with was too busy to schedule an actual meeting, but was interested in receiving some more information about our services. Therefore, we dropped off a Vertical Attack Pack designed for Law Offices to them.

Overall, our field trip to Amherstburg was a productive one, where we might have a lead that can take us into the next step of the sales process.

Telemarketing and Cold-Calling: A Number's Game

We've been working at Tri-County Copiers Plus Xerox for about a month and a half. Thus far, we've learned that the telemarketing and cold-calling business is all a number's game. This means that rejections will happen but you'll eventually get a positive reaction from a business who is interested. Telemarketing is a bit easier than cold-calling in person for the reason that you can't see the other person's face. While, it may be a number's game, it's important to deliver brand value. We have found it easier to deliver value to the potential customer in person. It's important to stay positive and enthusiastic when delivering knowledge about Xerox to businesses we visit.

Words of the week

Time Management           

Time management is described as planning out the amount of time to spend on a task, in order to be more productive in a limited amount of time. In the sales world, time management is the key in becoming a successful salesperson. Excellent time management skills allow you to schedule as many meetings possible in one day, and be able to visit all of them while being on time when doing so. The first step in this process is to use a calendar to plan all of your meetings and activities during a day, week, or month. It's important to include time for driving from point A and B for each location. Another tip is to try and schedule your activities that are located in the same location on the same day, to reduce the amount of time spent commuting. An example of this is when we visit a city like Amherstburg. We tried to schedule a many meetings as we can in that geographic region in order to maximize our time. Time management isn't just a skill needed in the sales world. It's a basic skill that is needed in every career path. Whether it's for a job, school, or even appointments, being on time shows off excellent work ethic and dedication.

Thanks for reading our blog!
Michel & Santeena