How to Close the Sale!

Danny and Pete dedicate this episode to the full arc of closing a sale — from the first greeting to the fifth follow-up attempt. The through-line is simple: every customer walks in with their guard up, and your job is to bring it down before you ever talk about a product.

It starts with the greeting. Get their name immediately and use it often. Danny's approach is to skip the sales pitch entirely at first and just have a real conversation — talk about their shirt, their team, where they're from. The goal is to break the mental "no" that every customer carries in before they even sit down. From there, fill out the rental order for them, find out their budget early, and identify what need or problem brought them in. Knowing whether someone wants to solve a problem versus fulfill a want changes how you sell to them.

The three most common objections are "that's more than I wanted to spend," "I have to talk to my spouse," and "I'm just looking." Each one has a specific counter. For budget concerns, figure out whether they mean the payment or the same-as-cash price, then sell the value or find a comparable alternative. For the spouse objection, offer a three-way call right there or ask for a small deposit to hold the item — tell them you'll give it back no questions asked if they decide against it. For browsers, build trust and create urgency. Nobody truly browses; they're interested, they just don't trust you yet.

If the sale isn't closing, turn it over. Statistically, 20% of sales close on the spot and that climbs to 30% with a turnover. Bringing in another face — a GM, an assistant, even an account manager — can shift the chemistry enough to seal it. Always collect name, number, and email before anyone walks out.

Follow-up is where most sales are actually won. Danny notes that 80% of people say no four times before saying yes, so five contact attempts is the floor. Each call should have a different hook — a sale, a new arrival, a birthday deal, a customer appreciation event — so it never sounds like the same ask twice. For web leads, speed is everything. If someone messages you online they've already made their decision; whoever responds first usually wins.

The episode closes with a "Who Said What" feature on Jessica Velasquez of Happy's Home Center in Dade City, Florida — a GM with under two years in the industry who took her store from $55K to over $92K in rental revenues by staying on Facebook Live daily and maintaining a no-walk mentality: if a customer leaves without an agreement, they're going down the street to a competitor.

Transcript

Danny Lastra 0:07

And welcome to the RTO show with Danny and Pete. I'm your host, Danny.

Pete Shau 0:11

And I'm your host, Pete. And today we're going to close the damn sale. Close it. Get that sale.

Danny Lastra 0:17

Close it. Close it.

Pete Shau 0:19

Make sure that you don't you're not wasting anybody's time, guys. We are here to make some money. And what way we got to do it is listen, we got to be valuable and we got to show them, the customers, that they are important to us, and how we're going to do that. We're going to close the sale and get it done.

Danny Lastra 0:31

So how do you close a sale? And I think that was a question I have a lot of people ask me all the time, because I we say that all the time, especially to our salespeople, is God, just close it. And they always go, How? How do you close a sale? Well, I think it starts with overcoming the objectives. It is.

Pete Shau 0:47

That's how you really close the sale. So making sure that you go through the process. Well, there's one easy way to kill it and nail Cupid's arrow right every time. And that's number one is ask for it. Right? You got to ask to close a sale. Now, if you walk up to somebody, they say they want something, you ask to close the sale, and they say they're good, you walk up to the accounter and you're good. But if they don't, this is a this is a way that we can tell you how to get past those objections and close a damn sale. What's number one, Danny? How do you how do you really get into somebody that's saying, hey man, I'm not sure? What are you looking for? Well, I think the first thing is all about the greeting, right? Don't you agree? Well, I think the first thing is when they come in the door and I hear that little jingle jingle, and I'm like, hey, welcome to the store. You know, my name is my name is Pete. So say, hey, welcome to the store. You know, my name's Pete. What's your name? Get the name out. Uh make sure that you get it out and use it often. So if it's Jimmy Bob, Jill, Bucko, Paul, whatever it is, make sure you use Bucko and Paul even more often than normal. But make sure that you say their names and use it often, man. You know, Dale Carnegie always says there is no sweeter music than somebody hearing their own name. And now a word from our sponsor. Unlimited Marketing Solutions is a social media marketing company that can market directly to your specific customer base and provide solid and trackable results. Unlimited Marketing Solutions are also extremely flexible to meet your unique needs and budget and are currently running a promotion for 10% discount off your first six months of marketing when you mention the code RTO show. That's R T O S H O W when you call them at 352-553-3245. You can also email them at unlimited marketing solutions LLC at gmail.com. Now back to the show with Danny and Pete.

Danny Lastra 2:29

And once you get once you have their name and you're you're building the report, I one of the techniques I always use, and I tell my salespeople this, is don't go directly into the sale. Don't go directly into oh, what are you looking for? Or you know, what brought you in? I know that's kind of a go-to, but I disagree with that. My personal go-to is I ask for your name, and then I just start a conversation that's not even related to why you're even here. Hey Pete, how you doing? I'm Danny. Oh, cool. Hey, are you from you're new here? You you live around here? No, I've lived here my whole life. Oh no, I just moved here from Texas. Oh man, Texas, wow, the show me state. Okay. I just start making conversation that has nothing to do with why you're even in my store. I tried to find something. Maybe they're wearing a Buck shirt. I start talking about the Bucks. Maybe even if they're wearing the Cowboys, I make a joke. Hey, you you can't come in here with that shirt on, sir. You know, just a joke. It's just a joke, but I break the ice. You know, I break the ice, and I feel like that's important because it lets their guard down. Because no matter what, when customers come in, think about a car dealership. When was the last time you went car shopping, Pete? I pretty much would tell you, I don't know when it was, but you were on defense mode. You went in there telling your wife, no, no, no, no. Even though you're there physically to get a car, but in your mind, you're ready to say no at least four times, you know, maybe 40 times. So you have to understand that with the consumers when the customers walk in the store that they're mentally preparing themselves to say no. So you have to break that ice, you have to break that wall down, and you have to do it by being personal relatable. Personally, I feel one of the next steps to do, again, even almost before getting into the sale, is getting them to fill out the order form right then and there, while you're talking, while you're building that rapport, you know, have them sit down, just have them start filling, or maybe you start filling out for them.

Pete Shau 4:16

Well, the best thing to do, I think, is always fill it out for them, or at least be ready to fill it out for them. I mean, this is a service, and one thing that can always differentiate rent home from a lot of other services is, you know, giving the opportunity, and it even happened. I mean, every once in a while it happens. I actually did buy a car not that long ago, and uh they did give us a form to fill out. And the difference between the rookie and the non-rookie was that the non-rookie grabbed my pen and he grabbed the paper and he started filling out the information. Now, when it the only difference when you're doing that stuff is that sometimes people, you know, they care about their personal information, they don't want to say it out loud, but there's nobody in the store, and fill it out for them, get it done, take them to a quiet corner where they're, you know, they're not giving their information to everybody and fill it out for them. That's kind of that way to break the ice right off the bat. You know, when you're talking to Paul, Jim, Bob, Mary Sue, and you get them sitting down and you're talking to them about it. This is not only a time where you can fill out the rental order correctly, but you can kind of break the ice and really find the need of the customer. And then as you're doing that, you can start thinking of what is the objective that they're here? Are they trying to solve a problem? Are they trying to fill a need? Are they trying to get something that that makes them feel better? Are they doing something for the kids? And then you can use that to make them feel better about the purchase that they're about to create. The first thing is as you're going through the rental order and you start looking at it, right? And you're going through, be mindful of the budget, man. Make sure that when you're going into this, and I'm going to always tell you this: you never know somebody else's budget, right? You never know what somebody else can afford. They can they can make $5 a week and be able to spend all $5, or they can make a million dollars and not be able to spend any of it. So you never want to prejudge, but as you're going into that, you know, work thing, well, how often you get paid and what is it that you do? And oh my God, that's awesome. Well, listen, how much of this budget are you willing to spend? Put that in their lap so that they can tell you what it is that their budget is so that you can meet their needs already off the bat without going far in a deep end or to something too shallow. You can really offer them something that they want, something of great value that you have to offer because you know what you're working with.

Danny Lastra 6:09

Well, I think one of the most common objectives that we hear in our industry is well, that's a little more than what I wanted to spend. So, how do you overcome that objective? Well, my my personal tip is one, as I always ask, what's more than what you wanted to spend? Is it the same as cash price or is it the actual payment? Because a little more than what I want to spend can mean two different things. It might be that they just don't they they look at that same as cash price as a little higher than what they wanted it to be, but they're actually comfortable with the payment. Or maybe they're they're fine with that same as cash price because they're looking long term, and it's that payment value that's a little more out of their budget. So I think you have to determine immediately well, what is more what you want to spend? Is it the payment or is it the same as cash? I then I then think you want to try to sell the product, kind of like what you said, showing the value of the product and why it's worth this much. And you know, durability, longevity, you won't have to get another one for a couple years, etc. etc. You really want to sell the product and make the customer believe that it's worth the value that it's set at. Lastly, if they're just really stuck with a it's just out of just more out of my budget, try to find them a similar product within their budget. Maybe you get put them into a pre-loved, and again, showing the value of that pre-love set, or just finding a brand new set that's similar, same color, maybe same texture, but maybe not the same material, and it's at a more affordable price that's in their budget. That's how you overcome that specific objective of it's a little more than what I want to spend.

Pete Shau 7:36

So you you know what their budget is, you know what they're looking for. You also want to understand that when they're coming in there, usually it's to solve a problem, whether it's uh a need, whether it's a problem in the sense that they want to do something that with something that they don't have. In other words, they want a game, but they don't have a TV and a game to do it on, or if they need to fill a need as far as kids betting or taking care of the laundry, right? You always want to identify the customers' concerns and then ask follow-up questions. Be specific. What you want to do is you want to make sure you get them into the right situation and you're solving that need right away. And when you're solving that need, it gives you the opportunity to come up with objections, right? You go to the lawyers and the judges and I object. Well, that's what they're gonna do. They might not say no, they might say something else, but this is when you're gonna start coming into the the kickback. And it doesn't necessarily mean that it's not for them, it doesn't necessarily mean that they can't afford it. But the number one thing that all consumers say, the number one thing across any consumer purchase line is no, I don't want it. Hold off. Wait a minute. I'm unsure.

Danny Lastra 8:37

Well, I think before they say no, that the actual objective line, the number one objective line I hear all the time is I have to talk to my spouse. Oh, I have to talk to my husband, I have to talk to my wife, I have to talk to the tooth fairy, I don't know. Whoever they say they have to talk to, they have to talk to somebody. Personally, what I always do is I actually say, Well, can we get them on the phone? Let me talk to them. I'm not scared to talk to anybody. If I'm willing to sell to you, I'll sell it to your wife, I'll sell it to your husband. Maybe it's a schedule conflict. Maybe you're off, but they're working, and I get that. So how do you overcome that objective? Hey, let's get a three-way phone call conversations right now. We can go into the office, we can call them. Or how about this? Oh, they can't talk. Can they text? Let's text. Let's send a picture, let's send them pictures of the product, send them pricing, let them aware of what you are doing and what options they have because I understand it's a mutual decision that you guys have to make. One of the last things you can do to overcome this, my ace up my sleeve, is well, can you put a small deposit to hold the merchandise? I understand you got to go home, you gotta talk about it, but I would hate to have to sell this after you leave. Can you put a small deposit down and let's save it? I can save it for you for 24 hours, 48 hours, whatever, whatever your terms are, I can save it for you for a week. But go talk to your husband, talk to your wife, talk to whoever. And if y'all decide you don't want to, I'll give you the deposit back. But at least if you guys decide you want to go through with it, hey, it's yours. All you gotta do is call me back with the rest of the down payment and we can get it delivered for you.

Pete Shau 10:04

It's always a good thing to make sure that you include the partner. No matter what the partner or who the partner is, you always want them to feel like they're not making a decision out of turn or out of pocket, right? So you want to include them, you want to get them involved. Even if it's something that takes a little bit more time or a little bit more effort, getting that customer to feel comfortable with the resolve, with the answer, with what you're doing is the most important part because you want to feel like they're making the right decision. But time is is against everybody, right? We don't want to sit there and waste a whole bunch of time. Like you said, you want to get that deposit, let them know I can hold it for you. If we can't resolve this now, then we can put a pinnant and come back to it for whatever whatever you deem the deposit is worthy. But you always want to give reasons as to why they should make a purchase now and remind them the sense of urgency. I have I can't tell you the amount of times that I've told somebody, I know that it's gonna sound like a line, but somebody's gonna come in after you and they're gonna be looking for it and they could we're gonna sell it. And then, you know, you might not have that product when you come back and it might be a little bit harder for me to get, or it's gonna take a little bit more time, or whatever the case is. And then they're like, no, no, you know, and you know, you get their name number, you try to get it, you know, you try to do everything you can to close the sale. They walk out, and then 10 minutes later, the one item that you've had on the floor for 90 days hasn't gone anywhere. Somebody else is gonna look at it and go, hey, I saw somebody looking at that. What is that? Oh, it's uh, you know, that OLED TV that hasn't gone anywhere for 90 days, and I'll take it. Well, I don't have a deposit on it. I only have one in stock because I don't carry a lot of those in line. Sure, why not? And then somebody will call back 20 minutes later, hey, I'm ready for it. Hey man, um we we didn't get that deposit. You remember that deposit? You know, that time crunch is always important. Make sure you let them know that there is a sense of urgency. If you get this now, we can set up not only a delivery on your time schedule, we can make sure that we get the payment out of the way, we can work on all of the all of the payment issues, all of the delivery issues, all of the service. We can get everything out of the way now as opposed to making a decision now and then trying to do it later. Let's get them to understand the faster you get it in, the faster you can get this paid off.

Danny Lastra 12:01

Yeah, I mean that follows suit with uh the third most common catchphrase or objective is I'm just shopping around. I'm just looking, I'm just browsing. Nobody's ever just browsing. You don't go browsing for cars unless you're really interested in getting a car. You don't go browse, you know, you know where you go browsing at the mall. That's where you go window shopping, or I'm bored, let's go to the mall. And even then, you're buying something on impulse. It might be a Starbucks coffee or lunch, but then you know what I'm saying? Like nobody really browses, they're really interested. How do you overcome those objectives? Well, like Pete said, you gotta give the urgency, you got to let them know that this is available right now, and the best way to do it is to secure it right now. You uphold the best customer service and be relatable, make them feel comfortable with you because the only reason why they're not purchasing right away is because they're not comfortable with you yet. Have you ever seen Wolf of Wall Street? I love that movie. I'm quoting another movie. Yes, I did it, but Wolf of Wall Street, he said it. He says, it's not that they have to really talk to somebody, it's not that, oh, they don't have the money or whatever, whatever. It's that they don't know you and they don't trust you yet. You have to be trustworthy. Let them know that you're not just about the Almighty Dollar, that you actually are after their best interest and their objective, and that you want it to be a perfect fit for them. Once you're relatable and trustworthy, they're gonna be more comfortable to saying, yeah, you know what, let's go ahead and do this. Because if they believe you, here's the thing. What do you got to lose? If you tell me, hey Danny, put $20 down on it, hold it today, and if you don't like it, I'll give you your money back. I'm pretty sure I got $20. The only reason why I'm not giving it to you is because I don't know about how much of a hassle is it's gonna be to get my $20 back. Am I gonna have to jump through hoops? Or do I really trust this guy? And this guy makes me feel nice and warm and fuzz. Like, you know what? I think this guy's legit. This guy's real. And if I give you $20, you'll just give it back to me no hassle because I decided that me and my wife we don't want it. Bada bing, bada boom. That's my two cents. What I would also say is you know, people do business with people, not companies, which falls in line. So be relatable, be funny. I'm jumping ahead here. I'm jumping ahead to turn over sales, but it's funny what you said. I think this is a great little tip. All right. So you're with a client, you're looking at a couch. I like this couch. All right, they're looking at it, whatever, but they're kind of if you I don't know if I want it right now. Have another employee come up right in the middle of that and say, Hey Pete, um, I got somebody on the phone interested in this couch. Are you selling it or is it available? That creates urgency. It's about to leave. Do you want it? Yes or no, because now there's a customer on the phone, it's a sense of urgency.

Pete Shau 14:31

You you also have to have somebody who who understands a turnover sale, and I know we'll get to that. Always got to remember the sign, right? Whatever the sign is for the turnover to make sure that somebody's comfortable with whatever, because I've I've I can say this wholeheartedly. I've been doing sales for years, and not everybody is the same as everybody else, right? There's not one shoe fits all and comes to sales. And that doesn't mean that one sales associate can't take care of all customers when you're talking about their ability to jive. The chemistry is not always there because not everybody is for everybody. If you don't have that chemistry with that person, you feel like you're losing that sale, don't be afraid to turn it over, don't be afraid to give the signal, whatever that might be. But creating that sense of urgency is a great, great way to make that happen. Oh man, somebody's on the line to get this right now. Hey, listen, I'm gonna grab that phone. Why don't you take care of this real quick and see if, you know, and see if they want to get it before we, you know, before I find out that person wants it. And there's a couple ways, you know, a couple different ways to do that. But you got to always remember in the business, creating that sense of urgency also means making sure that you have the ability to get back to it. During your sales approach, during the time that you're talking to the customer, whether they're filling out a rental order or not, make sure you get their name, make sure you get a contact phone number, and make sure you get their email. You want to sometime, some way be able to get a hold of them if it doesn't go through. Now, we never work on the fact that we're not gonna make the sale, but we always have the just in case, right? Anyone on a tightrope, they don't expect to fall, but there's always a net because if they fall, they want to get caught. So this is your this is your catch up net. Make sure that you have something to write on, or if you have a really, really good memory, which I wouldn't count on because I don't, make sure that you get those three things before they leave. And then make sure as you're given that best customer service and you're creating that sense of urgency and you're getting everything, make sure that you do service with a smile, right? Make sure that it's not high pressure tactics like you better get this now, you better do this. Make sure that you have that smile. Make sure that they know it's a customer on ease thing. Another thing on Danny's tip on that, give your $20 back. You know, sometimes I found it's even better to offer them more than what they're offering you, right? Hey, man, not only will I give you $20, man, I got this awesome set of, you know, we we give away sunglasses. So we'll say sunglasses, koozie, um, a little ball. Listen, man, not only will I give it back to you, but I give you the squeegee ball and this in this koozie just for coming in and being a great sport about it. You know, give them that sense of you don't even have to do business with me, and you'll still end up getting more than what you walked in with.

Danny Lastra 16:54

Statistically speaking, only 20% of sales are actually closed on the spot. That's statistically nationwide. It ups to 30 if you turn over the sale. So that's why we were talking about a little about turning over the sale. And you know, car dealerships do the best. Well, hold on, let me bring somebody. They bring the manager out there. And I love to say that we're always practicing what we're preaching. This is something I'm definitely going to be implementing this year, but there needs to be a one-two punch, a one-two combo. So if the salesperson is not closing it, they have to turn it over to somebody. Specifically, I would prefer the GM, but maybe the GM is not available, so you pass it on to the to the assistant, or maybe even bring an account manager out there. It's just another person to say, Hey, how you doing, Pete? So I hear you're interested in this couch. Oh no, we're just thinking about it, we're not gonna get right now. Oh, well, you know, what's stopping you from getting it today? It's just another person, it's another face. And again, because people do business with people, you might never know. It's nothing personal. What if they just feel better with that other person? And then boom, that's what closed the sale. It's a team effort. So keep that in mind when it comes to sales, only 20% are being closed on the spot. Up to 30 of you turn over the sale.

Pete Shau 17:58

Well, you know, I think we also got to remember as you're in the sale, right? Either way you're turning it over or not, make sure that you remind people why they're at Rent2Own. Make sure that you remind them of all the benefits that you have. And we're we're talking product first, right? So when they walk in, we're selling the name brand situation, the name brand TV, the name brand washer and dryer, the name brand sofa, and all the warranties. But then, you know, as you're going through and you're and you're letting them know of all these great things, make sure that you remind them of all the benefits that rent to own has, right? You can have short-term or long-term payments. You have the difference between weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payments. You have the ability to pay off quickly in the same as cash, or you have the ability to keep on making those low payments to a certain time period, and then they will own it. You always have the fact that you can get service, you can have free delivery, you know, you can add on to your situation. So if you only get a TV, you can add a stand, or if you get a washer, you can always add a dryer, if you get a fridge, you can always add a stove. Come up with those basic things that you know you think that everybody knows, but they might not. Make sure that they understand that. Make sure that they understand the benefits of being with you and your particular rent to own. What does your rent-to-one have to offer that the other industry's leaders just don't? And it could be anything as far as taking payments online or doing something on a text message or making sure that they have auto pay, or you know, maybe that customer wants to be reminded about their payment. I still have customers that want that, and we are not afraid to do that. Now, not everybody does that, right? If you call your insurance company and tell them, hey, man, can you remind me my payments due? Yeah, that ain't happening. If you ain't checking your emails, you're not gonna get it. So also remind them what is it that this industry has to offer that would make them a great fit for what we have and how we will serve and take care of their needs. Don't forget that. And then if all else fails, you're right there. I just want to redact that just so you guys know, Texas is not the show me state that is Missouri. But my bad. If you're in Missouri and somebody comes in, right, and somebody's about to walk out the door, then you want to hit up the last tactics. And the last tact is what is it, what am I gonna do, or what am I gonna give this customer? What's the last hook to make sure that I talk to them before they leave? And remember, you've got the follow-up sale. And the follow-up sale, you know, you want to be specific about a time to follow up. Hey, Miss Jones, I wasn't able to get that to you today, or whatever reason that you know how you have to go, that coffee break that you're taking is ending, or whatever the case is. So we got to talk. Listen, I'd like to follow up with you on this date, on this time, whatever the case. Is that good for you? Or can you give me a time and date where I can reach out to you? Is this the right, you know, number and email to make sure that we can we can handle it? Four o'clock, three o'clock, two o'clock is great. Oh, you take your lunches at 12:30 to 1.30. Yeah, you know what? I'll call you at 1245. That way you can get your lunch and maybe we can talk a little bit real quick. I don't want to interrupt, but make sure that you set up that time. Make sure you set up that follow-up.

Danny Lastra 20:36

You know, 80% of people say no four times before saying yes. When you think about follow-up, it's not just a one-time follow-up. I think that that's great, Pete. You know, definitely ask for the date and time, be specific and let them give you a date and time. But what happens if they don't answer? Or what happens if they do answer then they say, oh, no, no, no. Yeah, I appreciate your time, but we're just not interested anymore. You just give up? No. I think there's different points of contact you want to do. That's why it's so important to get their name, number, and email. What I what I suggest you want to do is you want to give them a call one time. All right. Maybe they don't answer, or maybe they say, no, I'm not interested. Maybe then you send them an email with a coupon or a discount just to try to entice them. They don't respond back to that. Maybe then you send them a text message. Uh, you know, if you got their permission, have they opt in for the SMS text messaging? You know, and then lastly, you know, you want to just you want to try to contact them at least five times before actually giving up. Because again, statistically speaking, 80% of people are gonna say no the first four times, but that fifth or sixth or seventh time, they might come back around. Maybe they don't need that refrigerator right now because oh, maybe they just got theirs fixed. But what happens with 30 days later, it breaks down again, and then they realize I don't want to keep spending the money and getting this thing fixed over and over again. I just wanna, I just wanna give me a brand new one. You know, I've personally been dealing with this, you know. So here's the thing me and my wife, uh, we have a refrigerator, and I've probably put about $500 into this stupid refrigerator just fixing it in the past year. But so finally she's like, you know what? I'm tired of putting money into it. Let's just get a brand new one. And of course. So I'm like, no, I don't want to get a brand new one. Oh my God, the money. Oh my God. But she has a point. Well, how much money are we going to put into this thing before we realize we could have bought a brand new one if we would have just put that money on the other hand? You already bought another one. Right. So salespeople probably have been hitting me up. No, I don't need that. I don't need that nice French door refrigerator or whatever, you know, with the tablet on it. But I do need a side-by-side now, you know, because you know I'm tired of putting money into this refrigerator that keeps causing me service problems, you know? So keep that in mind. So I think you want to, you know, be strong with your follow game, be courtesy, be respectful, but be pleasant. Stay on top of them because that fifth or sixth time, you might just close that sale.

Pete Shau 22:40

Well, there's a couple different responses to as well. So somebody walks out the door, you know, you can also make those the different times that you call specific to something. And when I say that, if they had a fridge, you can say, hey, I'm calling about this specific fridge. And you can say, hey, somebody's looking at it, or hey, this is now on sale, or hey, you know, this specific sofa's on sale to the point where I think you wanted to know about it. Okay, that's one. You make a second call. Hey, maybe you're not calling about that specific item, but you mentioned that specific item. Hey, listen, just so you guys know, Mrs. Jones, this weekend we're having a sale where, you know, you pay one week, get a week free. I thought about you, went about that sofa. You know, I thought, man, what a great deal. You can come in and actually get more value for your money. So thinking about you and then hang up with a great message, right? Then the second time, you know, or third time you're calling is, hey, we're having a customer appreciation day. Doesn't necessarily mean that you need this particular sofa, but on any item, you get this customer-specific idea, right? So it could be, hey, anybody who rents something gets a free sandwich, or anybody who does anything, you can get two weeks free, a month off, you know, a percentage off. Okay, great. Well, now I'm on the fourth call. They didn't answer anything like that. Hey, you know, I was going over your rental order. I see it's your birthday. If you're still interested in getting something from me, give me a call. I got some birthday deals that are going on. I can make it happen. And then that way it gives you a breaking reason to call without going over the same monotonous idea over and over again. Change it up. Now you're still going to go over the product or products that they were looking for, but change it up. Change up the reason, change up the idea. You know, hey, listen, I have a brand new one of these that came in. You know, if somebody comes in, you know, you can say, hey, listen, I got a brand new one of these, or I got a different color one of these, or I have something that looks close to what you were looking at. I think that you might be interested in this. And so as you're making those three, four, or five different calls, it will give you the idea that you're not just coming and saying, Hey, do you want it? Hey, do you want it? But almost, hey, do you want it with a flare? And change it up and give them an opportunity to say no every single time. Eventually, you're gonna come up with something that they're not gonna say no to. And that's the idea. So you're you're you're giving them broad questions and they're saying no, and then you're closing in on what's really gonna get the sale done. And like Danny said, it could be because they're just tired of dealing with the same old problem. It could be that they finally say, Oh, you know what, this thing is dead and I'm done, or I have money that finally came available, let me do it. But stay persistent and stay professional, but stay persistent into the point that, you know, hey, I I haven't forgot about you. You are that important to me that I want to make sure that you're taking care of with whatever needs you came in here with.

Danny Lastra 25:01

On a side note, the follow-up, but it kind of entails in the same thing, is I want to touch on web leads for a second, all right? Because it's 2023 and a lot of sales are coming in. Danny P, the foot traffic's not as what it used to be, but I'm getting a lot of phone sales, getting a lot of web leads. What advice could we give them, Pete, about how to close those phone sales or web leads? One, I do think is the sense of urgency. That's number one, is responding promptly and properly immediately.

Pete Shau 25:28

In one word, speed. It's just the speed of the response. If somebody's online versus somebody that's coming in the store, so coming coming in the store is almost like like wading through a like a product book, right? You're just kind of flipping through the pages and you're taking a look. You know what you want, but you're gonna take a look at everything. When somebody's online, they've probably done that already. There's no need to talk to you before they've seen the product that they like, right? They're looking at the products and then they find something they like and then they reach out to you. So the difference between in-store and out store is that when they're coming out of store, when they're emailing you or they're sending you a message, it's speed related. Get to that and get to it quickly because they probably already know what they want. If they're reaching out to you, is because they've already made that decision. And now your response to that or your speed to that is going to dictate how fast and how quick and how eligible you are to get that. Because I can guarantee you, if they did it to you and you didn't react in time, they send it somewhere else.

Danny Lastra 26:14

I agree.

Pete Shau 26:15

Don't be the second guy on the list.

Danny Lastra 26:16

Yeah, I agree. Statistically speaking, 20% of all sales are closed on the spot. And I think I was reading something about Weblies that maybe it's like 30% web leas are closed right there on the spot, but 50% is a follow-up. So again, it's it's speed, is prompt response, but then it's you continue following up with them until you close that product. So you really have to be personal relatable over text or email in this day and age and provide pictures, provide pricing guidelines, all that through digital media in a sense, because that's where a lot of sales are gonna be coming from in this day and age. A lot of people aren't driving around the stores, they're online shopping your websites, and then from there they're just putting in little chats here and there, every single company, whatever. And again, what you just said, who's gonna respond back to me the fastest? And then it's who's gonna give me the best deal, and then it's gonna be like who has the best availability and quickest delivery. All that contributes to who they're gonna decide to go with.

Pete Shau 27:13

Well, speed and consistency is always gonna be the keys on when you're talking about online or over the phone. Speed and consistency, put those two together in any way that you want to, but the faster you get back to them and the quicker that you give them something that they they want, then your your chances of closing that are gonna be a lot greater. And I will say this, and I've heard this a few times in my life, and I always want to say this when I'm talking about sales value is not necessarily how much something costs, value is what you get for the cost. And if I'm paying an amount and I'm not getting what I want out of it, is that really value? If I'm paying an amount and I'm getting twice out of it what I want, that's value. Remember that our services are valuable. What we have is valuable. What our team offers and our team itself, they're valuable. When you're following up, it's because they're valuable. When you take the time to talk to them, they're valuable. When you're using their name, they're valuable. So, real quick, just to cover, make sure that you know you're always ready to overcome those objections in sales. Get their name, use it often. Make sure that you demonstrate the value of their product. Make sure that you are solving the problems and concerns that they have. Remember to always circle back to the need that brought them in. Make sure that you create that sense of urgency because it is an urgent situation for you and for them to get their needs taken care of. Make sure that they understand the value of doing business with you as a person and with the company and the RTO industry and what we bring to the table. Make sure that if it didn't work out, you follow up, make sure you do it fast, courteously, and make sure you make it happen. If you give in stuff like, I have talked to my spouse or it's a little more than I want to spend, figure out a way to overcome that and make it your mission to get those things taken care of, put those objections to the side, you know, and follow up with a consistency of at least five different contact times. And then you got to go to the website at www.therto showpodcast.com and buy a shirt and be like, yeah, I know how to overcome objections. This is my award for doing it. I'm gonna get a shirt that says the RTO show. And I learned that from Danny MP.

Danny Lastra 29:12

Guys, it's the first quarter, and in RTO world, you guys know that this quarter is imperative to us as far as retaining all the growth we did last quarter. And this is a very good episode, in my opinion, because we need to be sales-minded and customer retention minded. And these are some tips that you can utilize to retain those active customers, especially when they pay out or they want to return because now they got some cash and they want to buy something outright cash. You want to overcome all these objectives and try to retain your customers. And again, is expressing and showing them the value of being a loyal customer to you guys. What you have to offer to them is what's going to ultimately help them decide to stay with you.

Pete Shau 29:53

You always want to treat them like family. And if you guys have any questions or comments, concerns, or anything even about this particular show or shows in the past, we have done a whole lot of different shows about a lot of different things. And we want to hear from you, our listening base, on what you guys think and uh what what could possibly be said or topics that we can go over, you need to email us at pete at the rto showpodcast.com or Danny at the rto showpodcast.com or message us both. It's quite all right. And for our who said what what? So Jessica Velasquez from Happy Home Center in Dade City, Florida. We saw Jessica the other day. And uh who said what what? So Jessica been in the RTO business for literally under two years, right? She's already a GM, made her way up, absolutely doing an amazing job, over 92 or 93,000 rental revs from taking the store at 55. Great job, Jessica, amazing job. You know, we go in there and we saw her, and uh, she actually had a couple of different things to say that I didn't I didn't think I would hear, but they actually did all that growth without certain devices like stream boxes and e-bikes, and that that kind of took me by surprise a little bit. And then another thing she said, you know, is you gotta be you gotta be familiar with your surroundings, right? She's homegrown, she knows everybody in her in her town, and she knows how to make it happen. And the truth is, one of her bites to fame is that she is on live every day. All day, every day.

Danny Lastra 31:16

I I actually followed them just for competitive reasons. I mean, she's on her game. I'll tell you what, I get so I take, I'm like, man, I yell at my guys. I'm like, look at her, look what she's doing. She's on live again. Where are you guys at?

Pete Shau 31:30

Now we did ask her about any future predictions. She knows she was uh she was giving us the honest truth. She's like, you know what, I've got to go through this a little bit longer to get that. But stay on live. That's one thing she's got doing for sure. She makes sure that she stays on live. She can take a core lineup and make it work for her. And one of her best success things is keep tight credit to hold that credit down.

Danny Lastra 31:50

Oh, yeah. You know, but another thing she said was that is it is very related to this show. She closes almost every sale. Like she's adamant about that. Like she has a no-walk mentality. No customer is leaving my store without closing an agreement. And she even said it because if they're walking out my door, they're gonna go down the street to their competitors and they're gonna close it. That's that was a quote from Adam Stark.

Pete Shau 32:12

We overcome all objections. So that is who said what with Jessica Velasquez in a date city, happy's home center. We do appreciate your time. And guys, like we said, please listen, subscribe, go on to Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Make sure that you hit that bell so that you get that ding every time that we put out some new content. We got some new stuff coming out very, very soon. But we want to tell you guys we really appreciate all the help and and everything that you guys have been going. The support is amazing through the RTO community. We actually had some talk with uh somebody that might be a regular on the show. No, I don't want to say anything else, but I think we got some heavy hitters that want to talk to you and give you the what's up with what's going on.

Danny Lastra 32:48

If you're interested in sponsoring the RTO show, or if you would like us to do a host read ad for your company or for your business, please hit us up. Uh, we are starting to take sponsorships and host read ads as well. And if you're not already, guys, following us, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at the RTO show. We're gonna be doing a lot more stuff this year, this season, some funny videos. You can all also go to our website, check out our latest YouTube commercial videos. We are gonna be recording very soon, so a new video will be out. Dun dun dun dun. So make sure you you click that like button, that follow button, follow us on social media. And with that being said, this is the RTO show with Danny and Pete.