American Volkssport Association®

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Selling Walking
by Wendy Bumgardner

This weekend I saw a master salesman at work at our walk finish table.  Dennis Barrett really believes in the value of walking and the value of the New Walker Program Packet.  Here were the methods he used, which I have learned elsewhere and were fun to see Dennis employ. Wouldn't you know that his day job is in customer service?

1. Greet each person walking for non-credit warmly and ask if they enjoyed the walk.
2. Ask, "Is this your first walk?"
3. If the answer is yes, Dennis asks if they have heard about the New Walker Program Packet and has one handy. Without letting them escape, he shows them the record books and whips out his Record Books, the coupons, and tells about redeeming the books for the pin, patch, and certificate. He tells them what a great value it all is.
4. If the answer is, "Oh, I've done a couple of them before," Dennis says "So you like our walks! Have you seen the New Walker Program Packet?" and he launches into the same explanation as in #3.
5. If the first answer is, "No, I just walk" then Dennis uses the standard "I hear you, I used to feel the same, but then I found out..." The lines go like this, "So you don't keep track. I used to feel the same way, I wondered why I should pay to walk. But then a friend told me how keeping track of your walks can encourage you to walk regularly. If you have a goal of completing a book or doing a number of kilometers each month, you are more likely to keep on walking and to get out the door no matter what the weather. I really did myself a favor when I stared walking for credit."
6. If the first time walker or the few-time walker says a polite no at the end of the explanation of the New Walker Program Packet, Dennis launches into #5 - never take the first no, listen to any excuse they give for the no, repeat their excuse, say how you once felt the same and why you decided to walk for credit. Give them a second opportunity to say yes. After all - it is for their own health and well-being to say yes.

This system can also be used at the start table, and for the best effect it should be used at both the start table and the finish table. You will want to have enough staff at those tables so that one person can be explaining the system to non-credit walkers while another person is stamping the credit walkers or getting them out on the trail.

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