Transcription
Who's excited about some of those messages that just happened? Holy moly! Next year, I'm requesting to go first, 'cause this is going to be hard.
At top last year, I talked about Cutco kitchens, and uh, I know a lot of you guys got some really good nuggets from that. Um, whenever I was on stage, I said, "Next year, when I come back on stage, I want to see a show of hands. How many people sold the Cutco Kitchen in 2024?" So raise your hand if you sold the Cutco kitchen. Look at that, guys. That's pretty epic. That's awesome.
So today, I'm talking about package deals. And a lot of what I'm talking about today might overlap with what you heard last year, but the most important thing is, when you're hearing what I'm talking about, ask yourself, "Is this something that I'm implementing? Is this something that I'm currently applying in my business?" And I think that's where you can get a lot of value out of this.
And so, before I dive in, um, towards the back half of my message, it's literally going to be like, word for word, questions that I ask customers in the closing process. So I just want to pre-frame that, you know, write as fast as you can with your pen or your computer, but don't overwhelm yourself with like, not getting the exact words. Just wait for the audios to come out, and I want you to download that from Vector Connect and just listen to it every single day when you're driving to your events. And I promise you, that's where you're going to get the most value. You guys ready? Awesome.
The first thing I wanted to kind of just implement or talk about was like, what's the goal? Like, why even get good at selling package deals? And why is it so important for you to master this? I came up with four things that kind of stood out to me. So number one, the ability to maximize customer interactions and opportunities at events. To me, that is what makes package deals worth getting good at. Especially if you're part of a specific event team that has like smaller events or slower shows, or if you've been a part of the federal program. Sometimes we deal with bases that have little interactions. And so, if you want to maximize your time, you got to get really good at closing big orders and being efficient. When the order count is low, package deals will still help you produce a high amount of CPO.
The second thing is, obviously, it really helps you with increasing your average order size. For me, I realize that with the way my business is built, I can only get so many more orders. I can't just keep adding events to my schedule, right? I'm kind of limited, and my capacity is already maxed out with working events. So for me, the only way to get good, and the reason why net has been a life changer for me the last 10 years, is I've just worked on mastery. I've just worked on increasing the average order and asking myself, "What can I really get good at at selling that will move the needle with average order?" You can literally double or triple your average order with this one focus alone. It's easier to add more CPO to a customer that is already buying versus trying to find a new prospect, do a perfect pitch, handle all the objections, and close a whole another package. So efficiency is the name of the game.
The next thing is, package deals just help challenge your mindset to think bigger with every customer. Stop selling pieces. Obviously, there's occasions where pieces still happen, but if you're not creating the discipline with every interaction to try to turn it into a package deal, that is a disservice to you. Start selling sets and packages. Start promoting sets and packages from the get-go. You just heard an amazing talk from Matt and Curtis about elevator pitches. I promise you guys, if you take that message to heart and listen to that over and over, and you get really good at elevator pitches with all those programs, that is what leads to package deals. So I just want to like, really admire the quality of that message and how important it is to then apply what I'm going to talk about. So good job, guys.
And then the other thing about challenging your mindset to think bigger is, you will just naturally sell more of what you pitch consistently. So if you are training yourself and disciplining yourself to talk about Cutco kitchens and package deals within the first like, two minutes of your conversation with the customer, it's going to get them thinking bigger than just knives. But also, it's going to like force you to talk about all those different programs.
And then the last thing, which I think is a huge goal of getting good at package deals, is increasing your skill set and confidence with each interaction that happens. You will naturally get better by pitching more knife sets, flatware, and cookware more often. And then the best part is, we all know this, but as soon as you close that first package deal, as soon as you close that first Cutco kitchen, they just keep coming because your confidence just keeps growing. Every time you work on interactions when you're talking about package deals, whether you succeed or not, the confidence grows a little bit more each time you do it.
And before I get into like, the meat and potatoes of this talk, I do want to talk about how important preparation and mastery is. Package deals just won't happen overnight, guys. It takes a lot of work. It's taken me 10 years of mastery to get to where I am today. Although the message today isn't specifically how to sell each program that we have, the sooner you work on mastering your skill set with selling all the different programs, the more consistent you will be in closing package deals.
So here's what you should master: Number one is sell more knife sets. If you're not selling a lot of Ultimates or a lot of Signature sets or a lot of Homemakers on new customer interactions, that should be your number one focus. Get really good. Get obsessed with selling more sets. Number two, my favorite, the flatware. One of the best deals we've ever come out with. With Cutco cookware, those are the three main pillars. But don't forget, we have a nice accessory package now. How many of you guys have ever sold the accessory package, like the full package from the vast action specials? That's a $1,500 CPO order, guys. It's a good thing to sell. And then my other favorite, family program. And then the last thing I would say is, you got to become a master at the objection cycle. So most of the bigger orders that we're not closing, whether you're just sets, just cookware, just flatware, or a package deal, it's because the skill set isn't where it needs to be with the objections.
All right, I got seven focuses for you. How many do I have? All right. So get ready to write. Okay, this is going to be some good stuff.
The first thing is, uh, number one is mindset. We don't just sell knives, guys. We are not a knife company. We're a Cutco kitchen company. That's the first perspective change you need to have. Start identifying as a kitchen company. And what I tell my mentees is, you need to become a full-spectrum rep. If you're only trained to sell knives, you're limited to like, $4,000 CPO, right? We, if we're not talking business gifts here, we're talking about the ultimate sets, our best knife set package. As soon as you identify as a Cutco kitchen rep, it opens the door on what's possible. It changes the spectrum of how much CPO you can create with this customer that's in front of you. And then, of course, add on the business gift layer, and then it's unlimited potential, right? So the key is, how can you get your customer to be open to looking at more than just knives? And obviously, with those elevator pitches that you just learned, that is step one. Get really good at planting seeds about the programs that lead to curiosity.
Number two focus is, you need to have a good power intro. So this is going to sound similar to these elevator pitches that they talked about, but I'm going to literally tell you kind of a summarized version of how I do my power intro that leads into package deals. I say, "Mrs. Jones, there's two things to know about us. We're American-made since 1949, and we're guaranteed forever. That means free sharpening, free replacements for life. So it's meant to be a one-and-done investment, kind of like Snap-On Tools." I cut the leather with the steak knife, and then I say, "Mrs. Jones, what's most impressive about that? It'll stay that sharp 7 to 10 years on average. We're about $100 to $200 per knife. So most people we talk to avoid buying all-a-cart. Knives are what we're known for, but we also make very high-quality cookware, flatware, and accessories. The pans are the most expensive thing we make by far, but for a really good reason. Our pans are professional grade, they include five layers of metal, they don't leak out any toxins or chemicals, they cook super fast and evenly. But most importantly, it helps you get rid of all your toxic non-stick Teflon pans at home. The flatware is even awesome. It's 18/10 stainless, it's the best quality for everyday use. It doesn't tarnish, it's dishwasher safe, and obviously, you don't need to polish it like silver."
"So Mrs. Jones, we meet a lot of people at this event who are buying a new house, doing a remodel, or they're just in that position of their life where they want to hit the full reset button. Once people realize that everything we make is American-made and has a forever guarantee, it's actually very common for people to take advantage of our package deals here at the show or even invest in our number one package, which is called the Cutco Kitchen. Besides the knives, what else would you be open to upgrading in your kitchen? Flatware, cookware, accessories, or all the above?" That's my power intro.
When you have a power intro like that, a customer that came up looking for knives is now thinking, "What else? I didn't think about how bad my cookware was. Maybe I should talk to him about that. You know, I've had the same flatware since our flatware since our wedding. I think it's time to upgrade that. My kitchen drawer is full of crappy, rusted, broken accessories. Maybe I should ask about that." So what you're doing is planting a seed that there's bigger opportunities. And then the two key things I want you to remember is, I said, "people avoid buying all-a-cart," and then I finish it with, "people take advantage of our package deals or a Cutco kitchen." So you're training them to think big within the first two minutes of your interaction.
Number three focus, you got to get really good at third-party stories. Use past success with customers to make customers feel confident in bigger packages, especially Cutco Kitchen packages. Business gift reps are really good about doing this. We use our engraving samples on knives and we talk about how those are our clients, we talk about what their business is and why they're using Cutco as appreciation gifts. Those third-party stories make customers really feel excited to do the same thing. Some of the things you can say is, "Mrs. Jones, I had a customer earlier today that ended up doing this as well because of this, right? Last week, one of my clients did the knives, but they ended up adding the cookware because they realized they were using Teflon as well, and now they know how bad Teflon is. My customer yesterday had the same issue. Mrs. Jones, what we found was the solution was to just do..." And then one of my favorite things is, "Hey, can I just make a recommendation for you? My client the other day was in the same position and they ended up doing blank because it made the most sense." So you're just using past stories of your customers buying packages and Cutco kitchens to make customers be like, "Oh, that makes sense. So I work with a lot of military families, and that's where I saw like the most Cutco kitchens and package deals because we deal with a lot of people that are moving, they PCS every three to four years, and it's very common for military families to get rid of what they have and just buy it again when they move to the new house. So I'll use these third-party stories to make them be like, 'Oh, that makes sense. I should do that too.' So very powerful."
Number four focus, price positioning. I love price positioning because it really gets the customer to like, think really big, right? And what I say is, "Let's say I'm trying to close, uh, Ultimate with flatware. I'll say, 'Hey Mrs. Jones, before I show you the package deal for the knife set and the flatware, I just want to remind you about our number one deal called the Cutco Kitchen.'" And then I flip it to the Cutco Kitchen special in my specials book. I like to show this to all my clients just for fun to give them an idea of what they could spend on us if they really wanted to. Once people see the deal and the option for no-interest payments, a lot of my clients just go for it to be one-and-done and have the peace of mind that they have the highest quality kitchen tools for the rest of their lives. Just remember, though, Mrs. Jones, the cookware makes up like half of the cost of this Cutco Kitchen package. Now, here's what the package deal would be just to do the knives and the flatware. And then I flip to the package deal pages for whatever set I'm looking at. The whole point of that is, you get them to look at like a $16,000 package to be like, "Whoa!" Right? But when you go to the package deal, it stings less. So if you can discipline yourself to do that every single time and not let your own fears stop you from showing the Cutco Kitchen, just watch, watch the reactions you get from customers when you show them the package deal.
Number five, this is where all the good stuff is. Number five, five is closing questions. I'll tell you guys right now that probably 95% of my package deals and Cutco kitchens come in the closing process from the questions that I ask. They're typically an upsell from selling just knives. So let's say I ended up closing the knives and the flatware. I'll say, "Hey Mrs. Jones, credit cards in hand, okay? Besides the knife set and the flatware, is there anything else you see here that you would like to bundle with this package?" Oh, I'm sorry, this part, guys, credit card's not in hand. This is like the closing process before you get the credit card. Sorry about that. So besides the knives and the flatware, is anything else you see here that would be, you would be open to bundling with this package, or do you want to just go ahead and start with the package deal today? And what I'm looking for is like, "Tell me about the cookware. What about the accessories? What are these engraved gifts right here?" Right? That's what I'm looking for. Is I'm opening the door for a bigger package opportunity. And then now they're like, "Let's just do the package deal." Boom, get, get the credit card.
Okay, all right. Mrs. Jones, now that you're getting the knives and the flatware, you are that much closer to having what we call the Cutco Kitchen. I always like to keep track of my client's future wish list. What would you say would be next on the priority list? Or you could say, "What would you say would be next on the wish list? Would it be the cookware? Would it be the accessories? Would it be the outdoor package for the hunting knives? Would it be appreciating some family and friends with our family program? Or would it be maybe some higher quality appreciation gifts for your construction business?" Right? Obviously, in this moment, they'll tell you like, "Oh, if we did anything next, cookware sounds good. Family program sounds good." Right? For me, if I'm closing flatware and knives, cookware seems to be the next answer all the time.
And then here's the key. You say, "Hey Mrs. Jones, since we are both here now, do you mind if I spend a couple minutes telling you about the cookware and why it would be worth investing in when you're ready?" "Sure, Matt, go ahead." And then here's the trick. In this moment, you don't do a half-ass pitch. You do 110% effort in this moment, but you release any expectations of them adding it. That's the secret. So don't cut any corners in this moment. If you do a really good job, you're going to get people excited. They might even like say, "The husband, I want this next," or "We'll do this after we pay off the package deal." You get answers like that all the time.
And then here's where you step in. You say, "Hey guys, just for fun, do you want to see the show specials on on the cookware?" Get them to look, right? Get them just to see. After you show them the specials, you're going to read their body language. Some of them will be like, "Oh yeah, we for sure got to wait." Like, "Oh, not bad." And then what I like to say is, "Mrs. Jones, I know you guys are already getting the knives and the flatware, but out of curiosity, if the deal was good enough, would you be open to adding the cookware to your package deal today?" So now you're dangling the carrot. This is where 95% of my package deals get closed, okay? It's that question that leads to the turbo incentive.
For those of you who think that package deals just happen like, very easily, you're wrong. It takes a lot of discipline, a lot of courage to sit in the pocket with the customers during the closing process and keep asking these quality questions. Now, if the customer says no, just ask them this question: "When would be an ideal time for you to revisit the cookware?" "When would be an ideal time for you to revisit the cookware?" Great. I'll make a note and save it on your wish list. Well, guess what? When they come to that first sharpening event a year from now, guess what you think you're going to sell? The cookware. So I do a lot of service events, and there's times where my hard work the last three to four years doing this type of stuff has paid off because people walk in like, "Hey, it's time for the cookware." I'm like, "Oh yeah, I forgot we talked about that." Yeah. Or I'll look up their notes before they come in, and it will literally say, "Flatware next. Almost did the cookware at the San Diego Fair. Six months follow-up." Right? They have all these notes that I've taken from interactions, and so it leads to easy package deals later.
All right, number six, dropping down with purpose. How many of you guys looked at the top stats for all the categories in sales? Okay, so they had a really cool little packet that had like, top Ultimate Sales, top family sets, hawkers, flatware, cookware, all that. The secret to selling a lot of Ultimates and a lot of Signature sets is to know how to drop down from a package deal to a knife set. But also, the secret to selling more package deals is to know how to drop down from a Cutco Kitchen to just the package deal. So imagine getting so comfortable pitching kitchens that you're just convincing customers to start small with a package deal. That's where you want to get to. That's where this gets really fun.
So the first thing is, I'm going to teach you guys how I drop down from a Cutco Kitchen. "Mrs. Jones, between the cookware and the flatware, what would you say is the top priority right now?" "The flatware." "Okay, all right, Mrs. Jones. Do you mind if I make a suggestion for you?" "Sure." "Go ahead. Why don't we just start with the knife set and the flatware? Official knife concierge, so I'll keep in touch, and when you are ready to revisit the cookware, I'll make sure to cut you the best deal. Do you want to see what it would look like just to do the knives and the flatware?" Boom, drop down to the smaller package. And I use the vast action specials, by the way. So shout out, vast action, they do an amazing job with package deals in the book. So getting really good at those series of questions leads to comfortable closes with people that were literally debating spending $15,000, and now you drop to a $6,000 package with knives and cookware. I mean, knives and flatware. It makes a huge shift in the perspective, and they feel good about working with you in the future to do the cookware when they're ready. So it's a very powerful thing to make the suggestion for them to do the smaller package.
Now, let's say we're dropping down from a package deal. "Mrs. Jones, between the knives and the blank, right? So knives and flatware or knives and cookware, what would you say is the top priority right now?" So same question. "Can I make a suggestion for you? Why don't we just start with the knife set today and hold off on the cookware? The good news is, I'll come with your purchase as your official knife concierge. I'll keep in touch with you, and when you're ready to revisit the cookware, I'll make sure to cut you the best deal. Do you want to see what it would look like just to do the knives today?" Again, we all know that knives and cookware is a much bigger package. So if you're wondering how I sold 45 Ultimates last year, this is one of the tricks. How can you consistently start with a package deal in your pitch, but finish on a drop-down close with just the knife set? That's where it becomes much easier.
And then number seven focus is turbo incentives. So I'm going to share with you guys some of the language I use for turbo incentives, okay? So let's say I closed the knife set, but I know there's a little interest in the flatware or the cookware. I was say, "Hey Mrs. Jones, is the flatware or cookware something that you can see yourself getting in the near future, right? Not tomorrow, not this year, right? But like, near future?" "Yeah, of course." "Mrs. Jones, there's one guarantee with Cutco: we just keep going up in price, which is good for us, you know? Pay increase procrastination becomes very expensive with us. This is literally what I tell them. Since we have the best deals at the show, I'd love to see if we can find a way to help you get the flatware with your knives today. Out of curiosity, if I were to go out of my way and do a crazy turbo incentive where you felt really good about getting the flatware with your knife set, is that something that you'd be open to considering?" Again, you're just dangling the carrot. All you're wanting here, guys, is an opportunity to show the package deal, right?
And then here's another way I'll share my goals by doing a turbo incentive close. So shout out Brandon Brown, he helped me with this when I went for my first million-dollar year, and he encouraged me to tie my customers into that million-dollar mission. And I created like a powerful way to say it. So you guys want to hear it? All right. "So Mrs. Jones, do you mind if I share something with you guys? It won't mean much to you, but it means the world to me. I've been selling Cutco for about 17 years now, and every year I have some pretty big and ambitious goals. This year specifically, I'm on a mission to do something I've never done before and sell over $1 million for the year. I'm on track, but every single order counts, and you're already helping me a ton by getting the knife set today. But it would help out that much more if you were to add the cookware. So here's my question: If I were to go out of my way and do like an absolute crazy, ridiculous turbo deal where you felt really good about doing the package deal with the cookware and the knives, is that something that you would be open to considering today and help me make history by selling a million for the year?" It might sound sketchy, but literally, in moments where you have good rapport, they're already buying a knife set, and they want to like, help you out as a person, they like you as their Cutco guy. That's where this is powerful. A lot of my biggest orders, a lot of my package deal orders come from this moment.
And then one of the things I say before they answer is, I say, "If you can make it work, great. If not, no worries. We can start with the knives, and I'll help you out with the cookware when you're ready." But a lot of people are like, "What? What you got? What can you do?"
So just to wrap up, I have a couple action steps for you guys to really work on implementing this. And like I said, the value is going to come from listening to this audio and getting those questions memorized, getting the tone of voice down, getting the, you know, clarity in like the process of when to ask the questions. That's all going to come from the audio. But here's some action steps: Number one is work on mastering your skill set with the different programs that we sell. Number two is, you need to train your mindset to just think bigger, right? Don't think about just selling knives to customers. Think about selling the packages. Think about selling all the programs. The biggest thing, number three, is just make a commitment to pitch package deals in every interaction you have. Imagine if you had that commitment where everyone you talk to, you tried to sell a package deal. The next one is practice using the closing questions so you can get comfortable. And then the last one is just really have fun with the turbo incentives and the goal sharing. Not everyone's going to bite every time, guys, trust me, I wish. But if you discipline yourself to try every single time, that is where the magic happens. For every 10 times I do this, guys, maybe one bites. But again, you have to do it without any expectation of them saying yes or agreeing to see the package deal. But if you never not do it, right? If you always train yourself to do it every single time, it's really hard to not sell package deals. All it takes is a few good customers each show, and that'll make the biggest difference in your results. So I hope you guys got some good stuff out of it. Again, listen to the audios, and then next year, hopefully, we have everyone's hands raised for package deals. Thank you.