“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.” — John Foster Dulles, Former Secretary of State
Many sales organizations in 2013 do not want to repeat the lack luster performance from last year, yet the economic and competitive climates have not changed in the New Year and don’t seem like they will in the near future. So what do sales teams need to focus on in the New Year?
Home court advantage is clearly with the customer
Back in the day, a sales person’s knowledge and understanding of their products and services were much more advanced than their potential customers. A sales person had a distinct competitive edge over their customers regarding the key features and benefits of a product or service. A competitor’s product or service was “putty” in the hands of an experienced and savvy sales person and the customer had to take the word of the sales person as gospel. Customers were clearly playing catch up in the knowledge category and the home court advantage was definitely in the hands of the sales person.
Today, the home court advantage has clearly shifted to the customer. In today’s highly aggressive competitive markets and tough economic conditions, sales people are facing customers that have many choices that are rich with features and benefits and everyone is looking to cut a deal. Customers are no longer pins that get set up and the sales person bowls them over. Sales people are facing very difficult and demanding customers that will drop their product or service at the drop of a hat if the slightest thing goes wrong.
What sales people need to do now is treat their current and potential customers as a business partner. A sales person needs to get to know the other person across the conference room table or desk as if they were looking to go into business with them. Buyers today want to know that the company they are going to work with has their best interest in mind and is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to build a mutually beneficial and long term relationship with them. If sales people are not willing to dedicate the necessary time and energy with their buyers, treat them with respect and really get to know them, then they will find themselves on a lonely road to nowhere.
Tell your sales people the following:
- Understand your buyer the way you would want to be understood
- Show interest in what the buyer’s clients want and how you can help them
- Be ready to talk about yourself and your organization in a way that creates transparency for the buyer and lets them look into your soul
- Don’t just express unbridled enthusiasm for what you can do for your buyer – make them believe that what you have to offer can really help them
- Be prepared to share the ups and downs of your buyer and be there not just when they ask you to be but when they don’t expect you to be