What do your customers see when they see you
Do they see a salesperson who is always standing there with their hand out schlepping something or do they see you as a resources to their needs?
So the goal of every sales person in their accounts where there is repeat business to be had is not just to become their resource but to be their go to resource.
Its a topics that is often grazed over in sales training for sexier and more predominate sales speak about cold calling and new business generation and what to do and how to present when you get in front of a client.
Assuming you’ve been selling for a while then there is no doubt you’ve worked hard to find out what your customers and prospects need that you have to offer. Have you found a unique way to position yourself as a resource and an asset, worked to improve their business and helped them feel good about doing business with you? Have you done the home work and know your business (product knowledge that applies in the real world matters) and a good about theirs.
If you haven’t got that last part down quite yet take a few minutes to do a little research, it will help you to build and establish credibility with your customers and prospects. In 30 minutes with the help of the internet and a few well crafted searches you can not only read through their website and press releases but also figure out who their competitors are, uncover some articles on trends and issues affecting their industry and even your individual contacts area of the business.
Well applied knowledge will make you stand out against your competition. It just takes a little time, and a little thought but the effort will be well worth the rewards.
Now it’s time to look across your organization and align your team. After you make a sale perhaps comes the challenge of letting go so the rest of your team can, deliver the product, implement the solution, start the paper work, whatever.
As a sales professional, your role is find opportunities and solve a business need. Then the let rest of your team implement the solution.
You know you need to move onto the next solution for another customer’s problem while you allow your team to work their magic. That requires faith and trust but Remember, you’re not in this alone after the sale!
So why not allow the team that supports to do just that – Support YOU during the sale! Allow them to be a part of the team that your customer relies on during the process. Don’t ever, not even for a second….let your customer think that you are the only one at your company who supports them!
It is one of those temptations sales people face we want to ride the big white horse and be the hero. Don’t do it, there is strength in numbers and as sales professionals you need all the strength you can get to make your life better.
Instead, involve the other parts of you organization both behind the scenes and when facing the customer. If times are tough and credit is an issue turn it into an advantage get to the right person in your company and have them help structure your offer. Look at terms, look at incentives, financing options.
There are a variety of things that you can take to your customers to give them choices. Start the process early so it’s not a fire drill. Link up your finance group with the customers it’s a get to know, warm and fuzzies aside they can talk shop and gain information and create advantages through those relationships that you might not be able to. Rather than having them spend precious cash are the open to the idea of a payment program, if so leasing might work. If they need to old or inventory your products longer than they’d like are extended terms or inventory financing available. Keep in mind that those things have a cost and need to be calculated into the deal so they don’t adversely affect the transaction and your commission.
Looking into other area’s of your business. Do you ship and deliver products, manufacture or distribute items. Find the leaders in that group and ask what idea’s they have that might interest your clients, staged shipping, delivering to more than one location, things of that nature can be not only interesting to a customer but could have direct benefit if they save man hours, emergency runs, Over time, double or expedited freight etc.
Much like the time you took to step back and look at what you are offering now look at who else you can offer that will be a benefit, an escalation point, create a comfort level. Put it on a slide, include it in your presentation, make introductions and most importantly create buy in internally as to who is expected to do what in the situation.
Team selling is so extremely powerful that if you can use, use it but do so wisely. After all these people have other area’s of responsibility so be respectful of their time, appreciative of their input and give them recognition and accolades when you win together. Be gracious not a superstar who did all your self, but simple the person who won because of them. It will go along way.
Let the customer know that there’s a team behind you, supporting both you and them. Make it party of the tangible value of working with your company. Let him know that you can bring in the experts as needed.
Not all of your resources need to be internal, do you sell a line of different vendors and manufactures, other companies products and or services? Well if the answer is yes look at how they reach customers, use the people who are responsible for managing your company’s account and you. Turn them into another selling resource. After all they have a vested interest in helping you make the sale if that’s what they get paid on.
Those vendors that I just referred to are some your greatest resources to help you in a slipping economy. Those are the people that are quite likely in front of the customers every day, helping to drive business….meeting customer needs today and uncovering future ones. If you don’t know your vendor representatives…get to know them as soon as you can! These people have immediate needs also and will welcome your help if you can both win by helping them make their number. Look across all you lines, have them help you understand what they see the benefits are of their offers, understand why other customers are buying and depending on the nature of your sales call there is nothing wrong with a 4 or six legged sales call. Visit the customer with them or their counter parts that are responsible for a territory. Treat them just like you would a customer, call them with things of value to them, touch base with them regularly and ask if the have ideas or opportunities that you can help with. It is a two way street and if you help take them into new accounts, parts of an organization and customer facing situation where business can be pursued and won it is fair to ask them to help you to do them same in exchange.
The team doesn’t have to stop there, look at industry experts, analysts, trade associations as resources that you may have access to. If your company is a member or pays fees and dues there’s a chance you are entitled to the benefits of that subscription or membership. Look beyond the local doughnut eaters social.
Not that networking is bad. Networking with the right people that will help you find opportunities, insight and drive, more business.
Again…by getting back to basics and building trust and credibility with every member of the team you will rapidly see your goals met as well. Ask questions of them, use their knowledge and expertise. Internal customers may not cut you PO’s and give you orders but they take care of customers along with you.
Delivery guys, service technicians, and onsite staff often gather feedback that you’ll neve get any where else. Why? Well no matter how good you are most people see you coming and thing “Oh here comes the sales guy…AGAIN.” Now they may like you, they might even view you as important to them but at the end of it all you’re still a salesperson. So they hold back, even if it is just a little. Servicemen, delivery guys, technicians, customer service. Chances are these are people who interact with different parts of the organization than you do, also they might be seeing your customers a lot more often. Work with them to understand what is being done and said when they are around. Customers tend to be more open and honest with them in the course of normal conversation, other projects or suppliers might get brought up.
Take the time to get to know those parts of your team, be genuine and honest, got to them for their insight and help and not some shark in a suit with their hand out.
If the situation lends it self to it spend a day with them, go along understand their jobs and don’t just stand by and watch if possible pitch in, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Sure that can’t always be the case but you’d be amazed what can happen if they see you as another person just like them. It might be as simple as when their touching the customer and your name comes up then saying “ahh ya know Paul’s a pretty good guy.” It sure beats the option of then telling the customer oh that jerk doesn’t even know my name. Other things to think about is you might learn about an offer or something your product or company does that’s unique, has a real benefit and because it happens in the real world and not just some think tank doesn’t make it into your product literature, web site or sales meetings.
So you’ve covered the departments, you know the people who really make things happen and lined them up to be not only part of your team bu a valuable resource to you and your clients. What’s left?
What about the people who run the show. Bear with me here. When was the last time you put your leadership, a Vp, an director, maybe the owner in front of a client? It has to be done correctly and we all know a few that you’d never want to put in front of anyone because they do more harm than good but just like every one else suits are people too. And the people running your company might be just what your client needs to see.
You stand to win two fold. It buys credibility since you can bring by the big names if you need to and now your customer feels connected to them and it helps the exec out because they’ll get feed back about what customers really do and don’t do, market conditions, what they do and don’t like about doing business with you. Sure they may hear the same things you’ve been telling them for eons but when it comes straight from a customers lips it becomes more powerful, it isn’t some sales person whining it’s gospel truth, after all the customer said it.
