I waaant it!
That is a cry often heard from children, and we all have our wants – don’t we!
However when it comes to selling/purchasing it is the need that rules the head, and the wants the heart. Separating them is the main objective of any sales discussion.
Take an example a personal need.
About a year ago my old laptop gave up the ghost, it was old and I needed to purchase a new computer, so I sat down, metaphorically, an thought about what I needed. I ended up purchasing a desktop as a bulk of the work I undertake, IT wise, is in my office, but I need a portable for when I do workshops or presentations and connect it up to a projector.
I thought about an i-pad, a great piece of kit but expensive, circa £400, then looked at netbooks, circa £200.
Did I want an i-pad – YES.
Did I need an i-pad – NO.
There were some other technical considerations to meet and in the end I purchased a netbook which met my needs.
The head had to rule the heart.
How often when you are in discussion with your customer you hear the statement ‘I want xxxx’. That comment must be taken as the starting point, with the objective to find out exactly what they need, and, they are invariably different.
You must find that need by questioning because if you do not find it, your customer will be disappointed when he receives the product he ordered as it does not meet the ‘need’.
This can go both ways one as in the example above where the need was less than the want, the other in the fact that their ‘want’ is underspecified and it will not meet his need.
In both cases you can say it is saving them money as with the former spend more than they really needed, or the latter ordered the wrong product the first time and then had to spend more to meet the need.
How do you find that need?
Well that is another subject all together.
Watch this space!!!
Death of a Salesman
(With apologies to ladies & the play of the same name)
One article in today’s news, that caught my eye, is that ICANN (the Internet Corporation of Assigned Name & Numbers), are going to allow the use of any word as a suffix in the internet name. On the surface this seems a good idea until you read further that you will be able to use any language which could prove interesting with some translations!
Before you start looking for the application form, which will be 360 pages long there is the matter of the fee, $185,000!!!!
Too rich for me and probably a majority of businesses & users, but it got me thinking.
There is a faction who now consider, the role of the sales guy is dead, and all future business will be undertaken on-line. That may happen sometime into the ‘Star Trek’ era, but today we still want to do business with a person. It may be on the telephone or by e-mail but people buy from people.
There are many people, who think the online sales is the panacea to their sales, and forget it only one of the tools in the sales operation.
The sales function, whatever area it is B2B or B2C, continues to be conducted, in the main, on a personal basis.
From the sales side, when you are in personal contact with the purchaser you are the position to understand your customer’s needs, and solve their problem, and that, is the basis of the sales function, not to sell our product or service but to fulfil the customers need; to solve their problem.
If you take that concept on board you will be in a better position to improve your selling techniques and increase your order book and turnover. In addition you are more likely to increase the proportion of repeat business because you solved their problem.
Have a think about it!
The Customer is always Right!!
This is an old saying which goes back many decades, and today it is probably more relevant.
There have been comments, in the press and media recently, about customer service in these economically challenging times, or should I say the lack of it. Continue reading
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