Why You need To Get Buying Decision 2
Organizations should use the same process they use to sell their products and services correctly.
Have you been disturbed with the lack of customer service from an organization that you’ve told yourself that you will never buy anything from them ever again?
Have you ever decided not to buy a product or service because of the reputation of the organization?
If an organization builds a reputation of poor customer service, unethical practices, bad quality, etc. they are not going to be the organization with the largest value to customers. Chances are they may not make it in business for a long time. They have a business plan to be low value and low cost. What I have found that cheapest price is not necessarily the best value. Organizations that cut corners to save a few dollars end up sacrificing millions in the long run. Truth be told that if organizations are not providing exceptional value, they become a commodity.
With the onset of Millennials in the workforce we are seeing a trend of them working for organizations that align with their values more so than just a paycheck. This same demographic is also the largest demographic of individuals in US history. This demographic of individuals stive to work for organizations that align with their personal mission statements. Millennials want to make sure they are going to help society by working with and for these organizations. It is imperative that organizations recognize this and make sure they are selling themselves as well as their products.
So how do organizations do this? How do organizations make sure they are selling what makes them unique to the customers? Organizations should use the same process they use to sell their products and services correctly. They answer the needs of the customer. What does the organization offer that will help the customer “WIN?” What is the organization’s ‘Why” that will help the customer “Win?”
When we look at our organizations whether they are for profit or non-profit, we need to see what we do well. Do we offer online SEO plans to help customers get quicker growth on the internet marketplace? Do we have solutions to handling ecommerce for the customer’s? What do our organizations do to enable growth of our customers? Do our organizations donate a large part of our profits to help society? Each of our organizations offer solutions that are vital, but it is up to us to define those game changing answers for the customer’s needs.
What does your organization do well to help your customers and society? Put your answer in the comments below in this blog.
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
You've Got The Purchase Order...Please Keep Going In The Sales Process!
Far too many sales people take the signed order and ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again. It’s a huge opportunity that unfortunately most sales people miss out on!
We’ve done it!
We have made it to the fifth and final buying decision for the customer which is “Buy”
The customer has now purchased our product / service and we celebrate! Unfortunately, this is where 99% of sales people stop the sales process. It’s okay to celebrate the win and I encourage the celebration, but when the sales person stops the sales process after receiving the order, the customer is left to fend for themselves. The customer soon will develop buyer’s remorse, not hitting the desired outcome from the purchase, and possibly thinking they were just sold something instead of purchasing a solution. The customer then associates sales people with that of someone that does not care about them.
Far too many sales people take the signed order and ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again. It’s a huge opportunity that unfortunately most sales people miss out on!
That’s right, when the customer agrees to buy, this is the time that sales professionals need to roll up their sleeves and move forward with the customer. The more this is done, the more the customer will brag to their friends, family members, social media, etc. about how awesome we served them and that everyone they know needs speak with us. Who wouldn’t want a salesforce of individuals selling of us without having to pay them?
I love having people that have taken my trainings tell others that they need to work with me because I know that what I am doing is helping!
First and foremost, when the customer agrees to purchase, they will second guess themselves (buyer’s remorse) about the purchase. That’s right, they are not sure what they did was the right decision. This typically happens for purchases over $50. We are not talking about a pack of gum here. The real-estate market has done a fantastic job overcoming this issue of “buyer’s remorse.” As soon as the customer agrees to purchase a property, they immediately begin moving the customer into the next steps.
When you confirm that the customer has made the right decision, they feel justified and will be set at ease. Getting the customer moving forward after this decision to buy and onto the next steps such as delivery date, onsite training, etc., the customer is reaffirmed and feels like they have made the best decision possible. They have a game plan for the next steps. The customer will feel relieved and begin moving forward with our help! They appreciate this, because most sales people do not do this! This simple step! Now we have a few other things we need to do as well.
The next thing we as professionals need to do is review how we did in the sales process. We do this to get better at selling our product / service. The better we do this the better we will get at the next sale and become more efficient. It’s like anything else we do. After every mission the best military operators will have a debrief meeting to discuss what went well and what could be done better the next time. The more we practice and review the more efficient we get. Take time to review spots that slowed us down and then fix those areas so that way we can move forward faster next time.
The last step in the sales process is crucial. Again 99% of sales professionals do not do this. This is the most crucial step in gaining influence with customers. It’s the next 90 days after the sale that really makes the customer’s purchase a success, or a failure. That’s right, after the installation and quick run through, the customer is going to have issues. The faster we communicate how to resolve those issues the better the customer will feel. That is why organizations have had support lines waiting for customer to call, but the sales professional has an opportunity to take this one step further.
This is the sales process step in trainings that most organizations ask a great deal of questions on how they can get better. It’s actually simple and to do once the content is created. That’s right, what content do you have available for the customer once they have purchased your product / service? Do you have a 10-steps to self-diagnose an issue? 15 best quick recipes for that blender? Youtube videos walking the customers through a new way to use the product / service? How about a Facebook group for other customers to share success stories and resolve issues together?
What do you have ready for your customers so that they can consistently win with your product / service? That is the question that we need to answer and if we do this well, we will be rewarded with greater levels of influence. With more influence comes greater growth in sales and increased revenue. At a certain point you become such an influencer that people stop focusing on price. Wouldn’t that be amazing to take the pricing discussion off the table?
We are in the service business no matter what we sell. Serve the customer well and reap the rewards. Underserve, and stay a commodity in the customer’s eyes.
It’s okay to have a little celebration, but then get to work rolling up your sleeves and help serve the customer!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
How Do you Get Past Buying Decision 1?
If we jump straight into selling mode after we get the customer’s name, we are failing the customer. Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the customer says something like this, “Just looking…”
The first buying decision is the longest and hardest to complete for the customer. Mainly because there is so much decision making that has to happen in this buying decision before they can move forward. The customer has to know, like, and trust the sales person before the customer will ever buy from anyone selling a product / service.
We as sales professionals need to make sure we are answering these three questions for the customer in the first 60 seconds of meeting them:
Do I like you?
Do I trust you?
How can you help me?
If the salesperson gets your name and starts selling you something that they have, do you think they really care about your needs?
If we jump straight into selling mode after we get the customer’s name, we are failing the customer. Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the customer says something like this, “Just looking…” It’s because the customer has been trained to think that sales people are all the same and all the sales person cares about is selling their product or service.
Let’s change that perception.
Let’s start by using a plan on how we will approach the customer in a way that builds likeability and trust. Let’s start with making sure when we approach the customer we are not circling like hungry vultures. Let’s let the customer come into our facilities and let them get comfortable by smiling and saying “Hi, welcome. We are here to help you when you are ready.” Smiling, wearing the right colors that psychologically reflect trust, honesty and lower anxiety. Not dark colored suits with power ties.
The environment we are in can affects our engagement levels. Things such as noise levels, smells, colors, lighting, etc. affect humans and can actually trigger anxiety. Do you think an anxious customer will be able to have a conversation and convey their needs? Have you ever noticed that department stores have different lighting, colors, music playing, and scents pumped into each area? That’s right they have studied customers to understand how to relax customers and to get them to stay in those areas longer. The longer someone is in the area the more likely they will buy a product / service. Remember that next time you get a free sample of food at Costco.
Now we can like someone, but still not buy from them.
There are two other questions that need to be answered as well. Do I trust you? and How can you help me? These two questions are very important with sales of $50 or more. People need to know like and trust us before they will do business with us.
If we can’t show the customer that they can trust us and that we are here to help them, the customer will simply go to another source and buy. It does not matter if we have the best product on the face of the earth. They need to trust us and know that we can help them.
So how do we do that?
By asking great questions. Asking questions is the way to get to know if what we have to sell will actually help the customer. Not just simple questions like, would the customer like a certain color of the product, but why are they looking to achieve with this purchase. What did they like about the last product they used, what do they wish they had on the previous product that they are replacing today? What does a win look like for the customer with this purchase?
Ask deeper questions to understand the why behind the customer’s decision
People crave to be understood and know that we are with them to help guide them on finding a solution. That is why customers talk to sales professionals. They are looking for guidance to find a solution to their needs.
Think back to the last time you had an amazing buying experience. What were some of the key elements of that sale that you had to tell your friends about because it just made you feel like you were set up for success with that purchase? How did the sales person make you feel? What did that salesperson do that stood out to you? What extra step did they do that no one else has ever done when you were making a purchase?
Now think of a bad buying experience? What were some of the reasons why the sales person lost the sale? What could they have done better? What made you run away as fast as you could to get away from that sales person?
If we do not get the first buying decision down correctly and constantly improve, then we will be mediocre in sales. No one really wants to be mediocre. If we want to be high achievers then we need to be constantly improving ourselves. We need to be focused on answering the three questions:
Do I like you?
Do I trust you?
How can you help me?
If you or your team need help reach out to me I am here to help!
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
How to Not Mess Up Buying Decision 3
What the customer does care about is how this product / service will meet “their needs”. That’s right! How does what we offer help the customer?
Buying Decision 3 is the part in my live and online trainings where the sales professionals believe they need zero help. It’s at this time that I have to ask for examples of participants to show me how they work on this buying decision.
Most attendees start with firing features and benefits in rapid fire, their elevator pitch, or how their product is so revolutionary like they are in one of those late-night infomercials. Unfortunately, this is an incorrect process in selling your product / service. The reason I know this is because I started out selling my products this way which drove my lack of sales. The customer does not care about how many features and benefits we have.
What the customer does care about is how this product / service will meet “their needs”. That’s right! How does what we offer help the customer? Each customer is different and has different needs which means we need to be smart about how we approach them. We can not simply rain features and benefits all over them hoping something sticks. We need to sell by answering their needs.
To effectively answer the customer’s needs, the salesperson needs to do the work in the first buying decision by asking great questions to uncover the customer’s needs. By asking questions we are finally able to understand the customer, what they are looking to achieve, and why they are looking to achieve it with this purchase. If we assume that we know exactly what the customer needs we typically miss the mark in sales.
You’re probably asking yourself how do I avoid this mistake? The answer is simple. By making sure that the question I am asking aligns with the needs answered by my features and benefits. That’s right I use the features and benefits of my product / service to roadmap questions for the customer. If the customer is saying yes to those questions, then we know that we are on the right track to help the customer. Simple right!
Below is a simple process I use to create the questions:
This is the process for creating the needs questions that align with your features and benefits.
One last point here and this is a big point!
If the answer is no to most of my questions about my product / service. I quickly understand that what the customer is looking for is not what I offer and I point them in the right direction to meet their needs. That is right, if my product / service will not help the customer I am going to do everything in my power to help them find what they need. Most sales people are shaking their heads in disbelief and they are wrong. See I am playing the long game with selling that builds influence.
If my current product / service does not help the customer and I help them find something that does, I have just solidified my value and gained tremendous influence with the customer. Even if they do not buy this product / service today, they will tell their friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. about the service that I have provided and how I helped them. They will tell those people that they need to come talk to me. It has helped me time and time again with references and grow my sales in the long run.
Yes, this is an internal decision to focus on helping more than just selling our products / service. I chose this early in my career which helped me gain more sales than I could have ever thought possible. Customers have come to me years later telling me that someone referred them to me because I was the best and helped in such a way that they needed to see me first.
Isn’t that where we want to be? To be the person everyone wants to come to for a solution to meet their needs?
To find out how to apply the total Sales Process Uncovered training with your team, follow the this link and get moving forward to reaching your sales goals!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
Why Customer Service Hates Sales People
Have you ever had customers call you complaining that they are not being taken care of properly? Ever had them say this is not what they agreed to? How about this statement, “I think you need to come pick up your stuff as I no longer wish to do business with you?”
Have you ever had customers call you complaining that they are not being taken care of properly? Ever had them say this is not what they agreed to? How about this statement, “I think you need to come pick up your stuff as I no longer wish to do business with you?”
These are never fun conversations and most can be alleviated quickly and easily if we do this one thing. Before I tell you what this one thing is, let me give you a context of the issue in depth before providing the solution.
Large organizations today have multiple people that interact with the customer. We all know the sales person that is tasked to grow revenue and win new projects / programs. There are also others that are handling the customer on a day to day basis while the sales person is off selling other new prospects. These individuals are the customer service representatives also known as account managers. They are the crucial in growing the relationship with the customer.
Customer’s rely on constant communication about shipments, payments, bills, etc. The customer needs to know what is going on so they can build their product / service, utilize the investment they have made, and grow their portfolio. They need us to grow their business.
The key issue that I have seen multiple times in business is this. The sales person goes out and wins a sale, get the high five, and then is off trying to make the next kill (more on “kills” in future blog posts). The sales person likely has forgotten to communicate the rules of engagement with the customer effectively to those that handle the accounts on a day to day basis. This means that any negotiations or agreements made outside of the standard programs have been missed and the day to day individuals do not have this knowledge.
This would upset me if I agreed to doing business a certain way and the organization decided that it was outside of the parameters and rejects what I agreed to. I would be infuriated, wouldn’t you? Most likely resulting me calling the sales person to pick up their products and services.
This was the issue with one organization I worked for when I started out my sales career and there were some very unhappy customers. So much so that the owner of the organization was receiving calls on his cell phone which resulted in not so pleasant conversations with the entire sales team. When I say unpleasant, I mean usage of a great deal of the urban and regular dictionary adjectives.
What derived out of this and what can be applied to any organization dealing with customers, is a review of the terms of the agreement and a kick off meeting prior to the first shipment of goods / services. This allows everyone to get in alignment so that rules of engagement with the customer is well understood. Today with the sharepoint drives and team sites, it is even easier to load the terms of the agreement so that anyone can quickly review them. This also helps in case a customer tries to exaggerate the terms of the agreement to receive a little extra benefit.
In implementing a good standard of communication of new contracts with the teams, the customer relationship will function smoothly and growth can happen faster. Making sure the customer is taken care of is the top priority!
Remember the old saying, “the customer is always right!” Sometimes we just need to have all of the facts about the relationship.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
The 4th buying decision… the one most sales people fear!
Good morning everyone!
How many times have you been nervous to hear a result? Whether it was a test result from your doctor, that first time you asked a girl out in school, or how about when you sent the price over to a prospective customer and were in the silence which seemed like forever?
Most sales people have gone through this period at least in the beginning of their careers when they get to the fourth buying decision for the customer. It’s when the customer will inform the sales person if the work put in and the price align, or if they are not sold yet. During this buying decision far too many sales people will start spouting off more benefits and features, price dropping, etc. before the customer ever provides feedback.
When we start justifying our price as soon as we send it, we immediately devalue our proposal psychologically. Now the customer has no other course, but to challenge the price. The old saying less is more applies here. When the sales person send over the price, they need to stop speaking. Just like in a negotiation, the first person that speaks loses.
Now I temper that with a statement that submitting pricing is not an us vs. them situation, because we have done all of the steps in the sales process and are trying to serve the customer. What I am saying is that when we submit the pricing, we need to not devalue our proposition to the customer. Now the discussion should be on the customer to decide how to proceed.
Maybe the customer needs a little more information because we did not answer one of their needs that is high value. That’s okay because we can address that need quickly to help them make sure this is the best product / service they are about to purchase. Maybe the customer is in the research phase of decision making. This should have been discovered early on in the first buying decision, but maybe they are trying to budget. Then it is up to us to make sure we identify the next step for them to take and how we can help the customer.
There is nothing wrong with hearing a no right after we have provided the price. This is how we adjust and understand what may be limiting the customer from making the purchase. Just like shooting a rifle from 1000 yards away from a target. Sometimes a small adjustment needs to be made to hit the target in the center. This is our opportunity to correct and address the customer’s needs and help them.
If we don’t sell the product / service right after the first time we submit a price, that is okay. Sometimes there is a better option for the customer, but if we have done a great job, the customer will tell us why we may have lost this sale, but they will tell others how we helped them if we walk with them through the five buying decisions correctly.
As a side note most sales people never go back and find out why they lost a sale. This is valuable information if that happens to adjust the sales approach going forward!
We just need to make sure we do no devalue ourselves, or our offerings while working through the sales process with them.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
Ever Wonder Why…?”
Isn’t it interesting that no matter how hard we try, it just doesn’t seem like some people will not like or trust us?
Good morning everyone,
Ever wonder why some people just don’t seem to buy your product / service even though you know they need it?!?
Isn’t it interesting that no matter how hard we try, it just doesn’t seem like some people will not like or trust us?
The first buying decision for the customer is the longest and hardest to complete for sales people. The customer has to know, like, and trust us before they will ever buy from us. Have you ever had a sales person ask for your name and immediately after providing your name, they launch into a sales pitch?
When they do that, do you think they really care about you?
We as sales professionals need to make sure we are answering these three questions for the customer as soon as possible:
Do I like you?
Do I trust you?
How can you help me?
If we jump straight into selling mode quickly after meeting the customer they will be turned off. Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the most customers say, “Just looking.” It’s because the customer has been trained to think that sales people are all the same and all the sales person cares about is selling their product or service.
Let’s change that perception…
Let’s start by using a plan on how we will approach the customer in a way that builds likeability and trust right out of the get go. Let’s start with making sure when we approach the customer we are not circling like hungry vultures. Let’s let the customer come into our facilities and let them get comfortable by smiling and saying “Hi, welcome. We are here to help you when you are ready.” Smiling, wearing the right colors that psychologically reflect trust, honesty and lowers anxiety. No power ties, no black clothes, no dark grey, but light blues whites, and some greens to ease the customer into lowering their anxieties.
We need the customer feeling relaxed and calm. The longer the customer spends time in the store the more of a chance they will buy from us. Ever wonder why Costco offers free samples (when not in a pandemic) to anyone and everyone? They know that the spend amount goes up the longer the customer is in the store.
If we can not get the customer to like us, they will never buy from us. It’s that simple.
What will you be wearing the next time you show up to work? Will you be paying attention to the customer and welcoming them, or will you be going in for the kill to make a sale?
If you’d like to learn the entire sales process and how to gain influence, I have launched my online course. It will enable you to master sales, implement the simple to use process, and become a top performer!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!
Ideas for the Next 90 Days
Last week we finished the fifth and final buying decision for the customer and the work it takes after this buying decision for the sales person to really knock it out of the park. If you haven’t had a chance to read that article check it out here (add link)
This week I want to share some ideas with you as to the extra steps you might try so that your customers are successful for the next 90 days after the sale! Their success is crucial for your future success.
Videos – with the advent of YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc there is a vast array of opportunities to help your customers with video interactions. Videos for top 10 uses for your product / service, self-diagnosis of typical issues that can arise, starter guide on your product / service as a reminder if the customer does not use what you have already taught. Customer testimonials is also another great idea.
Support Groups – Facebook has a fantastic platform for loyal customers to access with questions and success stories. I am on FB groups for a number of programs I have purchased such as the SpeakerLab, John Maxwell Team, Financial Peace University, etc. These groups are great for asking questions and cheering others on. These groups create a Fanocracy that is so impactful, that customers become loyal sales people for your vision. Releasing control of your product / service and allowing the customers to show you how to improve it is also a benefit to doing these groups.
Email – I know we all get too many emails throughout the day with advertisements. Why not flip the script and send out shortcuts and life hacks while using your product / service instead of just trying to sell them? What about using the Facebook group’s ideas to share with your email list of what others are saying about your product. Why not highlight those customers that are achieving the best results and share with your prospective customers? What about meets ups coming up in the customer’s nearby location? Why not use email for more than just trying to sell the customer with another flash sale.
I hope these ideas have helped you with your quest to sales success and what you can do to increase your influence with customers.
I also wanted to give you an inside look at what I have been working on this past summer and what I hope will be ready very soon. I have been filming my sales process uncovered training so that you may be able to use it whenever you want to. No more traveling to events, staying in uncomfortable hotel beds, in different time zones. This training will you faster than just the blogs I write weekly for you. The training will help you become that 1% of successful sales professionals.
As always, I will keep posting blogs for you to add ideas on how to sell more efficient and how you can achieve higher levels of success.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
The 5th and Final Buying Decision…Time To Start Working!
The customer has now purchased our product / service and we celebrate! Unfortunately, this is where 99% of sales people stop the sales process.
We’ve done it!
We have made it to the fifth and final buying decision for the customer which is “Buy”
The customer has now purchased our product / service and we celebrate! Unfortunately, this is where 99% of sales people stop the sales process. It’s okay to celebrate the win and I encourage the celebration, but when the sales person stops the sales process after receiving the order, the customer is left to fend for themselves. The customer soon will develop buyer’s remorse, not hitting the desired outcome from the purchase, and possibly thinking they were just sold something instead of purchasing a solution. The customer then associates us with the slimy salesperson that does not care about them.
Far too many sales people take the signed order and ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again. It’s a huge opportunity that unfortunately most sales people miss out on!
That’s right, when the customer agrees to buy, this is the time that sales professionals need to roll up their sleeves and move forward with the customer. The more this is done, the more the customer will brag to their friends, family members, social media, etc. about how awesome we served them and that everyone they know needs speak with us. Who wouldn’t want a sales team of individuals selling of us without having to pay them?
I love having people that have taken my trainings tell others that they need to work with me because I know that what I am doing is working!
First and foremost, when the customer agrees to purchase, they will second guess themselves (buyer’s remorse) about the purchase. That’s right, they are not sure what they did was the right decision. This typically happens for purchases over $50. We are not talking about a pack of gum here. The real-estate market has done a fantastic job overcoming this issue of “buyer’s remorse.” As soon as the customer agrees to purchase a property, they immediately begin moving the customer into the next steps.
When you confirm that the customer has made the right decision, they feel justified and will be set at ease. Getting the customer moving forward after this decision to buy and onto the next steps such as delivery date, onsite training, etc., the customer is reaffirmed and feels like they have made the best decision possible. They have a game plan for the next steps. The customer will feel relieved and begin moving forward with our help! They appreciate this, because most sales people do not do this! This simple step! Now we have a few other things we need to do as well.
The next thing we as professionals need to do is review how we did in the sales process. We do this to get better at selling our product / service. The better we do this the better we will get at the next sale and become more efficient. It’s like anything else we do. After every mission the best military operators will have a debrief meeting to discuss what went well and what could be done better the next time. The more we practice and review the more efficient we get. Take time to review spots that slowed us down and then fix those areas so that way we can move forward faster next time.
The last step in the sales process is crucial. Again 99% of sales professionals do not do this. This is the most crucial step in gaining influence with customers. It’s the next 90 days after the sale that really makes the customer’s purchase a success, or a failure. That’s right, after the installation and quick run through, the customer is going to have issues. The faster we communicate how to resolve those issues the better the customer will feel. That is why organizations have had support lines waiting for customer to call, but the sales professional has an opportunity to take this one step further.
This is the sales process step in my trainings that most organizations ask a great deal of questions on how they can get better. It’s actually simple and to do once the content is created. That’s right, what content do you have available for the customer once they have purchased your product / service? Do you have a 10-steps to self-diagnose an issue? 15 best quick recipes for that blender? Youtube videos walking the customers through a new way to use the product / service? How about a Facebook group for other customers to share success stories and resolve issues together?
What do you have ready for your customers so that they can consistently win with your product / service? That is the question that we need to answer and if we do this well, we will be rewarded with greater levels of influence. With more influence comes greater growth in sales and increased revenue. At a certain point you become such an influencer that people stop focusing on price. Wouldn’t that be amazing to take the pricing discussion off the table?
We are in the service business no matter what we sell. Serve the customer well and reap the rewards. Underserve and stay a commodity in the customer’s eyes.
It’s okay to have a little celebration, but then get to work rolling up your sleeves and help serve the customer!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
Buying Decision 3...The One Most Sales People Get Wrong!
Buying Decision 3 is the part in my trainings where the sales professionals believe they need zero help. It’s at this time that I have to ask participants for examples to show me how they work on this buying decision.
Most attendees start with firing features and benefits in rapid fire, their elevator pitch, or how their product is so revolutionary like they are in one of those late-night infomercials. Unfortunately, this is an incorrect process in selling your product / service. The reason I know this is because I started out selling my products this way which drove my lack of sales. The customer does not care about how many features and benefits we have.
What the customer does care about is how this product / service will meet “their needs”. That’s right! How does what we offer help them? That is the question our customers are asking. Each customer is different and has different needs which means we need to be smart about how we approach them. We can not simply rain features and benefits all over them. We need to sell by answering their needs.
To effectively answer the customer’s needs, the salesperson needs to do the work in the first buying decision by asking great questions to uncover the customer’s needs. By asking questions we are finally able to understand the customer, what they are looking to achieve, and why they are looking to achieve it with this purchase. If we assume that we know exactly what the customer needs we typically miss the mark in sales.
You’re probably asking yourself how do I avoid this mistake? The answer is simple. By making sure that the question I am asking aligns with my features and benefits. That’s right I use the features and benefits of my product / service to roadmap questions for the customer. If the customer is saying yes to those questions, then we know that we are on the right track to help the customer. Simple right!
Below is a simple graphic I use to create the questions:
One more point here and this is a big point!
If the answer is no to most of my questions about my product / service. I quickly understand that what the customer is looking for is not what I offer and I point them in the right direction to meet their needs. That is right, if my product / service will not help the customer I am going to do everything in my power to help them find what they need. Most sales people are shaking their heads in disbelief and they are wrong. See I am playing the long game with selling that builds influence.
If my current product / service does not help the customer and I help them find something that does, I have just solidified my value and gained tremendous influence with the customer. Even if they do not buy this product / service today, they will tell their friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. about the service that I have provided and how I helped them. They will tell those people that they need to come talk to me. It has helped me time and time again with references and grow my sales in the long run.
Yes, this is an internal decision to focus on helping more than just selling our products / service. I chose this early in my career which helped me gain more sales than I could have ever thought possible. Customers have come to me years later telling me that someone referred them to me because I was the best and helped in such a way that they needed to see me first.
Isn’t that where we want to be? To be the person everyone wants to come to for a solution to meet their needs?
To find out how to apply the total Sales Process Uncovered training with your team, follow click here and get moving forward to reaching your sales goals!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
Ready, Set, Stop Jumping Into Your Pitch
Customers buy to satisfy needs, not features and benefits. It’s a simple concept, but hard to practice sometimes.
When I train sales professionals, I have to make sure that I highlight this fact each time I start the training. We as sales professionals need to stop launching right into a sales pitch too early.
Too many sales people get through the introductions and then jump into pitching their products or service. They use the shotgun blast approach and hope somethings sticks to where the customer will leap towards them with a hug saying thank you for answering all my worries. Unfortunately, the customer is actually put off by this practice of selling. Then the customers immediately decide they are not going to buy from this salesperson.
Meanwhile the salesperson is still shooting off more and more benefits and features while the customer is thinking…“How do I get out of here?”
Most customers will wait for the presentation to end and then thank the sales person for their time before making a way to the exit as fast as possible. People want to feel heard and understood. Too many times sales people leap into action and sell something because we are looking for that next kill. Most sales people think of sales just like hunting for something.
I started selling like this, but quickly learned that sales is actually like farming. We start small and grow our influence with the customer over time. We as sales professionals are not all knowing and understanding of the customer’s needs. We need to stop ourselves and ask questions, a great deal of questions. This starts building influence with the customer because we are showing that we care. We need the customer to buy off on us before they will ever think about buying our product or service. Here’s another point that I need to make, the larger the sale, the longer it takes to understand the customer’s needs.
I have structured multi-million, multi-year contracts and every one of these deals took years to come together. Not one of these customers has ever stopped on my doorstep and said please help me, I need you to sell me your product without growing the influence with them first. I had to grow influence before they would look at me as an option to help them with their larger investments. They gave me opportunities for smaller deals and then as they grew to trust me and trust that I understood them well enough they gave me larger opportunities. Apple has done a great job of getting people to line up for their new products, but back when they started, hardly anyone wanted their products. It took years of the correct leadership, marketing, and sales strategies to get to where they are today.
Each day there are new strategies on how to sell to a new sophisticated type of customer, but most of these new sales strategies are trying to do the same drill of growing influence with the customer. Shortcuts may work for the short term, but long term they fizzle out and influence erodes. I have used the same process for well over a decade to sell to different industries, and in different parts of the world. It’s a simple process and it helps the sales professionals walk through the customer’s five buying decisions that they must answer before they will purchase our products or services.
We have to meet the customer’s needs and then we will be rewarded with their business and grow influence with them.
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”