In this age of limited time and unlimited access to information, customers want more than better, faster and cheaper. They specify 3 factors that persuade them to choose you.
Customers seek to learn if you are more interested in helping them make money or in taking their money. They choose you once they sense your commitment to their success, and evaluate your motivation using these 3 criteria:
- Sharing valuable insight about market trends. Customers understand that their exposure to new concepts or challenges evolving in their market may be limited, and they recognize that they can be overwhelmed with readily accessible, but unfocused, information from the web. They value the expertise of a salesperson that knows their business, shares trends, novel ideas and other market insights, and helps them prioritize possible solutions on the basis of strategic value produced for them.
- Proposing multiple potential solutions. Customers appreciate the opportunity to explore two or three alternative recommendations rather than just one. Collaborating with you to evaluate the pros and cons of each potential solution encourages a more transparent discussion about the options, reducing the customer’s decision risk and enabling an assessment of your commitment to their success.
- Remaining engaged. Customers expect accountability – promises must be kept and you must remain engaged in a project until the proposed results are delivered. Sales personnel who leverage their expertise to consult during a project and help the customer adapt to unforeseen circumstances demonstrate commitment and earn sustained preference that extends beyond a single project.
You become a trusted partner for your customers when you share knowledge, provide options and remain engaged to produce results that help them succeed.
How consistently do you demonstrate these 3 factors?
When was the last time you asked your customers how you can better serve them?
