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If you wouldn't buy it, why are you selling it?

  • Writer: Jennifer Tiricovski
    Jennifer Tiricovski
  • Feb 5, 2021
  • 3 min read

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Do you remember buying something and feeling like you had the best experience?


Do you remember your worst?


I recall my last shopping trip, you know, back in the good old days (a year or so ago) and I absolutely dislike an empire waistline dress and it felt as though this sales assistant kept throwing them at me to try on, because it would look great on me.

I felt like grabbing her by the shoulders and telling her to breath. Instead I decided I was just too exhausted, and the joy was sucked out of shopping experience, so I left.

There were several ways this experience could have been different, she could have known what an empire waistline was in a dress, concerning that she didn't. Or she could have left me to browse and paid attention to what I gravitated toward or chose to try on myself and then made recommendation based on a little more understanding. Have you ever wondered why some people are so great at sales and others seem to do so much activity and still not close?


Sure sometimes the customer is just not interested- here is where the saying read the room comes in (lady in the retail store this is for you), if you have the right to make the call, don’t submit your offer, this is one of the most difficult things to do.

Now thank them for the inclusion to your tender/Visiting your store but as number 15 invited to the bid with only as many weeks to scope solution and quote, that is all the customer is looking for, a bid on lowest price. how about we start discussing what you require for the next time you tender instead… build a relationship.

Even if the customer says no, you have 365 days to change their mind year 1 between tenders are the most crucial this is your relationship build, leverage trust, respect and be the subject matter expert. Oh yeah, your competitors have one of those two, so a newsletter isn’t going to cut it. And throwing random dresses at me to try on won’t change my mind to buy something I don’t want or need.

Quoting/price indications, if you are quoting the same service the incumbent is already providing, the customer who buys from you will leave you just as easy. Sorry but it’s true. Your customer satisfaction and retention rate will reflect this.


Obviously other things to take into consideration is share of wallet, possible improvements that can be made and if that is the case, make sure you enter this in your discussions and taken into account into the pricing analysis by the customers procurement team, so many times these messages never reach the steering team and decision making doesn't take this into consideration - another loss.


So, let's talk courting your next customers, be prepared, know where you are going, break down what information you want to gather to each singular meeting. Ask the customer if you can email them in between or call them for clarification. Honest admin work helps you check for gaps in your information and this information will help you put a solution together.


To clarify solution means solve a problem, if you are a good listener your customer will always tell you the problem, sometimes with words, sometimes data, and if you are good, with voice pitch and body language.


Old school sales managers, scatter gun approaches exhaust you, exhaust customers and it is a dinosaur approach.


Believe in what you are selling, and it’s fit for your customer!

 
 
 

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