Weekly Business Development Tip
Make It Easy On Your Customer
Your customers should not have to work to determine what you are offering, what it will do for their company and what it will take to get it.
Often our customers may become frustrated and anxious trying to determine what we are offering, how it will help their company and what they have to do to obtain our product or service. Frequently, when in a sales situation, many people use technical terms that our customers dont understand (a sure way to blow the sale) instead of addressing the customers business problems with simple, clear, easy to understand language. Sometimes, the customer doesn't even know what they are looking for. They have a problem, but don't know the solution. That's why you are there! They are looking to you to diagnose the problem and prescribe a solution.
From the customers point of view, here are some things that you can do to help them make decisions to purchase from you rather than spend their time trying to determine what you are selling, what its going to cost, how they will finance it, and if it will help them. Try to make it easy for the customer.
- Be available, easy to contact, responsive. Dont keep your customers waiting.
- Be credible. Be able to describe your company in a way that differentiates you from the competition.
- Make it easy to understand how your product or service will help your customer focus on results for the customer. They should not have to imagine the outcome. Paint a very comprehensive picture of your working relationship and the return on investment for your customer. Its value added and not value first.
- Be clear about your deliverables and commitments no guessing games here.
- Make it easy to pay for your products or services. Consider offering terms of payment that will get the deal done. If you do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it, providing a lot of value, you will get your money.
- Make your agreements easy to understand. STOP doing lengthy proposals. I suggest using a two-page agreement with easy to understand language. There should be no need to call in the attorneys to review your agreement.
- If there is a problem with your deliverable, be upfront about it. Don't put your head in the sand. You can hide but you can't run. You don't want to make a sale and lose a customer.
- Exceed expectations. Tell the customer clearly what they can expect and then over deliver.
- Have an excellent customer service policy in place so if there is a complaint, it is handled quickly, without hesitation and the customer knows that even though there may have been a problem, he made the right decision to do business with your firm.
- The best source for more business is an existing customer. Show your customer how much you care. Dont drop the ball after the sale is made.
If you are selling someone something, try and make it so good that you would rather be the man who bought it than the man who sold it. Will Rogers
Ken Levine
Impact Business Solutions, Inc.
508-845-8849
www.ibs4sales.com
