The Customer Isn’t Always Right

The shopper is at all times proper. If you’re an entrepreneur, took a advertising class, or work in gross sales of any sort, there’s a 100% likelihood you’ve been advised this too-often-shared tidbit. The truth is, you’ve most likely heard it stated to the purpose that you just deal with it as truth. But right here’s the precise reality: The shopper is not at all times proper. Sooner or later or one other in the course of the gross sales course of, patrons will exhibit unhealthy buyer habits, and sellers should be ready to handle it. Countering is a extremely efficient instrument that permits sellers to switch that unhealthy habits with a extra constructive one—to not point out, it helps them increase their enterprise and generate extra gross sales.

Requests for proposals: A well-intentioned unhealthy habits

One of the vital frequent unhealthy buyer behaviors enterprise homeowners and gross sales groups encounter is the RFP, or request for proposal. To be truthful, RFPs originate from a optimistic place that seeks to be useful and helpful—corporations convey them to the desk after they need to discover high quality services or products at one of the best worth. However right here’s the inherent downside with an RFP: Many instances the group requesting the proposals will get too fixated on the RFP with the most cost effective worth. The tip result’s that high quality is sacrificed for what seems to be a decrease value. 

Right here’s the dichotomy of an RFP: The bottom bidder will usually not spend the time or sources to create a high quality, considerate proposal, whereas a real skilled, whose bid is greater, gained’t undercut or undervalue their work as a way to win the RFP. Moreover, somebody determined for work will probably be much more more likely to undercut their competitors as a way to win. With any of those eventualities, the corporate issuing the RFP will solely obtain a subpar services or products when worth turns into the driving issue. This solely wastes the time—and cash—of each events concerned.

Understanding shopper needs and constructing belief

Let’s say your enterprise will get an RFP and in the end wins the challenge. Congratulations! What do you do now? Talk with the customer and construct belief. It’s important to perceive precisely what your shopper is in search of, and when you do, then you possibly can start to develop the services or products that they’re in search of. Not solely will this make sure you ship a high quality product however additionally, you will be offering one thing optimized to your shopper. 

Countering the RFP

One other instrument sellers ought to have of their toolbox is the flexibility to counter a buyer’s RFP. Keep in mind, countering merely refers to taking a detrimental buyer habits and providing a  extra optimistic different. It doesn’t essentially confer with ending a nasty behavior however merely changing it with one thing with a larger profit. To take action, sellers have to know just a few key issues about their purchaser. First, sellers should perceive the customer’s downside. All patrons have some kind of downside that they’re making an attempt to repair—it’s why they’re speaking to you within the first place—and also you as a vendor are positioned to clear up their downside via your services or products. However earlier than that may occur, sellers should construct belief. A typical mistake amongst salespeople is being too aggressive with their ways. Sellers are inherently so targeted on the tip aim of finalizing the sale that they have an inclination to hurry into providing options too shortly. When sellers provide options to the customer’s downside too quickly—earlier than the sellers have demonstrated that they’ve heard the issue and perceive it—the answer won’t ever be accepted by the customer. Why? As a result of there’s no belief.

Along with constructing belief, one other instrument that sellers can use is restating the customer’s downside. Remind the customer why they approached you within the first place. (For those who have been listening, you’ll be capable of record off the entire points they skilled not so way back.) Sellers can then remind them of the advantages their services or products will present. Not solely does this assist to construct belief because you’re providing an answer to their downside as a substitute of shilling out a product however this helps put the shopper again on monitor within the gross sales journey, countering any detrimental behaviors that may have arisen.

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Our podcast, Aligned, is devoted to serving to small and mid-market companies thrive and develop the gross sales and advertising acumen to maneuver the needle. Tune into our episode that includes gross sales skilled and founding father of the Gross sales Evangelist, Donald Kelly, to be taught extra about countering and find out how to successfully use its methods to develop your enterprise and improve your gross sales.