“If you could change anything about the way you approach selling, the thing that will make the biggest difference would be your attitude — your attitude toward your customers, your service, the benefits of your products, your employer, and yourself." -Dan Brent Burt
There was a recent study conducted by the prestigious Harvard Business School* that surveyed 138 customers from a broad range of industries, who are responsible for making business-to-business purchases for large companies in North America.
The following statistics clearly show that attention and care must ALWAYS be paid to how you sell and the manner in which you sell!
According to the Harvard findings…
26% of sales people "Don't follow my company's buying process"
18% "Don't listen to my needs"
17% "Don't follow up"
12% "Are pushy, agressive, or disrespectful"
10% "Don't explain solutions adequately"
6% "Make exaggerated or inaccurate claims"
4% "Don't understand my business"
3% "Are too familiar"
2% "Don't know or respect the competition"
2% Other (such as charge high prices)
Pardon the admonishment, but if any of these behaviors tend to hit home, they will soon begin (if they haven't already), to have a negative impact on your customer’s decision making; your performance; and ultimately your company’s bottom line!
It doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist (does it?), to figure out which side your bread is buttered on.
I encourage you to take an honest, reflective look at the responses given by the Survey participants--if you recognize yourself as committing any of these costly blunders, then now is the time to change the way you represent yourself and your company.
Your prospect should always be left with an indelible impression of your professionalism, integrity and willingness to understand/meet their needs. That way everyone walks away with something to feel good about!
*(Source: Harvard Business Review—authors Tom Atkinson & Ron Koprowski
Friday, April 1, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Words To Succeed By…
“It is not your customer's job to remember you.
It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure
they don't have the chance to forget you.”
-Patricia Fripp
Dear Sales Huddle Readers:
At long last, I am back from a few months of much needed time off.
The beauty of down time, is that it affords me to play 'catch up' on reading and uncovering so much important industry material that impacts our overall sales and business success.
My objective is to stay focused on sharing "best practices" research and methodologies, that will help you elevate skills; work productivity; bottom line performance and build superior customer relationships.
Speaking of superior customer relationships, if you were to ask the average consumer to name a popular brand of electronics, it would be no surprise to hear the name “Panasonic”.
Having said that…the inspiration for this month’s blog is taken from the words of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic.
I firmly believe that Mr. Matsushita's business creed on customer value pertains to every aspect of sales and selling—regardless of whether we sell products or services. His words carry a profound and brilliant ray of wisdom.
10 Lessons from Konosuke Matsushita:
CREATING CUSTOMER VALUE*
1. The mission of the company is to enrich society
2. Company’s vision must be driven by the aspirations of the customers
3. In the long run, the public opinion is right
4. Don’t sell customers goods that they are attracted to, sell them goods that will benefit them.
5. Treat your products like your children
6. Any waste will increase the price of the product
7. Stick to fair prices
8. After-sales service is more important than assistance before sales;
it is through such service that one gets permanent customers
9. Use complaints to strengthen ties with your customer
10. To be out-of-stock is due to carelessness; if this happens, apologize to your customers, and deliver the goods as soon as you can
In conclusion...no matter how well we perform or approach our business, it all comes down to the customer.
May we heed Mr. Matsushita's sage advice and actively apply it throughout all of our customer interactions and practices!
*(Source: 1000ventures.com)
It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure
they don't have the chance to forget you.”
-Patricia Fripp
Dear Sales Huddle Readers:
At long last, I am back from a few months of much needed time off.
The beauty of down time, is that it affords me to play 'catch up' on reading and uncovering so much important industry material that impacts our overall sales and business success.
My objective is to stay focused on sharing "best practices" research and methodologies, that will help you elevate skills; work productivity; bottom line performance and build superior customer relationships.
Speaking of superior customer relationships, if you were to ask the average consumer to name a popular brand of electronics, it would be no surprise to hear the name “Panasonic”.
Having said that…the inspiration for this month’s blog is taken from the words of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic.
I firmly believe that Mr. Matsushita's business creed on customer value pertains to every aspect of sales and selling—regardless of whether we sell products or services. His words carry a profound and brilliant ray of wisdom.
10 Lessons from Konosuke Matsushita:
CREATING CUSTOMER VALUE*
1. The mission of the company is to enrich society
2. Company’s vision must be driven by the aspirations of the customers
3. In the long run, the public opinion is right
4. Don’t sell customers goods that they are attracted to, sell them goods that will benefit them.
5. Treat your products like your children
6. Any waste will increase the price of the product
7. Stick to fair prices
8. After-sales service is more important than assistance before sales;
it is through such service that one gets permanent customers
9. Use complaints to strengthen ties with your customer
10. To be out-of-stock is due to carelessness; if this happens, apologize to your customers, and deliver the goods as soon as you can
In conclusion...no matter how well we perform or approach our business, it all comes down to the customer.
May we heed Mr. Matsushita's sage advice and actively apply it throughout all of our customer interactions and practices!
*(Source: 1000ventures.com)
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