Are you in control?
Control …
One of the main things we learn in being a sales person is that we must ‘control’ the customer. As a sales person, we need to steer a buyer into making the proper decision. Of course that decision is to buy our product, or agree to a certain point in negotiations.
Too often though, our management believes that this control means that our customers need to work within our company’s guidelines. Our management teams believe that this ‘control’ we get as sales people also means that our customers have to wait until ‘we’ are ready to provide information. As a professional sales person, whether the information you are requesting is a quotation or order delivery, do you feel that you have control if you force your customers to live within your rules? All too often, our management teams believe that our customers need us more than we need them. I have been associated with many companies that have turned a blind eye to reality, and truly believe they were one of a kind. That is true only until a company pushes the customer to finding and/or developing alternatives. So, how do we play this out? How can we keep our customers in control, but let them believe they are leading? How can we keep our management happy and believing that the customer is playing within their stated rules? The blog this week is one with more questions than answers. However, I try to boil things down to the least common denominator. What is most important to your customer? And what is truly most important to the company you are representing. These two items have to match, all the other incidentals are just policy & procedure, and can be negotiated away. Keeping this in mind, is how we keep control of the situation. Keep these important things visible to both parties, and get through the process anyway you can in order to win. What do you tell a customer when they ask why they have to wait for 2-weeks, when our competition can get it done in 1-week? Find out how to relate it to what matters to them most. Remember that the old saying of “sell the sizzle” works in more places than in just the product demonstration. If you also think of the company you represent as your customer, this can help. You need to control them as well as the buyer. You need to keep the key things visible to them at all times. Whether its payment terms for cash flow purposes, or utilization of a machine that has been idle for a long period of time, find the key points and keep them visible. From the beginning of any relationship, find out what matters most. Try to match these so that there are no compatibility issues, and keep the parties focused on these priorities. When you control the process, you can control your customers and principals. If you are having issues with control and keeping your eye on the prize, coaching can be a great benefit. Pinnacle Sales offers one to one coaching that will help you increase your sales, credibility and control!
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