Sell The Way Your Customers Want To Buy

If I were to ask you, "What is the purpose of your business?" How would you respond? "To make a profit"? That answer identifies why so many businesses struggle to survive, let along grow. It's centered on the desires of the business owner, not on the needs and desires of their customers. Imagine walking up to a potential customer and saying, "Hello. My purpose is to make a nice, big profit from you today!" That would not attract the client's interest. It would be better to think of it this way. The purpose of a business is to attract and serve the needs of as many customers as possible, at a fair profit. Profit comes in, not at the beginning where most people put it, but at the end. Profit is the result of how well you serve your customers' needs. Focus on serving your customers better than your competition, while maintaining good business sense - and your sales and profit will automatically rise.

When you sell the way your customers want to buy, your products and services sell like crazy! If two of your products are selling very well, and three of them aren't, your customers are telling you something. Eliminate the losers and focus more time and energy on the winners. If you have an effective system in place to let your prospects and customers know about your products and services and you offer them excellent value and good deals, and they still don't buy, then there's a good chance you're not listening to your customers. Find out what they are buying from your competitors. Always informally poll your customers for feedback on your products and services and how you deliver or provide them.

Make your customers feel important, listen to their customers.

As small business owners, you have a significant advantage over the big companies who are clever in their marketing slogans promising great customer service, you will build your business by actually DELIVERING great service. You do this with a customer centric approach.

Determing the Gap

In your sales efforts, you need to determine the needs of the prospect. Brian Tracy calls this 'gap analysis'. You are a "problem detective". He says your job is somewhat like a police inspector searching for suspects, to find problems for which your product or service is the ideal solution. You need to establish what the person would like to see different from the current situation. What would they like the situation to be? The 'gap' is the difference between their current circumstances and their desired circumstances. Only when you have made this determination can you proceed with your offering, your solution to their difficulty.

To find out, here's the 'big sales secret'. ASK! Yes, your use of open-ended questions is your greatest sales tool. Use them to dig for hidden needs, to uncover unmet desires. Have some idea of the kind of questions you want to ask; however, displaying sincere personal interest is more important than a standard questionnaire. When it is very clear what they would like to see different, what the need is, and you are sure you have a cost-effective solution, you can then present your idea, which makes the 'close' a lot easier. Offer yourself in a consultative role, rather than simply as somebody trying to sell them something. Show the prospect how much better his or her situation could be by owning and enjoying what you are selling. The person must also feel that the 'gap' between the current situation and the situation your solution would create is large enough to warrant taking action. With the use of samples, pictures showing your work on similar jobs, or by 'painting a word picture' the person will picture himself or herself already benefiting from what you do.

When you identify a need and you can fill the gap, then ask for the opportunity to provide the answer. You will then make a sale!