Never Forget What Your Customer Wants

One of the great rewards of being a sales trainer is hearing back from your students that what they're doing is making a difference in both their personal lives and the lives of their customers.

Following a recent seminar, one of the sales managers in my class forwarded to me a testimonial letter one of his newest salespeople received from one of his customers. This young sales rep was relatively new to the business, but apparently he took his training on the IMPACT Selling System very seriously.

It the letter, the customer mentioned he had spoken with other salespeople from the same organization in the past, but in each case he never saw enough value in the opportunity to make the decision to "buy." Specifically, the customer said the person sitting across the table never asked what he was looking for or showed true concern for what was important to him. In his words, the "level of comfort" or "personal connection" was never made.

The customer went on to say all that changed when he met the new salesperson. He walked the customer through the entire buying process, exemplified the utmost personal attention and professionalism, answered all the questions and committed himself to what the customer needed and wanted. In the end, the customer said the salesperson created value that was more than just a short-term benefit - he created long-term value that would brighten his entire future. As a result, the customer made the decision to "buy" and has no regrets. In fact, he wrote the testimonial on his own because he was so pleased with the entire buying experience.

Isn't it ironic that a newer salesperson that practices the "basics" can outshine an experienced representative? How about you? Do you still work to establish the level of comfort or personal connection that makes a customer want to buy from you? If the answer is "No," remember the words of Zig Ziegler who said, "You get what you want by helping people get what they want."

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