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Focusing on the Outcome
Written by: Mark DeoArticle Overview: Learn how focusing on the outcome, rather than your products and services, can help you connect with customer needs.
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Free Download - Compromising Situations By Mark Deo |
Focusing on the Outcome
Sometimes I think we are kidding ourselves.
We think we know what the customer wants or needs just because they have told us so. That seems reasonable, doesn't it? But let me ask you this – how many times have you been told something only to find out that it wasn't really true, or that you simply “misunderstood?” More often than not if you’re like most.
Let’s face it, customers often do not know what they need or even want. Even the most sophisticated clients often have gross misunderstandings when it comes to their specific product or service needs. So why do we focus so much on customer needs and desires?
Nearly every sales presentation in every industry is centered on “what the client needs and wants.” It’s not surprising that most sales presentations either are ignored or are a blatant waste of time for both the salesperson as well as the client. Moreover, marketing material is even less effective. How many web sites get passed over? How many brochures are thrown in the trash? How many ads go unread? How many dials are flipped when a TV or radio commercial comes on? I hate to be negative, but in order to bring about improvement we must discover where we are lacking.
In an effort to compensate for this, most ad agencies, marketing companies, and consumer brands go to great lengths to learn as much as they can about customer needs and wants. They hire research firms, hold focus groups and conduct needs-based analysis. In the end however, all they end-up with is a vision of what the customer “thinks” they might need or want under any given set of circumstances. Who can predict what the circumstances of the future may be. Certainly focusing on customer needs is not enough.
The bottom-line is that it is often difficult for clients to describe what they need or want. Often times they simply don’t know. Pride often prevents them from saying so. It is far easier for a client to describe a specific outcome under a given set of circumstances rather than articulate plain needs regarding a product or service.
My advice is to get your clients to tell you the “outcomes” they are looking for. Spend most of your time talking about what the future should look like rather than how your product or service fits their needs.
Article Tags: bottom line, brochures, consumer brands, customer needs, desires, focus groups, great lengths, marketing companies, misunderstandings, pride, radio commercial, research firms, sales presentation, sales presentations, salesperson, set of circumstances, sophisticated clients, trash, waste of time
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About the Author: Mark Deo RSS for Mark's articles - Visit Mark's website Mark Deo, CEO of SBA Network, Inc. leads a team of business growth consultants who work with senior level executive at Fortune 1000 companies in nearly every industry sector. He is an organizational psychologist and Master Instructor for Dale Carnegie Worldwide. As host of the CBS radio show, "The Small Business Hour" he was voted "Journalist of the Year" by the Small Business Administration. His latest book, The Rules of Attraction is available at www.markdeo.com and he can be contacted at 310-320-8190 or mark@markdeo.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it, www.sbanetwork.org Click here to visit Mark's website Big Beautiful Bamboo Year End Tasks Eagles Wings Lemonade From Lemons Build A Healthy Corporate Culture |
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