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Increase Sales-Be a Trusted Advisor

Guest post by: Bill Boyer

Article Overview: What is the best way to keep customers?

Increase Sales-Be a Trusted Advisor

In today's tough market, what makes your company standout against your competition? Studies done with many of the most successful entities in the country have discovered that the foundational element of their success was that the company strove to have enormous empathy with their customer. The company telegraphed this to their customer: "I feel the way you feel, I understand what your problem is." They saw a distinct difference in giving advice and giving information. The most successful companies had decided that they should be a leader, an authoritative, consultative force in their market. They sold leadership. They had recognized that their customers' decision makers gravitate toward people who are empathetically authoritative. The better companies see themselves as advising their clients. This is a key advantage you can give. You are really looking out for their best interest. You must have a passionate awareness and be committed to their success and higher purpose. This is not just helping the client's business: it is helping their lives to be better, helping them get more out of the decision process and out of life.

An empathetic listener can help a customer who may have been struggling with a problem, without having actually verbalized or defined the issues they were dealing with. When you help your customers understand, acknowledge, articulate, take action, and formulate a definitive, logical, and compelling strategy, you establish a long term relationship of trust with them.

Your clients believe that they are the center of your attention. You recognize their potential when you approach them with the question: What can we do for you that is better than what we are currently doing? When Deming taught this concept many years ago, it was considered to be targeted only toward production. But in your relationships with your clients, it is the secret of optimization - constant, never-ending improvement. How can you have the most positive impact on the people you sell to?

The customer will not believe that your sales pitch has value unless it can make an impact for them. Especially when you do not have a distinct advantage on price or performance, your advantage must be that you can truly empathize with your customer and can advise them. That is what will set you apart. All people want to feel good about the decisions they make. When they are afraid that they will "screw up," they don't make the necessary decisions. Your job is to provide them with the reassurance and the motivation to use your recommended decision. You should demonstrate to them that decision making using logic is preferable to inaction.

Your purpose is to see what you can do for others. Your customers deserve the best-reasoned, the most objective and knowledgeable advice you can give. This should separate you from other vendors whose priority is their own personal benefit, rather than their customers' benefit. Be sure your customer knows "what is in it for them;" make sure they know what you are going to do for them, and why.

Fall in love with your clients, not just with your own company, product, or services. Be a value generator and value creator for your clients.

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Article Tags: clients, Customer retention, customers, increasing sales, profits, smalll companies



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