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Sales Training For Service Businesses - Why Should I Use You? - Part 2 of 3
| Guest post by: Peter O'Donoghue |
Article Overview: Sales Training is not always what is required for many service companies. Why should some one use you? If your answer is service or quality then you need to read this article as that just won't 'cut the mustard' in today's business environment. Part 2 of 3.
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Sales Training For Service Businesses - Why Should I Use You? - Part 2 of 3
In part 1, I demonstrated it's not all about sales training. Sometimes sales can be increased by developing your companies uniqueness.
Believe me, I know how hard this process is and for some companies they believe they can never find uniqueness. To those I ask
"If you can't articulate why you are special, unique and different, then why would I choose you yet alone pay you a premium?"
The strange thing is most companies have something they believe that makes them truly unique and may be able to tell you in conversation yet fail to put it on any marketing or sales material. What a wasted opportunity!!
The things that just won't 'cut the mustard' in today's business climate:
Quality: Just to say 'we strive for the best quality', or "we guarantee the highest quality" is not enough for a number of reasons:
• In today's competitive environment quality is expected just to be considered as an entrant.
• What does quality mean? Is it the way you handle meetings, the quality of the documents you produce or the quality of the service you provide? In a service business that is by and large intangible how can someone tell if your tax return is quality? They can't try it on or feel it.
If you feel that quality really is your uniqueness then say so. Be specific. If you have offered a 100% money back, no quibble guarantee for five years and you have had 800 clients in that time and not one has requested a refund, surely it makes sense to shout it from the roof tops!
Service: Again service is often said to be the difference compelling enough to use a company yet hardly any one can justify it. If this is your advantage then quantify it:
• We guarantee to produce XZY within three days or you do not pay us for the service.
• If you order by XYZ by 4.PM we guarantee to produce ABC by mid day the very next day
These guarantees communicate clearly that you understand the service required and that you are extremely confident of providing it.
Expertise: Many companies I come across in 'expert service' i.e lawyers, accountants, think their clients are buying expertise. Most prospects for these complex services cannot evaluate expertise, they can not tell a really good tax return , but they can tell if a relationship is good and if the phone calls are returned. Clients are experts at knowing if they feel valued. Your expertise is assumed. You are selling a relationship - that needs the most work.
Some possible starting points for service business to define their uniqueness:
• It can be your actual solution and benefits
• Your approach to what you do or how you do what you do
• The type of client you serve - any specialisms
• The way you provide your service
• Your style of doing things
• The speed of service
• A solid guarantee
• A payment policy
So far so good? Remember to look out for Part 3 or have a look at my links below.
What Should Your Customer Service Training Cost in Terms of Money, Time and Results?
Should You Train Unmotivated Sales Reps?
3 Reasons Sales Training Doesn’t Work
Sales Training Materials that Work!
Sales Training - short term or long term success?
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About the Author: Peter O'Donoghue RSS for Peter's articles - Visit Peter's website Sales Blog Click here to visit Peter's website   How To Win New Business |
Related Forum Posts
Re: Service Or Product?
- I agree with starting a Service-based Business in the economy. Here is what I think is critical:
1. Researching that your Service business has a market.
2. Marketing the Service with as much leverage as possible.
3. Product-izing the Service (aka Package Expert Knowledge). This will only help elevate you as "the" expert in your niche and make you accessible to people in different price points.
7 words or less for Structogram
- Some "7 words or less" (more or less) for Structogram for your comments:
Training to get your message across(6)
Secrets to get your message across (6)
Training so people will listen to you (7)
Helping you get your message across (6)
Training to learn to get your message across (8)
Communications training for yourself and your team (7)
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional
- Hi Evan,
I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Wearing different hats in Business
- I have a business that produces beautiful custom rugs for home and business environments.
Different hats that I'm wearing...
Rug Fabrication - 10 [i:21cr28m8](partially outsourced to an outfit here in the US)[/i:21cr28m8]
Customer Service / Sales - 8-10
Bookkeeping - 1
Marketing - 6
Website development - 5 [i:21cr28m8](mainly outsourced)[/i:21cr28m8]
SEO, SEM - 6-8
Accounting - [i:21cr28m8](outsourced)[/i:21cr28m8]
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional
- [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan,
I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz]
I second the request...
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