The Selling Race With Few Competitors

Can you remember the day before fax machines, mobile phones, laptops and Internet services were introduced to business? You will not recall the actual days involved, but hopefully you will recollect that on those days most businesses did not have spare cash to spend on fax machines, mobile phones, lap tops and Internet services. So where did so many businesses find the cash, for find it they did? The answer of course is that they reduce or sever their expenditure in areas of purchasing that are predictable, pedestrian and plentiful; after all most businesses control their relationships with ‘suppliers’.

Let’s face facts, when a business is faced with a procession of suppliers who all seemingly sell the same products and provide the same levels of service, there is lots of room to ‘negotiate’ a better deal. You simply approach a supplier and tell them you will transfer purchases elsewhere if you don’t get a better price, or you offer one of your suppliers in a given area an opportunity to ‘expand their share’ ... in return for a better deal. Most suppliers will cooperate, and so businesses use purchasing pressure to achieve the purchasing pleasure of owning and profiting from the fax, mobile phone, lap top, Internet service or whatever new product or service is demanding their attention and investment.

The kinds of products and services that inspire customers to invest ‘saved’ cash have three great qualities:

They are seen as being relevant to the business aspirations of the customer

They are perceived to be valuable in helping the customer to achieve business progress

They are considered to be an absolute business priority to the customer

This is the business race with few competitors.

Only a handful of organisations offer the three key qualities listed. They do so because this is the essence of their business purpose. Such companies refuse to be motivated by mundane marketing goals.
Instead, they demand of themselves that the products or services they sell must represent opportunities to customers, and not just overheads!

And the critical point for organisations to appreciate concerning the ‘race’ in question is that the most dynamic competitors may be from completely different industries. Customers only have so much money to spend, and so the suppliers who offer relevance, value and priority are the chosen partners. Here are two examples:

* A man leaving a company had a ‘payout’ of some $30,000 and he didn’t know how to invest the money. He talked with four financial advisers and he told one of them that he was ‘in the lead’. However, the adviser who was leading did not get the business and he wanted to know who did, and it turned out none of them did! Instead the man was seduced into spending most of his payout on a pool and spa complex at home, because it would look nice, provide entertainment for the family and friends ... and would represent a sound investment. In hindsight, none of the financial advisers were in the race - in that they competed with each other for the $30,000, and not for the customer’s aspirations!

* A customer of mine finally decided to invest in a sales training programme I had recommended. In accepting my proposal, the customer said ‘I am delighted to go ahead with this idea, the only bad news is that I will have to tell the Unisys rep that we can’t run with his proposition.’ I asked what he meant and he explained that a Unisys consultant had been working with his company on a new, integrated computer system, however it was felt that my training programme was a more important investment ‘at this time’. I was quite taken back by this comment: what he was saying was that although the Unisys man and myself were from completely different industries, we were both competing for the same investment dollars!

In summary, the ‘race’ to supply is much bigger than most of will ever appreciate. We are up against competitors we can’t see and will never see, but what we must see is the ultimate needs of all customers: they need products and services that are relevant to their business aspirations; they need products and services that add offer valuable opportunities for progress; and they need to see products and services as key priorities in their quest for success. The only question that remains is this: are you in training for this kind of selling race?






The Selling Race With Few Competitors - To learn more about this author, visit John Lees's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
The Selling Race With Few Competitors
	“Winners in business sell opportunities ... losers sell overheads!”
Gold Medals? Or Alligators?
	Some clients want to buy what you offer to chase after gold medals. Others are running from alligators. Make sure you’re selling to both.
Winning the Success Race
	Do you know what ***really*** differentiates the winners from the losers in this metaphorical race we call “business success”? Intelligence? Money? Luck? Influence? Is it ...? These assets can certainly enhan...
Thank God for Competitors and Market Research
	I learned to live with the fact a long time ago that I couldn't think of everything. I can't predict what is the best approach to take with customers. I don't always know what products are best to sell. So, whenever...
Lesson #2: There Is Nothing Wrong With Being Cheap
	He knows it and he’s proud of it: Robert Johnson is cheap. He did not get to where he is today by being careless with his money or by taking expensive chances. He got to the top by spending less than his competitors...

---

Related Forum Posts
	Would You Like to Participate in a Blog Blitz Promo Campaign
	Re: What R U Reading now?
	Blog pinging
	Business magazines
	Reality Shows
	Online Sales-Keep it Simple!
	Website suggestions
	Prime Means of Selling