The answer to this invaluable question will create valuable strategies, team motivation…and incredibly good sales!

Here is the question: ‘being realistic and fair, what would it take for a valued customer of your opposition to give their business to you?’ The answer must be in three parts, based on a) the prospect accepting your introduction, b) the prospect being highly motivated by your proposition, and c) the prospect agreeing to test your proposition, prior to making the switch. As I hope you can begin to see, if you can successfully answer the question in all three areas, then you will know precisely how to go about winning new customers…and more business with established customers.

Before looking at what I believe to be the correct answer, we should first of all remove the potential range of incorrect answers from consideration…

INCORRECT ANSWER A: Offer the equivalent of what they are getting now, in the hope that their current supplier has just died

INCORRECT ANSWER B: Offer what the incumbent supplier offers, but at a much lower price, so at least one party finds the deal profitable

INCORRECT ANSWER C: Offer what they get now, but also invite them to attend a weekly footy game with you…so that they can see what real competitive action looks like

Believe it or not, although inane and comical in a sense, the three incorrect ‘offerings’ listed are quite commonplace, as well as being commercially suicidal and a great disservice to both customers and the company’s sales force.

To answer the question in a serious and creative way, we should look at b) first…representing the proposition you take to market. If you were in the shoes of the customer, meaning that you would be pressed for time and responsible for generating improving results…what kind of offering would attract your interest? Surely it would have to be a proposal that promises much better business results for your company, driven by radical ideas.

The positive side of the term ‘radical’ means to go to the root of an issue and to aim for serious, positive reform. There are two ways for suppliers to create radical ideas: one is to design and test them from within the organization, and the other is to search for them externally, in the market…involving an audit of how the best customers succeed with your kind of products (see issue #164 on this topic). Either way, it is imperative to possess ideas that will create a serious and positive difference to the results most ‘needed’ by the market (as opposed to what might be ‘wanted’ by the market, such as lower prices, etc.). In issue # 209 I recommended the use of a proposition called ‘A 20’ (meaning an ‘assessment’ to determine if results can be improved by a minimum of 20%), and currently I am working with a company on a version called ‘A 30’…and without question this kind of device makes it very clear to the market that you are willing and able to make a serious difference to results.

Next, we look at c), that part of the answer that aims to provide a trial to show the prospect that you can in fact make good on your proposition promise…or evidence of what you have done for other customers. Again, if you were the client, you would not be swayed by words and promises alone, and so it is critical that you are prepared to ‘show’ what kind of improved results can be achieved…as the forerunner to a formal supply arrangement. Finally, if you are able to go to market with an excellent proposition, supported by an organised way for prospects and customers to see for themselves the benefits of what you offer…then the a) factor concerning your introduction strategy will be easier to develop. Your initial contact with prospects would make it clear that your ‘purpose’ is not to replace the incumbent supplier, but to offer a presentation that aspires to produce much better results.

Very careful thought should always precede decisive action, and so it is vital to face the question raised in this essay. The alternative is to act without due thought of what it takes to win business from a competitor…which would be very, very careless!