Seller or Server?

Guest Contributor: Albert Luk
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My investment advisor left me a message last month informing me that one of my stocks had increased their dividend and wondered whether I wanted to buy more stock. I am a bit of a business news junkie and, obviously being a shareholder, I had a certain vested interest in seeking any good news out about stocks I own (and given the state of the stock market these days, good news is few and far between). But the call got me to thinking whether these types of calls are welcome. As a service provider, it may be seen as good client service but for the client it may be viewed as either a welcome call or a nuisance.

It really depends whether the client needs a seller or a server. A seller, as the name implies, is great at pitching product, exciting potentials to buying and closing the deal. Then, the seller moves to the next deal. The emphasis is more on closing than building the relationship (although both are a priority).

A server may not be great at closing a sale at first but is a very good at guiding the client through post-sales. These are typically people who make great customer service representatives or account managers.

Obviously, I am over-simplifying for ease of analysis and I do not want to suggest that sellers and servers are mutually exclusive sales personnel; a good salesperson can be both. But you have to think about who your client is and ensure you have someone who may be a better seller or server being their representatives.

Sellers tend to be better with clients who are knowledgeable about the product and know what they want to buy and are looking for the best deal on that product. They tend not to need a lot of service post sale since they are pretty knowledgeable.

Servers tend to be better with clients who have to buy the product or service out of necessity and require a lot of after-purchase service to help them get the most out of the product or service. A good example would be a small business that has to buy a server for their network and the owner-manager is not tech-savvy. In this instance, a good account manager could walk them with the technical aspects of the product and ensure their frustrations are minimized so they will upgrade with that company.

Many small businesses need servers. Owner-managers tend not to have the depth of skill-set or managerial experience around them to resolve issues in a wide variety of fields. In many respects, many owner-managers are the jacks of all trades so, outside of their competence, some require servers to give knowledge and expertise. A good server in many respects acts as their informal advisory board.

The key is assessing the need of small business owners are determining whether or not they need someone who can be more of a seller or someone who can be more of a server.