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Are you sure Dale did it this way?

You can't keep playing the same old tune with customers

by Troy Harrison

There’s a great old song by Waylon Jennings called, “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?” It starts with the line, “It’s the same old tune, fiddle and guitar. Where do we take it from here?” The theme of the song was how country music hadn’t changed for decades, and traditionalists were very resistant to the new breed of country sung by people like himself, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and the rest. Well, I don’t know if ol’ Waylon was ever a salesman. But if he was, he’d relate to the world of selling right now.

I’ve talked before in this space about how selling is changing right before our eyes. Our world has changed more in the past five years than in the previous century – and too many salespeople, trainers and company owners aren’t grabbing hold of these changes. Basically, salespeople are playing the same old tune for their customers – except that customers aren’t buying anymore. Or in many cases, they aren’t even seeing you anymore. What’s going on?

As I noted a few issues ago, technology is changing the world of sales. But that isn’t the whole story; customers expect more from us now. They’re more educated on the products and services that they buy, the companies that provide them, and even you and your professional associations and contacts, before you ever walk into their office and shake their hand. Our buyers are also more crunched for time than ever, which means they expect us to deliver more value during the time that’s allotted. Sadly, many of us aren’t doing that.

Here’s a typical industrial supply sales call: The salesperson walks in, sometimes with a sample. The customer is asked the nuts and bolts of their supply program; what bearings, fasteners, chain, etc., that they use, and if they’d like to make changes to that basic package. Then the salesperson asks the “me too” questions about outages, delivery problems, etc. The call closes out with the salesperson extolling the virtues of their supply program, maybe some features and benefits, and some talk about great service. Price is quoted, and the salesperson attempts to close.

Repeat that process for the other three to five major competitors in the market. Now imagine that you’re the customer. You’ve had a few “me too” sales calls. Is it any wonder that they choose based in large part on price? There’s a quantity of sales calls being made – but the quality hasn’t changed. And the quality is declining relative to customer expectations. So, how do we move forward? Or as Waylon said – “Where do we take it from here?” The answer is by rethinking our sales model.

Rewind the clock
Notice that the sales call starts with acceptance of the customer’s current situation. That’s not totally bad; understanding the current situation is important to improving their situation. However, we need to get to the next level. We need to start understanding how the current situation came to be. Why do they do what they do, and how did they arrive at the current program that they have?

These are questions that will give a lot of salespeople heartburn, because of the fear that the customer might “discover” that they really need a lesser program than the one they have. Don’t fall prey to this. Fear is the obstacle of all good things in sales; by asking these incisive probing questions, you can help the customer uncover needs that they might not know that they have, or you might be able to find new and different ways to improve the customer’s situation – ways that your competitors won’t if they’re stuck in the old sales model. Understand the need behind the need.

Bring Value to the Call
Before every sales call, you should ask yourself two questions: First, what do I want to get out of this call? Second, how can I improve my customer’s situation through this sales call, whether or not the customer buys? Customers demand value now not just from their dollar investment, but from their time investment with you. That means that you need to leave the customer a little better off than they were before. How? That’s up to you, and very dependent upon the customer. However, some of the ways you can do this are by bringing new ideas or best practices that you’ve seen elsewhere (without violating customer confidences), enabling referrals, finding new information about their industry, etc. Think of it as a “leave-behind” that’s more valuable than any brochure ever will be.

Throw Out the Old Tactics
For decades, sales trainers have piled new and insincere tactics upon the old insincere tactics. This meant that, for decades, selling has been something that we did to the customer instead of something we did with the customer. How do you know what to throw out? Simple.

If a sales tactic has a name, get rid of it. Named sales tactics exist for two reasons: First, to market the trainer who sells it. Second, to attempt to manipulate the customer. So, if it has a name like the Sharp Angle, the Firing Horace, the Up Front Contract, the Take Away, the Double Reverse Inward Outward Question With a Half Twist (OK, I made that last one up), stop using it. Your customers hate being treated that way.

Instead, focus on clean, simple dialogue with your customer that allows him/her to discover the real needs. By doing this, you can focus on the result that you’re generating for your customer. They’ll appreciate it, and so will your commission checks.

Troy Harrison is the author of “Sell Like You Mean It!” and the president of SalesForce Solutions, a sales training, consulting and recruiting firm. For information on booking speaking/training engagements, consulting or to sign up for his weekly E-zine, call (913) 645-3603, e-mail TroyHarrison@SalesForceSolutions.net or visit www.SalesForceSolutions.net.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2013 issue of Industrial Supply magazine. Copyright 2013, Direct Business Media.

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