When thinking about 2020 on how it crushed many goals that we had, remember that making small adjustments and moving forward is what we truly need.
Before you get all bitter and throw whatever you are using to read this post out the window please take a breath. Yes, 2020 and a pandemic were a lot to handle and most of our goals and aspirations for 2020 went out the window.
The first thing that I ask them is what is the market bearing for a sales price for what they offer. Often, I am left with a blank stare saying our price.
They may challenge our assumptions, but to help us make sure we effectively thinking through the process.
If a slogan will not cure all of our needs for marketing and sales, then what do we do?
Trust is a commodity these days that is in high demand. People need to trust others that they are working on tasks that will help the organization move forward.
Since the creation of mail advertising, tv, and the internet there has been a great focus on marketing. Now that we as a society have evolved and become smarter, the old way of marketing features and benefits has had to evolve. Just buying the biggest ad in the yellow pages will not work these days.
Trust is a highly important question that has to be answered by us for the customer. If we don’t answer that question with our actions and words lining up, then the customer will move on down the road to our competitors that offer similar products / services.
Most of the time the sales person is thinking on the fly and often falters when pressed for more details.
We need to make sure we are forming a trusting environment because speed and cost are the two variables in business that are affected by trust.
Organizations should use the same process they use to sell their products and services correctly.
The key is to really take an inventory of our relationships and see if there are any areas where we are being a little selfish.
Far too many sales people take the signed order and ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again. It’s a huge opportunity that unfortunately most sales people miss out on!
If we jump straight into selling mode after we get the customer’s name, we are failing the customer. Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the customer says something like this, “Just looking…”
I have worked with ex-navy seals, business owners, entrepreneurs, engineers, contractors, etc. The most successful people are vulnerable to those they need high levels of trust with.
What the customer does care about is how this product / service will meet “their needs”. That’s right! How does what we offer help the customer?
When I have failed to communicate expectations, or parameters to those I am about to have an experience with, things ultimately go off the rails. Someone gets upset, someone ends up sleeping on the couch, or worse someone could start building a wall between the other person that is hard to take back down.
Today, let’s talk about the second variable in building trust. It’s Reliability. How reliable are you? When you say you’ll do something will you do it? Will you do it to the best of your ability? Do you forget to do it? Will you do the right thing when no one is looking? Do you think it is that big of a deal to be reliable?
It's a BIG DEAL!!! Trust is won or lost by your actions, not just your words.
I remember when I was younger, my father telling me to always do what you say you are going to do. Do not waiver. He also stated to do the right thing if everyone is watching and when no one is watching. Don’t tell me, show me is the slogan I have heard all my life from my father.
I remember when I first met my wife’s parents. We were up at their cottage grilling steaks and I was assisting my future father-in-law. I told him that I usually every spring season the grill grates after the first steaks have been cooked by applying foil to the top of the grates and turning the heat up high while I ate and then it would bake in all the flavor.
What I didn’t know is that his grill grates on his expensive grill were actually anodized aluminum and not steel…
Did you know when you crank up the heat and use foil that reflects the heat back into the grates that are anodized aluminum, they actually can’t take that much heat and melt and then break in half? Yep, it was an awesome first experience…
I told him that I would replace them even though my future father-in-law said don’t worry about it. The next day I was on the phone with the grill manufacturer ordering the new grates. I was originally going to order just two, but they informed me that they had two different sizes in that grill…. so, I ordered a complete set. Did you know that anodized aluminum grates cost more than any grill I have ever bought? Yep that’s right almost $300 for grates.
That weekend was the most expensive steak dinner I have ever had, but by doing the right thing and doing what I said I was going to do our relationship has grown and he has put a great deal of trust in me. He knows that if I say I will do something that I will get it done.
When we interact with our teams, customers, family, or friends we need to make it a constant effort to be reliable. Without being reliable it is almost impossible to have a trusting relationship. Especially when we are first getting to know others.
Here are a few things I do to make sure I follow through:
List it and do it – As you can see from the picture of this blog, I love to utilize post-it notes for my action items. I will literally list out something I need to do and stick it to my wallet when I leave so I do not forget what I set out to do. Some people use an app, but I am low tech. A side note is that when people cross things off list they feel good and empowered. If you are someone that keeps forgetting to do things, then maybe making a list and keeping it with you as a reminder might be a good tool.
Action It – I am bombarded with requests regularly and if I set something to the side I tend to forget about it, so I make sure I do it right away if I can. CEO’s have utilized this method of acting right away of forgetting it. Emails are a way they sort through action items to either take action right away, or throw it in the recycle bin.
Delegate it – If you are unable to do something and someone else is better equipped to handle the item then delegate it. John Maxwell has endorsed this idea of delegate to elevate. My wife and I set up weekly meetings to look at things that need to be done and delegate things that each other can do. It allows us to work more efficiently, communicate effectively, and flow in our strengths.
L.A.D. are three helpful options that I we can all utilize to make sure we are reliable.
Is there a time that pops in the back of your mind where someone else has fallen short being reliable? How did it make you feel? Did you lose a little trust in that person?
I know I will fall short sometimes, but I make it my best effort to do what I say I am going to do and if I am going to come in short I communicate the situation and try to better the situation to the best of my ability. We need trust in order to keep moving forward with others. We need to focus on how we can make sure we are doing what we say we will do and apologize to anyone that we may have fallen short with.
Being reliable is essential in building trust.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
Have you ever had customers call you complaining that they are not being taken care of properly? Ever had them say this is not what they agreed to? How about this statement, “I think you need to come pick up your stuff as I no longer wish to do business with you?”
Good morning everyone!
How many times have you been nervous to hear a result? Whether it was a test result from your doctor, that first time you asked a girl out in school, or how about when you sent the price over to a prospective customer and were in the silence which seemed like forever?
Most sales people have gone through this period at least in the beginning of their careers when they get to the fourth buying decision for the customer. It’s when the customer will inform the sales person if the work put in and the price align, or if they are not sold yet. During this buying decision far too many sales people will start spouting off more benefits and features, price dropping, etc. before the customer ever provides feedback.
When we start justifying our price as soon as we send it, we immediately devalue our proposal psychologically. Now the customer has no other course, but to challenge the price. The old saying less is more applies here. When the sales person send over the price, they need to stop speaking. Just like in a negotiation, the first person that speaks loses.
Now I temper that with a statement that submitting pricing is not an us vs. them situation, because we have done all of the steps in the sales process and are trying to serve the customer. What I am saying is that when we submit the pricing, we need to not devalue our proposition to the customer. Now the discussion should be on the customer to decide how to proceed.
Maybe the customer needs a little more information because we did not answer one of their needs that is high value. That’s okay because we can address that need quickly to help them make sure this is the best product / service they are about to purchase. Maybe the customer is in the research phase of decision making. This should have been discovered early on in the first buying decision, but maybe they are trying to budget. Then it is up to us to make sure we identify the next step for them to take and how we can help the customer.
There is nothing wrong with hearing a no right after we have provided the price. This is how we adjust and understand what may be limiting the customer from making the purchase. Just like shooting a rifle from 1000 yards away from a target. Sometimes a small adjustment needs to be made to hit the target in the center. This is our opportunity to correct and address the customer’s needs and help them.
If we don’t sell the product / service right after the first time we submit a price, that is okay. Sometimes there is a better option for the customer, but if we have done a great job, the customer will tell us why we may have lost this sale, but they will tell others how we helped them if we walk with them through the five buying decisions correctly.
As a side note most sales people never go back and find out why they lost a sale. This is valuable information if that happens to adjust the sales approach going forward!
We just need to make sure we do no devalue ourselves, or our offerings while working through the sales process with them.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”