5 Solutions to Selling Services
Are you having trouble selling services now? One of the things we all tend to do when selling services is to focus on the features and benefits. And often those benefits are more for us than for the customers. Instead we need to put ourselves into our customers’ shoes and focus on the benefits they need and the value those benefits add to their lives and their companies. Learn to be your customers by trying these five ideas this week on your web based help desk.!
1. Adopt your customers’ objectives – and their problems – as your own. Invest time getting the straight scoop on their key performance indicators, strategic imperatives, and top priorities. Ask yourself, “How can I help my customer achieve these objectives? How can I help my customer overcome his obstacles?” Continually look for any ideas that could have an impact.
2. Challenge your customer’s thinking. Ask provocative questions, bring fresh insights from outside the industry, offer a different perspective, and address assumptions or business directives that don’t quite make sense.
3. Frame everything from your customer’s perspective. Phone calls, meetings, presentations, and proposals are always about how you can help your customer achieve his or her objectives. Remember, your offering is simply a tool; it’s not what she wants.
4. Help customers understand and navigate the internal barriers to changes. The complexity of today’s solutions, combined with the challenge of getting internal buy-in and support, can be overwhelming for people who make these decisions once every few years. Give them guidance.
5. Use changing priorities to continually bring value. Keep up-to-date on what’s happening in your customer’s organization, and always be asking: “What ramifications does this have for his business? How can our products/services make a positive impact?” Bring your ideas to your customer.
