Understanding your client

Learn how to think “outside the Box “to increase your sales. You already know most of your clients and their business needs. But do you? Perhaps you should challenge a few perceptions. Do you think you know what they need when actually they see you in a niche, fulfilling a particular ranging requirement, when in fact there are other functions you could be performing that are being fulfilled by a competitor.

If this is B2B you probably already know most of your clients and their business needs. But do you? Do you think you know what they need when actually they see you in a niche, fulfilling a particular ranging requirement, when in fact there are other functions you could be performing that are being fulfilled by a competitor.

Perhaps you should challenge a few perceptions. Tell your client/buyer that you have carried out a re-evaluation of your range and would like to discuss their overall ranging requirements to see if you can offer a service in an additional way. You need to be careful not to relinquish the ground you already have here.

For example, maybe the buyer needs some headline, TV advertised, low margin products in their range. Low margin not from choice, but for competitive reasons. These will need to be supported by some higher margin product, and there will be middle margin product there as well.

But they don’t discuss that with you, perhaps because they envisage you as supplying a couple of basic middle margin lines, but are not aware that your company are now sourcing branded product direct from the factory and can offer a high profile TV advertised product at a good margin, in return for a commitment to buy a container load direct from the factory.

Quite possibly they have never considered your company in this light, and you did not realise they would commit to volume in return for margin.

A good way to see new opportunities is to try to get the buyer to show their ranging hand to you. Obviously they are not going to give you a free rein over their range plan but you may be able to uncover another opportunity.

If this is B2C then you probably only have one or two chances to secure the sale. But the clients should have no reason not be clear with you exactly what they want.

E.g. Our budget is X, we must have Y as a given, we would like to achieve Z.

So in the case of a kitchen, Y would be a list of appliances, Z might be design elements they would like to achieve.

So you need to find out what the client wants and tell them how you can give it to them.

This involves not making assumptions about the client. This is difficult for many sales people who are often geared up to sell what they have, without any regard for the client’s needs.

Ask the question and then stay quiet and listen to the answer. All of it. Don’t interrupt. When they stop talking ask them if there is anything else.

Think about how you can tailor your offer in response to what they are telling you. Write down the key points they make and note against them your benefits to discuss them when the client has stopped talking. Then organise your thoughts and set out your presentation, answering their points.

This will be a different approach to lots of your competitors and is refreshing for someone who wants to buy!!

Exercise

Devise a check sheet for recording client’s requirements, showing how you will deliver to meet their objectives. Bear in mind you will want to integrate this into your presentation so devise a reference as to where in your presentation you will address this point