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We’re All Service Providers

We’re all service providers! Even if you sell a product, all the activities surrounding the sale are services and your customers will judge you based on how you “serve” them.

What should you keep in mind when selling services?

What are you really selling?

Not what you think!

When you sell a service such as accounting, haircuts, advice, advertising and even chimney cleaning, you might think you’re selling your expertise. That’s not necessarily the case.

What you are selling is a relationship and that’s where you should consider placing the effort.

During the selling process, the potential buyer is deciding whether you have the professional skills and qualification to do the work. Sometimes that’s a hard thing to gauge. How does the potential buyer know if a lawyer’s brief is excellent, if the dog groomer knows how to groom a poodle or if a painter’s skill is the best? That’s hard to know, but if during the sale process, the potential buyer “does not like you,” regardless of your qualifications, then the sale is doomed.

Think of a first date. Are you on your best behavior? Are you charming? Are you on time and are you well dressed? Well, think of your potential buyer as a date!

You are seeking to achieve trust during the sales process. The potential buyer must trust you before hiring you for your services. You develop trust through all the interactions you have with the potential buyer. Not only your interactions but those of your employees and the other subtle and not-so-subtle touchpoints your company presents.

As an example:

• Is your marketing material professional?
• Is your sales pitch a conversation or a monologue?
• Do you return messages quickly?
• Do you keep your deadlines?
• Does your appearance lend credibility?
• Do you listen attentively?
• Do your customers speak well of you?

During the sales process you are basically dating the potential buyer. If you want a second date, you must exceed the buyer’s expectations and get them to trust you. If your effort is insincere and too many aspects not up to par, then the trust is hard to earn.

So how do you impress the buyer?

The WOW factor.

To help convince buyers to hire you:

create phenomenal impressions!

Ways to create phenomenal impressions can be simple yet effective to create the WOW factor that will make you stand apart and be liked. If your competition meets clients weekdays, consider meeting buyers on weekends, when it’s convenient to them; if others return messages at day’s end, return your messages within the hour; consider offering a free workshop to your buyer’s employees and even remember their birthday. Study each of your customer touchpoints and significantly improve each one. It’s the little things that count!

In a competitive environment, by phenomenally impressing your potential buyers you come across as a professional who is attuned to client needs, provides value and is well liked! With these strategies, you secure your reputation and grow your revenues.

How can Solutions for Growth help you?

By providing insight and ideas!
We can help you create or fine tune your customer interactions. There is a host of ideas you can use to create phenomenal impressions for your customers!

Call 914-980-0521 to schedule a meeting and start being
phenomenally impressive!

Sincerely,

David Fischer