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Tom Reilly Training Home of Value-Added Selling and Coaching for Sales Success |
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Tough Times Selling By Tom Reilly ©Copyright 2001 Your customer is inundated with bad news. They are surrounded by the bad news bears. You may be the only sunshine they see today. I met a salesperson who was long in the tooth, and he said to me, "If the sun is not shining, I better be." This was his way of saying that he needed to bring sunshine to the customer. If every salesperson who calls on the buyer is negative and you're positive, whom do you think the customer will want to see? You must be a hope merchant. Spread your message of hope far and wide. Customers are eager to buy it. Inform the customer about your company's plans for growth in the future—your investments in technology that will have a positive impact on their business. Share your knowledge of the future of the industry in a positive way. Tell the customer how other companies are using slow times to lay the ground work for expansion, once tough times are over. Offer cost containment and profit enhancement ideas. Profit enhancement is a different mindset than cost cutting. Cost cutting means doing less of something; profit enhancement could imply doing more of something that will boost the bottom line. Sell your customer on the concept of profit enhancement, especially if they must invest money in your product to achieve their profit goals. Keep your tone positive and your message optimistic. The customer may depend on you for a desperately needed shot in the arm. If you pack some hope in your briefcase and share it freely with others, you may discover the buyer wants you to come around more often in tough times. The temptation to cut your price in tough times is great. If you cut your price, how will you get your prices up when the tough times are over? Stay on message. Stay the course. You have been successful with your value added all along. Now is not the time to change your message. Your value doesn't diminish in tough times. Why should your price go down? Your value added may be more important to the customer in tough times because they need maximum value for their money. If you need a shot in the arm, go back and review your list of value added to remind yourself of why your company is strong. Talk to existing customers who appreciate everything you do. It's great spiritual fuel. They may offer a hint why other companies should focus on your value, not the price. Focus on delivering more than you promise. This is essential for customer satisfaction. In tough times, you cannot afford dissatisfied customers. You can't afford dissatisfied customers in good times, for that matter. By focusing on delivering more than you promise, you are putting the customer first. It reinforces their decision to buy. They feel better about the money they spend with you. Reassure buyers in tough times. Rely on your guarantees of complete satisfaction. You are guaranteeing their money's worth. Buyers want to feel that they make good decisions. Delivering more than you promise reinforces this buying decision. Exceeding their expectations builds customer satisfaction. Author byline: Tom Reilly is a professional speaker and the author of twelve books. This article is an excerpt from his book, How to Sell and Manage in Tough Times and Tough Markets, Motivation Press, ISBN: 0-944448-22-4, $14.95. You may contact Tom at 636-537-3360 or visit his website: www.TomReillyTraining.com
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