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ShareIT presentation on Sales »
[ # ] Understand the Customer Needs
March 26th, 2007 under Sales and Marketing

Don’t talk about what you’ve got.

Don’t talk about what you do.

Listen to what the customer needs. Understand what the customer needs. Talk around and all about their needs, even if you don’t provide all of it. You might refer them to someone to resolves some of their needs while you resolve others. Be a person their seek objective advice from.

Then talk about solutions, in order of the priority to the customer.

Customers want to know that you:
1) Understand, (be passionate about understanding the real pain and problems)
2) are knowledgeable in solving their needs (you know more that your customers on the topic as you solve it for the industry)
3) Have the capacity to deliver a solution
4) Take responsibility to “Make it Happen”
5) Deliver value for money, (providing greater comfort/guarantees commands greater price)

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[ # 1674 ] Pingback from Clear Communication » ShareIT Cork - a great success [March 26, 2007, 3:36 pm]

[...] I’m not a sales person by nature, but being self employed, it’s something you do need to think about! Which is why Donagh struck a chord when he spoke about scaleable pricing and the importance of always addressing the client need. [...]

[ # 3954 ] Comment from Tomme Stevenson [June 1, 2007, 8:08 pm]

The best questions a sales person can ask is ones that make the prospect draw a conclusion. They are questions that make them think. Unfortunately for sales people, and people in general, they can’t stand silence. They ask that really great question, the prospect looks contemplatively toward the ceiling and what does the sales person do? They turn that great thought-provoking question into multiple choice or true or false. The prospect opts out, picks one of the suggestions and shuts down.

Donagh’s right. If the prospect’s not talking you’re not learning. If all you are doing is educating the prospect, they eventually won’t need you and can solve the problem themselves. Be their advisor. Most prospects don’t know all the options. But they are experts in their problems. Let them talk about what they know. You’ll have time later.

[ # 13568 ] Comment from Niall Devitt [April 30, 2008, 7:05 pm]

Getting the questioning piece right is only ever half the battle, active listening is a skill that is often more difficult to master. The clients needs are often masked in the language and tone of their answers and salespeople are so focused on getting the sale that they fail to hear buying signals. Another very prominent issue for salespeople who are not active listeners is that when they cant offer a solution to a clients problems, they continue to persevere trying to put a square peg in a round hole. If this is the case, a substantial amount of selling time can be spent with prospects that are in fact unsellable.

[ # 15395 ] Comment from Jason Price [April 1, 2009, 9:50 am]

The good questions ask that make them think. Some clients needs good language and tone of their answers and sales people are so focused on getting the sale that they fail to hear buying signals.

Jason Price

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