What Opportunity To Improve Are You Wasting

No matter how much the world of business may change, one factor will never change: Your most valuable sources of information are your customers. They will tell you what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, and what you need to change immediately to remain competitive. Customer advisory groups may be the best consultants you’ll retain. There are some guidelines you can follow to get the most out of the group.

If customers believe they’re only doing you a favour, getting them to join will be a difficult sell. Make sure potential members understand that membership provides an opportunity to improve their business as they help you redesign yours.

Select advisory group members who are perceptive, vocal and motivated to participate. “Figurehead” members selected for their fame or position, but who won’t attend group meetings or give follow-up a high priority, will be of little value. It’s up to you to demonstrate to members that you need their advice to serve them better. Unless there’s a crisis, schedule no more than two meetings per year. Gathering more often will be seen as a chore and an unreasonable imposition.

Membership in your customer advisory group should be an honour and a privilege. You want members to feel good about service. Treat them to the best transportation, parking, refreshments, meals and meeting space. Have the CEO give them their charge and put in an appearance now and then at meetings. Write up their recommendations in prestigious company publications, and thank them publicly.

The ideas that you get from your customer advisory group will enable you to advance the fortunes of your business. Implement the ideas that will work, and tell participants why you might choose not to implement others. If you ignore their suggestions or drag your feet in applying them, you may never again have customers who are willing to serve on the advisory group.

(c) Sandler Systems Inc, 2006

Happy selling!

Regards

Sell today educate tomorrow

How often do you find yourself talking instead of listening? How often do you find yourself using the time you have to talk, telling and not asking questions?

Are you ever guilty of trying to demonstrate your own brilliance and knowledge by presenting your solution to a prospect before they’ve committed to buy from you? Have you ever invested precious time, money and resources proving to a prospect that you can help them identify their needs, give them solutions to their problems …. and then wonder why you aren’t closing enough business.

You gain credibility from the questions you ask not from the information you give. Your job in the sale is to gather information not to give it.

You’re in sales to go to the bank …. not to prove how bright, knowledgeable, educated or wonderful you are.

If you’re giving information what aren’t you doing?

You’re not gathering information. You’re doing free consulting. You’re telling the prospect what s/he wants to know …. so what reason does your prospect have for retaining your company or your services? Not much.

This lesson learned late in my career cost me over £12 million in fee income and £3.6 million in lost commission.

Rule: Prospects never argue with their own data.

Gather their data and play it back to them in the form of their pain and in my experience and the experience of my clients you’ll sell more, more often.

Happy selling!