Is Your Customer Clueless?

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  may0808/14/07 Report as spam
  1

  Inform and Sell

  At the end of the day a salesperson's job is to sell. However, the reputation of your company is always at stake which should oversee the quality and ethical nature of the sale. I say "should" cautiously.
  
  I have been at companies where "making the number" is all that matters. That number of course is the forecast. If that is the nature of the company then #1 - bite your tongue is probably what they expect.
  
  If you have ethics however, #2 is what I would imagine is the proper avenue. Inform them of the shortcomings elsewhere in the organization that will detract from the benefit this product/service will provide. Then - if they are so determined to buy, and your boss is so determined you sell - sell.
  
  However, there is another high road here. Do not sell and walk away. If you help them through the implementation of the product or service and guide them to improvements that are tangential to the sale, thus provided added value, you could get a referencable account where you can claim honestly to have improved their business.
  
  If you sell and walk away - even though the customer is happy - you will know the truth that you made money on their cluelessness, rather than helping them become less clueless.
  
  Although not easy, this is vastly more rewarding to any honest salesperson then simply taking the cash and walking. And if in the end they still do not listen you will have given it a college try and be able to sleep at night knowing they have the information they need to succeed - they simply ignored it at their peril.

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  mcontois@...08/15/07 Report as spam
  2

  Work for a company with the same values

  This might be a case of where the salesperson should make sure they are selling for the right company for him or her.
  
  I am not in sales. I could be in sales but I do not have the heart for it. I would walk away because I have very strong ethics.
  I could not compromise them for anyone. I have to live with myself.

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  griff@...08/14/07 Report as spam
  3

  Response to "Is Your Customer Clueless?"

  It's the wrong question! If you are a customer-centric sales representative, your job is to discover both needs that are known and needs that are latent (often unknown as yet)and offer SOLUTIONS to meet those needs. The story paints a picture of totally "clueless" customers: that, in my experience is far-fetched; notwithstanding, it is possible that you will find a human, in a position of buying influence, who is clueless about the value you deliver. Educate. Motivate. Inspire. But remember, the "buying center" in the B2B market is made-up of more than one person. Value-based selling is first an exploration and than an offer of something of value to meet the needs.

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  mcontois@...08/15/07 Report as spam
  4

  You are Right

  Great post. Thank you. It seems that most successful companies are customer centric. I think that's the most important role of the salesperson is to be informative and an educator as well as a problem solver.

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  Matthew-Nelson@...08/16/07 Report as spam
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  Sales = Life Changers

  Absolutely! Great post to this question. As the senior sales manager to a outbound sales staff of 80+ sales reps my message is simple. Your job as a sales person is to solve a "problem" by providing the right solution to the right customer at the right time. We want to build customers for life - customers that come back, that tell their friends and collegues what an incredible experience they had with you and how THEY need to call you so you can change THEIR life in the same way. No matter what your product is, that should be the message. We as sales people can (and should) be thought of as highly respected individuals, not as "dark alley" strangers with our eyes buring in to our customers' savings accounts.

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  ollyl@...08/14/07 Report as spam
  6

  Is the customer totally clueless?

  What an interesting question. As to which is worse, it depends on the situation. What I teach is for the sales consultant consider the ethics of the situation. I guarantee you that if a consultant deliberately closes a deal that is not of benefit to the client they will not last long in that job.
  
  One of the main reasons there are so many ex sales people is that so many feel they have to 'do the wrong thing" to achieve results. As all people, deep down, want to do the right thing they will find a way to fail.
  
  THe absolute worst thing you can do to a prospect is to sell him the wrong solution to his problem. It is better to walk away, telling the prospect the reasons why.
  
  Maintain your integrity and you expand your career.
  
  Ollie Lind

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  mcontois@...08/15/07 Report as spam
  7

  Excellent

  I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think the best salespeople would agree.

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  cjsamuels08/25/07 Report as spam
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  There isn't much choice: customer first !

  2. Recommend the necessary changes. If you take the high road and explain exactly what needs to change before your product can be used safely, you might actually help the customer.
  
  Get the point. We are supposed to help the customer. If the sale takes place, so much the better.