How to get the advantage in the age of the customer
The days of free-spending (both by consumers and businesses) and expansion, and buyers being careless about putting things on credit at the same rate as they used to are gone. Don’t let it fool you that people aren’t spending their money. Cash flows still.
It can be challenging to sell in today’s economic climate. Entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized business owners, as well as home-based entrepreneurs face many challenges.
Customers are more intelligent, more knowledgeable, and have access to more information to assist them in making their business decisions. Customers can now search for your company and your products right from their smartphones, thanks to the advent of Blackberries and iPhones. Customers can do the same thing and choose to do business with your competition instead of you. To really differentiate your business from your competitors, you must focus on the customer.
What secrets would you like to learn about selling in the Age of the Customer?
Entrepreneur All Stars’ biggest secret to accelerating their sales is to Seek to Understand before Being Known.
Prospects don’t like to be sold but love to buy. It is essential to realize that there is one thing you can do to improve your sales process – right now – and get instant results. This is asking more questions about your customers’ needs. It is more important to convince someone to buy than to sell them. Listen to what they have to say. Understanding your customer and how it will improve their lives is key to getting them to buy from you. Learning more about your customers and what they want/need will help you to see the market’s needs. Ask them. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how your business can be adapted to their needs.
Prospects won’t care about how much you know unless they care. Customers will not do business with people who aren’t paying attention to their customers or listening to them. Your competitors are likely to care less about your customer than you.
Prospects won’t recall what you said. They will remember how you made them feel and what they felt. When you pay attention to your prospects’ needs, you can paint a picture of how your products or services will benefit them. Your chance should feel how doing business with them will change their lives. Customers care more about feelings than facts and figures. They make their decisions intuitively and then justify them logically and intellectually.
People are most likely to think of their own ideas as the best ideas. Listen to your customer and tell them what you think.
