people matters
| david esler
Customers...
Why do they buy?
•
kaizen executive
•
Who can put hand on heart and answer this question...why do customers
buy from you? Having now asked this question of over 300 sales
professionals across the building and construction / fenestration sector,
what do you think the most common answer is? For those of you who
attended my breakout session at the AWA conference in Canberra, you
either already know or you were not paying attention! Come on, have a
guess before you read on.
The number one answer is; yes, you guessed it, price. Now when a sales professional provides me with this
earth shattering answer I say to them...let’s forget price for today, what do you think happens now? They
start to go a bit pale, look a little confused and then after a few minutes continue to stare back at me as
if to say ‘what you talkin’ about mister!’. It’s amazing. Just try this at your next sales meeting or the next
time you are out in the field with one of your sales staff; or if you are a sales professional, think about what I
have just said and read on...
Let me ask you these four questions...
David Esler is the
Principal of Kaizen
Executive. Contact
David on 0420
905 580 or visit his
website at www.
kaizenexec.com.au
1. Why should a customer buy from you?
2. Do you know the real reasons?
3. Why are you different to others?
4. Do you tell your customers these things?
Now again, hand on heart... (this is a real honesty session today) answer these four questions. Take 5 - 10
minutes now and write down your answers. How many of you have written about the unique value that
your business has to offer, that extra service that you provide, the real benefit that your customer will get
from purchasing your products and/or services, and why these points of difference add so much value.
How many of you are still looking at a blank piece of paper and starting to look for a headache tablet?
I can see you saying to yourself, ‘what is it about this guy? Why is he always challenging me to think
differently?’ Because this is where the real sales professional enters the room and where you will really start
converting sales and making profit. This is all about your VALUE PROPOSITION. The most successful sales
people know the answers to these questions intimately and can articulate them exceptionally well. So,
let’s take a look at a mathmatic equation that makes profit: VALUE = BENEFIT - COSTS
Put simply, your perceived value must outweigh your perceived cost in the eye of the beholder, your
customer. More often than not, your customer is just waiting to be told about and understand all the
benefits that you can deliver and yet too many of our sales professionals head off down the path of cost
and miss the opportunity! So let’s have a look at them both.
16 Australian Window Association Summer 2013