Why Sales People Put Customers Last
By Richard Fouts
Even the most savvy sales people put customers in the back seat from time to time. And it's not entirely their fault. Sales training, sales literature, annual reports, web sites - you name it, eighty percent of corporate communications are designed around the company's products and services. So it's only natural that sales people will occasionally slip up and mimic what they see and hear.
They next time a prospect asks you to describe your offering, guard against the natural knee-jerk reaction to begin the sentence with the name of your company or the words, "we" and "our." Put the customer first.
Instead of:
We provide service management solutions, plus a broader array of next-generation serial console solutions to help you simplify your IT operations.
Try:
"IT managers simplify their operations with service management solutions and innovative serial console solutions we've worked hard to develop over the past five years."
When you put your product first, customers feel like your interests are more important than theirs. Or, they feel like they're being sold (something no one likes).
By starting your pitch with the prospect you'll develop empathy right out of the gate.
Even the most savvy sales people put customers in the back seat from time to time. And it's not entirely their fault. Sales training, sales literature, annual reports, web sites - you name it, eighty percent of corporate communications are designed around the company's products and services. So it's only natural that sales people will occasionally slip up and mimic what they see and hear.
They next time a prospect asks you to describe your offering, guard against the natural knee-jerk reaction to begin the sentence with the name of your company or the words, "we" and "our." Put the customer first.
Instead of:
We provide service management solutions, plus a broader array of next-generation serial console solutions to help you simplify your IT operations.
Try:
"IT managers simplify their operations with service management solutions and innovative serial console solutions we've worked hard to develop over the past five years."
When you put your product first, customers feel like your interests are more important than theirs. Or, they feel like they're being sold (something no one likes).
By starting your pitch with the prospect you'll develop empathy right out of the gate.
