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Lead’s Management
In the current market, be it affected or not by the crisis, many players from different areas, are suffering (also) due to lack of customers. We will approach this issue today, and will take into discussion the two areas to be addressed: new customers and existing customers.
New Clients Area
Despite their declarative attitude or - better said – doing nothing but declaring, the vast majority of players wants or is in perpetual search of new customers. But in fact, the biggest problem identified in the companies I have studied, remains the poor management of the existing ones (clients).
There are 3 distinctive categories under this area, hereof:
Decided customers – referred to as the A category,
Not decided customers – the B category,
The “asleep” customers – the C category (we name an "asleep client/ customer " those clients who do not necessarily need the product you sell but if you give a good product presentation this can influence and trigger the purchasing decision)
Everyone targets or aims, especially, the decided customers. But I have learned and sustained my students throughout my classes to always begin targeting the B and C customers, however, without losing sight of the category A ones.
By focusing the B and C categories you have the advantage of not directly fighting the competitors. However, this implies a more concerted effort to highlight the product qualities and its competitive advantages. Nevertheless, this effort pays off especially when you can sell more expensive than the A category, where the competition is fierce and - consequently - the margins are lower.
It is obvious that for categories B and C one needs to get involved more and the selling must be done mainly emotionally. On the other hand, emotional sales always brought higher earnings. Because you managed to stir interest in your product and to induce its acquisition only, thus your client will regard pricing just as second priority.
As long as you manage to move the focus on the product and detract the focus on price, you are the champion. You are able to sell big, with good margin and you are no longer fighting a competition “stacked” on these segments.
Existing Clients Area
Regarding the existing clients the situation should be approached totally different.
The main obstacle you're fighting is yourself and your own comfort zone, and this makes the battle more difficult.
It is not difficult to win a new customer; product sometimes helps you, some other times you get helped by chance. But it is the customer that has to be kept. And retention is emotional and should be done accordingly; the price has no influence in retaining a client because it can always appear somebody who sells under price just to get the client.
Your client must totally believe in you.
I personally have clients saying “no matter the price or the discount I get from the competition, I will buy from you”. But this comes after years of hard work and here matters less the product you are selling. It matters the most your image on the market, the relationship you have with your clients and their perception upon you, as well as the perception of your clients’ friends and closed ones – they being your clients’ opinion makers and referees.
Bottom line, a good salesman not only has to win the client but (s)he has to make her/himself pleasant to the client’s closed entourage (business area, business acquaintances, personal liaisons, etc.).
This work takes time; then, you’ll get to work exclusively on maintaining relationships and not to the sell itself, thus passing on a secondary place.
You know you have won when you get a call from the customers asking you to send them an offer, because they have your number from the “client X” recommending you as the only person who can present them the best solution for their need.
So the product itself gets a secondary place, the solution that you propose and that will be matching perfectly with the identified need becomes what matters and what you actually sell.
Should you have questions or need a more in-depth discussion on the subject and related areas, do not hesitate to get in touch: contact@leonardmazilu.ro
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