Professional selling must start with the assumption that the salesperson will always put their customer’s best interests first. As a professional, we are all responsible and obligated to identify customer needs. Otherwise, they don’t need us.
Our entire reason for being is to help our customer find solutions that meet their needs and wants; and, then help them to make an informed, intelligent decision.
Help Them Identify Their Needs
We have to ask the right questions in order to help them identify their needs and help us understand their wants and needs. We need to establish a sense of trust so that they open up and share information that will help us assess their needs. Then, we have to do some mental gymnastics to process what they are saying and align it against our understanding of our product or service to see if it fits perfectly. If it does, we should communicate that finding in plain language, painting a picture of how our solution will satisfy their needs. And when the time is right, our job is to make it easy for them to make a decision.
There is a process and unfortunately, we see that many salespeople hesitate to take their customer to that final step in the sales process.
The Importance of Taking the Time to Understand
If we are too focused on what we have to offer, then we’re not investing enough time and energy understanding their needs. We are actually doing the prospect and ourselves a disservice. It’s important to forget about ourselves and focus on the prospect.
There’s a reason that really good salespeople get paid well. They aren’t just a brochure spouting facts. They are expert communicators and they are good at making it easy for their customers to decide. In this superfast world with too much information, but not enough customized advice, customers are looking for help. They want someone to say, “Based on what you’ve told me about your situation, here is what I recommend. And just so you are aware, here’s the down side should you delay moving forward.”
Because we take the time to identify customer needs, we are then in a position to clearly articulate the pros and cons of what we offer. They often want to buy. But they need our help.