Are We Selling or Letting Them Buy?

by Mark Hunter 
 

Stop and ask yourself this question, “Are you selling to your customers or are they choosing to buy from you?”  This question applies to those selling business to business or business to consumer in the manufactured housing and modular home spaces.
 

Let’s put all the theory aside and look at what is happening in today’s marketplace.   The customer is more informed than ever. We’ve never before been at a point in time where the customer has so much information.

Twenty years ago, my sales manager told me how the salesperson was now the weaker species and the customer was the ruler of the jungle.  I don’t think he had a clue as to how spot-on his comment would be today.

The internet and the availability of information have more than tilted the level of the playing field in favor of the customer.   This does not, however, mean the customer is in complete control.

Yes, the customer might have far more information than ever before, but all that means is we have to help them understand whether it is the right information they need.  It’s at this point that I believe we in sales have moved from selling to our customers to now being the ones who help our customers buy.

A key part of our job is helping the customer sort through all of the information they’ve gathered prior to meeting with us. Compounding our challenge is we don’t necessarily have access to the same information they have.   Yes, today’s customer is using the internet to gain much of their information.  But, many times the internet sites they’re visiting are discussion board sites for members only or dare I say, social media sites.  What this means is the information they could be taking as fact is really nothing more than somebody’s opinion.

We have to sharpen our questioning and listening skills to allow us to go deeper into discussions with customers earlier in the sales process.

We need to be able to verify quickly what their level of knowledge is. If it’s not accurate, we need to carefully guide them in a different direction.   

When we encounter a customer who has done a lot of research, we need to work with them and help them use what they already know.  The worst mistake we can make is belittling them for the work they’ve done.  Keep your ego in check so that you do not inadvertently chastise them for something they want to believe.   Certainly we don’t want to run the risk of alienating them and eliminating any chance of closing a sale.  

Because the customer has many times done extensive research prior to talking to you, we need to help the customer take what they see as features and begin to view them as benefits that compel them to buy.

The benefits of what you offer will likely match nicely with the features the customer has already discovered in their research.

As a salesperson, you no longer need to be intimidated or annoyed by the knowledge the customer brings to the table when they are ready to talk with you.  You can build upon this knowledge so that the customer will transition nicely from “researcher” to “buyer.” # #