There is only one problem salespeople face when times are good, and that is getting sloppy.
It is easy to be deluded by success, to believe that our success is due to our incredible ability to convince customers to do business with us. Often the truth is that the customer was flush with cash and just wanted to place the order.
For the moment, however – and perhaps longer – customers are cautious, somewhat fearful and far less willing to sign our orders. In such circumstances, what are salespeople to do? Here are 20 tough-times sales tactics:
• Keep customers and prospects informed, but don’t bombard.
• Don’t blink. There is a tendency to want to hunker down and let the storm go by. This is the time to increase your visibility, particularly since the competition will likely wait for the good times to roll.
• Offer help. What customers need more than anything else is help with innovative ideas. Be their sounding board. If you can’t be of assistance, you don’t get business. Show them you can deliver more than a product or service.
• Stay away from stupidity. In tougher times, the scam artists come out of the woodwork to prey on companies feeling the impact of a downturn. It’s easy to be drawn to such offers as “100 FREE leads” or “We’ll make you more appointments than you can handle.”
• Hang on to customers. In the summer of 2007, Sprint Nextel sent out letters canning a group of customers who called too much. While getting rid of high-maintenance customers may seem tempting, it can backfire. Wharton professors Jagmohan Raju and Z. John Zhang indicate that dumping low-value customers may actually reduce profits, while efforts to enhance their value can be counterproductive. But there are strategies to maintain contact with the low-value customer. Fidelity Investments has low-value customers wait longer for their calls to be answered, and devotes more time to high-value customers.
• Get serious about prospecting. The goal of a prospecting program is long-term growth, not instant sales. Let them know that you are serious, competent and can help them.
• Focus on value. If buyers can’t see the value, they may go elsewhere. A business owner tells of purchasing a high-end color printer and not once had the dealer made any effort to add value. “The only time they called us was when there was a 100-percent increase in the cost of supplies,” he said. Next time, “we’ll buy the printer online.”
• Keep your antennae up. Don’t ignore customer concerns and fears. Make sure your sales pitches and presentations speak to these issues.
• Show customers ways to reduce costs. Always be alert for cost-cutting solutions and be sure to let them know that this is how you’re working for them.
• Tighten your schedule. We all fall into regular routines, yet, that can work against us.
• Introduce proprietary products. There is nothing that can be more useful and beneficial than proprietary products and services. Look at your supermarket’s shelves. Name brands are being replaced by lower-cost store brands.
• Always tell the truth. While being truthful is always essential, it’s even more important in difficult times. At such times, you can demonstrate to customers your true value.
• Make every minute count. For example, never call a meeting without having an agenda. Also set time limits.
• Stop the jargon and BS. Tougher times require plain, direct talk. Stop acting as if everything is coming up roses. If you don’t, you will come across as disingenuous or a fake.
• Be patient. Acting rushed sends customers the message that you are panicked. We don’t see it as much in ourselves as we do in others – and we don’t want to be around them. Both Pottery Barn and Costco have been e-Blasting customers since the holidays, at least two and three times a week. It gives the feeling they are running scared.
• Don’t over-promise. When there are fewer or smaller orders, salespeople often have trouble resisting the temptation to over-promise just to get an order. Then, when you can’t deliver on the promise, the empty excuses only serve to undermine your credibility and the next order goes to a competitor.
• Don’t rely on the past. While Shakespeare said, “The past is prologue,” it may not be today. It’s always more comfortable to look backward than forward. How many salespeople say, for example, “I know what my customers want,” while being totally oblivious to the changing behavior, needs and wants? They are blinded by a past that may lead them down the wrong path.
In tougher times, selling is tougher than ever. To be successful, to buck the trends, we need to make use of every resource we can. •
John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing and sales consulting firm. He can be reached at j_graham@graham.com.
