“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around.”
Steve Jobs
Quite often, we hear, toss around and intermix the word 'customer' and 'client',” but what exactly does it mean? When it comes to the experience they receive the same can be said.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a customer is someone who buys goods or services from a store or business. The word client can also mean customer but it has a separate definition as someone who receives professional services.
In a business context, the two terms are often applied differently based on the types of relationships built. Customers are generally people who come to you mainly to buy products or services you supply. Clients buy your advice and solutions personalized to their particular needs.
When it comes to the experience they receive this can include a lot of elements, but it boils down to perception. It's the perception your clients have of your sales reps, your company and the services they receive that determines sales fate.
"Is your sales team building a customer experience or are they building an outstanding client experience?"
ARE YOUR SALES REPS CREATING A FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE?
My co-host on the Selling From The Heart Podcast, Darrell Amy; recently wrote a fantastic blog titled, First Class is a Seat, Not an Experience and this got me thinking... are your sales people going the extra mile to create a first class experience for your clients?
How many sales reps are providing the hot towel and bottle of wine experience with their clients?
To grow and prosper, your sales people must pursue new business which often means taking advantage of competitors’ complacency or mistakes in providing an enhanced experience to their customers.
In an ever-changing competitive landscape, sales leaders must look for smart answers to an extremely urgent question: How can your sales team protect your customer base from erosion as competition intensifies?
It doesn't matter what you sell, as we all know fierce competition exists. Your products are similar, your service is similar and quite frankly what your sales reps spew out of their mouths is similar.
Here's the deal... all of your sales reps have a first class seat and so does the competition. The question becomes...
What are your sales reps going to bring to the seat?
ARE YOUR SALES REPS PROVIDING THE WHITE GLOVE EXPERIENCE?
Stop imitating and start innovating! When it comes to delivering an outstanding client experience, far too many sales reps are content and complacent.
According to the Forrester analysis published in the Harvard Business Review years ago:
“13% of companies said that they’ll settle for nothing less than having the best customer experience across every industry — in other words, these companies want to be the next Apple, Disney, or Zappos.”
This leaves a whopping 87 percent of companies who will settle for less than the best when it comes to their customer experience!
How many of your sales reps talk about the outstanding level of service they will provide but ride off into the sunset once they get their commission check?
Where's the white glove experience?
YOUR SALES REPS ARE THE EXPERIENCE
It doesn't take a lot for your sales reps to go the extra mile. They just have to show they care! This is the core foundation of what it means to sell from the heart (look out for my upcoming book, Selling From The Heart). It's about bringing the human approach to sales, making it about your clients and what’s important to them!
Your clients are willing to pay for the experience. Go no further than Starbucks! What's the difference between a cup of coffee from Starbucks and that of a competitor? Simple, the experience.
What are your sales reps bringing to the business table to differentiate them from the competition?
Attention to all sales leaders... Your sales reps are the experience!
We all want to maximize profit as sales professionals. How do you do this when most in sales walk, talk and act the same?
To the sales leaders out there, if you want your sales team to maximize profit then they must be prepared to provide the white glove experience.
In providing the first class, hot towel treatment; I guarantee the following will happen:
- An increase in profit margins
- An increase in loyalty
- An increase in more referrals
MY CHALLENGE TO ALL SALES LEADERS
What is the one special and unique thing that each one of your sales reps can provide to their clients? I urge you to uncover what it is because this is what will differentiate them from the competition.
Start getting your clients talking about the experiences they have with your sales people.
"Providing an outstanding client experience should be a pleasure not a headache"
Lastly, have your sales reps bring something amazing to the business table. It's them that is the difference. It's not your products, your service or your company; it's your sales people!
I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and modern strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value befor visibility.
I'm writing a book. The title is Selling From the Heart! I'm pouring my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it.Enter your email address here in this hyperlink and you'll be updated as the book is released. You'll also become part of our launch team. As a thank you, I'll have some special bonuses waiting for you!
You can find more advanced training material inside the Social Sales Academy website as well as Selling From The Heart.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Social Sales Academy and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
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