Getting A Taste Of My Own Medicine-Part Two
March 1, 2005

In my last article, I recalled a conversation my son and I had about my new car. As you may remember, he took an approach that many salespeople take with their customers. Specifically, he explored my interest in a new car by telling me what he thought I needed. The result, you might recall, is that he "didn't make the sale."

If you are a sales representative, have you fallen into the trap of being wrapped up in what you think your customer wants or needs, before exploring their concerns with them during the sales call? If so, you probably have spent the majority of the call talking, as opposed to listening. Further, you probably have fallen into the trap of doing a "product dump" on the customer, which doesn't generate effective results, as a rule.

Some supplier-customer relationships may be "event" focused, built on high-pressure feature-benefit and close approaches. However, .those of us in the "relationship" business should take heed to the dangers of falling into the trap of "telling" customers what we think they need, complete with becoming living robots sputtering out product features from this brochure, or that brochure. Pick your flavor.

Let's revisit my son and the car. The last article focused on how he had assumed things that I wanted, and then told me all about the various car features that supported his assumptions. Remember how I responded? I was turned off. Reread the article and see if you are turned off, too. If so, imagine how your customer feels when you or your sales representative falls into the same, well-intentioned trap. Let's visit another approach that focuses on the customer, and understanding his concerns.

"So, Dad, the car lease is due to end soon. Have you thought about what you're going to drive with the new car you'll be getting?"
"I'm glad you brought that up. I've been thinking about it, but I'm not sure what I should get."

"What kind of concerns do you have with your current car, Dad?"

"Well, the convertible is difficult to get into, especially with passengers in the back seat. Also, it's really low to the ground."

"How does a two-door and lower profile car affect you?"

"It's really difficult for your grandmother to get into the car, and I always have to get out of the car to help people get in the backseat. That is particularly tough in the winter, and makes people very uncomfortable waiting in the rain or cold."

"You mentioned being low to the ground. What does that mean to you?"

"It causes trouble, especially when I'm behind a truck that I can't see around, or in the winter when rock salt and slush gets kicked up on the windshield. I almost crashed into a guardrail this past winter because of this."

Now, my son has done a decent job getting me to speak, hasn't he? How has he done this?

First, he has asked good questions. Second, did you notice that he hasn't mentioned anything close to a feature of a car that he might have assumed I might want, (or that he might want to drive?) Third, he is letting me discover the extent of some existing problems, which may enable me to feel a need for a solution that he might just have available. Let's see what happens next.

"So, Dad, for your next car, would you like to explore something that would give you more security, something larger per haps, and a car that has enough doors that would enable all of your passengers to get in and out on their own?"

"That would be great. I guess I need to put convertibles out of my mind. I think a sedan or maybe a SUV would do the trick. What do you suggest?"

Now, what did you observe? You should have noticed that he asked me to consider possible scenarios for my new car that made sense, based upon the concerns that I had expressed. Now, he got me to focus in, on my own, on sedans or SUV's. In this case, I am already expressing a desire for something that, son of a gun, (excuse the pun), he is probably interested in recommending, or in the case of a sales representative, selling.

The lesson is simple. Ask the customer what he thinks, and listen. Get away from the "prescribing focus," that almost always makes the customer feel as if the rep is most concerned about the rep, and not the customer.

This is much easier than it looks. Most reps just talk too much. And, we tend to want to talk about stuff important to us, such as products or services. The intent may be right, but isn't it about being effective and providing solutions that the customer ultimately purchases and benefits from? At the very least, remember how it felt when you "took the medicine" with me in the previous article, and how you felt when you "took the medicine in part two." I'll bet it tasted better!