Try this simple 10 step plan to discovering customers' needs and providing solutions that get you sales.
Selling means understanding a customer's needs and crafting a solution to meet those needs. Here's a simple 10 step process for making sure that your customer meetings move your opportunities forward:
1. Do Your Research
Never have a conversation with a customer without first using the Internet to find out about the company's basic structure, executives, customers and business model. The more you prepare the more likely you'll have a productive conversation.
2. Define Areas of Inquiry
Based upon your research, create a list of three to five "areas of inquiry"--places where you'd like to know more about the customer's business. Don't create specific scripted questions because those always end up sounding phony.
3. Get to the Point
When you first meet with the customer, make it clear that you value the customer's time by keeping the social chit-chat to a minimum. If anything, "warm up" the conversation by asking something about the customer's career.
4. Ask a Meaningful Question
As soon as possible add value by asking a question that will help the customer clarify his or her own thoughts and ideas. Don't mine for information; focus on truly understanding the customer's position. Be curious!
5. Listen Carefully and Consciously
Hear what the customer has to say, without trying to frame what you're going to say next. See the situation through the customer's frame of reference without automatically trying to create a sales opportunity.
6. Provide an Active Acknowledgment
Never interrupt. Re-describe what the customer said, in a way that confirms that you were really listening to the customer (and not your internal "gotta make a sale" dialog) and that you understand what the customer was telling you.
7. Respond Appropriately
Articulate a clear response that matches the customer's frame of reference. This builds credibility and a collaborative customer relationship, which are the core elements of a consultative sale.
8. Go Back to Step 4
Repeat Steps 4 through 7 as necessary until you've gotten through at least two of the "areas of inquiry" defined in Step 2. At the end of this process, you will better understand the customer's thoughts, ideas, and needs.
9. Obtain a Commitment
As the meeting ends, assess the state of the opportunity and decide what's the natural next step. Then ask the customer for a commitment to that next step. Example: "Sounds like we need to get our engineers talking. How does that sound to you?
10. Accept an Action Item
Never leave the "ball" in the customer's "court." Always make certain that the end result of the meeting is some action that you will take which formalizes the commitment in Step 9. Example: "I'll call my guys and email you some dates and times."
The above is expanded from conversations about the sales process with Jeffrey Seeley, CEO of the sales training firm Carew International and former sales guru Wayne Turmel, who's now one of my favorite management bloggers.
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