Adding Value to Every Sales Call

by Dave Kahle

        Are you wasting your customers’ time? Or adding value every time you call on them?

In this pressurized, multi-tasking world, where your customers are expected to produce more in less time, they may be growing less eager to meet with you than they were just a year ago.  Time is more precious today than ever before, and your customers are feeling the pressure.

Bringing Value

        In order for your customers to reliably make time to see you, they need to expect that they will gain some value for the time spent with you.  That means that, if you are going to be successful in the world of B2B sales, you’ll need to create a reputation that time spent with you is worth the investment.  If over time, you can create that idea in the minds of your customers, you’ll find them generally willing to meet with you when you call.  And in an economy where “too much to do and not enough time to do it” is the prevalent mindset, that reputation is a valuable asset.

The Starting Point

        As is always the case, it starts with thoughtfulness and preparation.  As we prepare for a sales call, we so often think about what we want to accomplish and what we want to gain out of the sales call.  Very few salespeople ever give any thought to what the customer gets out of it.  That’s the starting point.

     Here’s a little mental trick to help you: Before every sales call, when you are thinking about what you want to do, and what tools and materials you’ll need, take a moment and ask “What is the customer going to gain out of this time they spend with me?”

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Some Possible Answers:

• Good ideas to help in the business or in their job
• Ways to help them gain more business
• Ways to distinguish themself from others
• Ideas about how to reduce costs
• Good things to think about
• Help resolve a conflict
• Help simplify something
• Help solve a problem
• Help them move closer to some objective
• Make them feel better about themself or their business
• They spent time with your charming and entertaining personality (#11)

       The answer probably lies somewhere within the top ten items on that list.  If you can’t name anything that the customer will gain, then you can safely assume that the time the customer spends with you in that sales call will be a waste of his time.  Your relationship may be able to withstand one or two of those, but in the long-term, wasted time will destroy a business relationship.

Value for Every Customer, Every Time

        If you are going to bring value to every customer, every time, then you’ll need to spend more time preparing to do so.  That brings us to two simple rules to add value to every sales call:

1. Present something, every time.
2. Ask something, every time.

        Present something, every time, means exactly that. You should, in every sales call, with every customer and prospect, have something to talk about, to educate him on, which may be of value to him. You can, for example, have an idea that you share.  Maybe an idea that will help them:

• Cut costs
• Increase revenues
• Save time
• Do something... READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE