Do you really understand your customers? Are you interested enough to find out their concerns and problems? If so do you know how to interpret what they mean?

A lesson I learned a number of years back is the danger of making assumptions. If a customer or prospect says “I am thinking of buying that new product or service you have”; is that different from them saying “I am going to buy that new product or service”?

Neil Rackham of Huthwaite Research claims there is a huge difference and he explains this in detail throughout his now famous books on making major sales.

One response is “implied” and the other is “explicit”

The skillful seller will understand this and develop those implied needs into explicit needs by asking more questions. The art of asking questions is something that requires a lot of practice and so does understanding the answers.

The last product launch I went to was for company releasing a vast amount of new consumer products for the retail sector.

This product release had many visitors from the USA Canada and in fact other countries. They were made up of distributors or sales representatives specializing in the consumer electronic industry.

It was most interesting observing the behaviour of the most successful of these people.

As I circulated the group, I found most of the sales stars were together discussing the new products and just how these were going to solve their customer’s problems.

One salesman pointed out that he had a customer requiring a specific niche product that could now be delivered by this organization. This new product finally solved a long term problem where a nearby competitor always secured this area of business.

“Not only do I now have a similar and superior looking product to offer; I now have a product that is less expensive and better quality than the competitor stocks along the road.” said the salesman.

Another indicated a similar situation where these new products finally offered solutions that a large percentage of his retailers were asking for.

The really interesting point though was the new and less experienced salespeople attending this launch. These people were also discussing the new products but their reactions were different.

Customers and problems were not part of their discussion. It was all about price, and where do these fit into the current market. How do they line up against our competitors? Can we offer a worthwhile warranty service etc?

It was obvious to me these people were far more focused on the product rather than the solutions they provided for the customer. In the world of making larger sales the only way to ensure success is to focus on the customer.

Easier said than done!