How would you answer the question, “How valuable are you as a salesperson to your customer?”
Think about this question in regard to each of your customers and prospects. If you’re not bringing value to them, then what is it you do?
If you say the value I bring to my customer is making it easy for them to do business with my company, congratulations! You have a job today, but you’ll be unemployed tomorrow.
Yes, service and assistance is something customers are looking for, but ask yourself if this is something the internet might be able to do just as well or maybe even better?
Years ago I would use a salesperson to help me make my airline reservations, but today the interent and the service I find there is vastly superior.
The value you MUST be bringing to your customer is by bringing them insights and support they can’t get somewhere else. This means you have to be asking questions, probing deep and helping the customer see things they otherwise are not able to see.
Becoming valuable means the customer is seeing you as a key source of information.
When was the last time you brought to a customer significant value via the questions you asked and insights you shared?
One way many salespeople do all of this is by bringing subject matter experts along with them on sales calls. I agree this is a great approach, but what is critical is that the salesperson is seen as more than a taxi cab driver bringing experts to the customer.
Taking advantage of experts is great, but never forget that it’s just as important for you to learn from the experts as it is the customer. Use the experts to bring the information and you bring the questions — with this combination, you’ll be seen as bringing value to your customer.
How valuable are you as a salesperson to your customer? It’s an important question to ponder.
Copyright 2015, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.
