It seems that every time a company has an issue, no matter what the issue is or what department the issue is in, someone sits in a meeting and asks the same question, “IS THERE A SILVER BULLET”? And as often as this question is asked, the answer inevitably is, “THERE IS NO SILVER BULLET”!
One of the reasons that the silver bullet is rare at best is because a silver bullet will only hit one target and there are not many problems that only have one component. Most of the time the problem consists of many different issues and each issue can have several different resolutions. Therefore I guess what we need isn’t a silver bullet but a silver shot gun shell filled with silver pellets.
So if there is no silver bullet how can we as sales reps solve complex problems and resolve multi-layered issues for our prospects and customers? Again, there is no one answer or one method that will work 100% of the time. Knowing this one fact however can help you come to a positive resolution 100% of the time.
You need to know your options. Ask yourself these two questions, what can I do and when can I get it done? If you have a good idea of your capabilities and the capabilities of your company you can start to work towards a positive resolution with your customers.
There are a few things that you need to recognize. You need to understand that in almost every case the customer isn’t totally unreasonable. In most cases when a customer makes what appears to be an unreasonable request they have a reason for doing it. I once had a customer ask me if they could get the product in less than 2 hours. In most cases this sounds like an absolutely unreasonable request, however the reason the customer made it was they were having an inspection in 5 hours and needed the products so they could be ready for the inspection. In this case I knew that my company couldn’t get the product to the customer, however I knew that if I went to my warehouse and picked the product up I could have it back there in time. Is this a silver bullet? NO, it was me knowing what I could do and couldn’t do and making a decision that created a positive resolution.
On another occasion I had a customer ask to have a product bottled in a size that my company didn’t manufacture. I also knew that there was no way that we would consider it for the limited amount the customer wanted. I went to my equipment department and we put together a simple and inexpensive dispensing method that would allow the customer to make any size package they wanted. Once again, knowing what my company would and wouldn’t do, along with knowing what the issue was allowed me to be creative and resolve the customer’s problem. Was this a silver bullet? NO, it was using my resources and finding a way to satisfy the conditions set by the customer.
I have many stories where there was no resolution that worked and my only other option was to guide the customer to another company that could help them. Was this a silver bullet? NO, it was a way to help the customer and remain in the ball game for another try later.
When sales reps are looking for silver bullets they generally look first at one thing, PRICE. What a mistake, I can say without any hesitation, price is NEVER the silver bullet. Price may help you make the sale in the short term, but then price will usually be the reason the customer starts buying from someone else later. There is always someone out there that is willing to cut your price by a few cents to take a customer. Price doesn’t build loyalty, it ruins it. PLEASE don’t load your gun with price cuts thinking that they are silver bullets, you will be shooting blanks.
So with a hardy HI OH SILVER AWAY, I will wish you happy trails.
Lorin
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