Are Your Customers Prescribed a Solution Prior to the Problem Being Diagnosed?
Imagine walking into your primary care physician’s office and telling the doctor, “I’m sick and need some medicine.”
She calmly reaches into her pocket, pulls out a packet of pills and says, “Take two of these and call me in the morning. That’ll be $400.00!”
Sound ridiculous? Well many sales experiences go just like that.
Customers are greeted on the showroom floor with, “Nice vehicle! We’ve got a great deal on that today! What do you say we take it for a spin?”
In both cases, the customer was prescribed a solution prior to the problem being diagnosed.
In the medical world, this behavior is considered malpractice.
Unfortunately in the sales business, it’s considered “common practice.”
The modern Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians includes the following phrases:
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.
In a similar way, salespeople should make a commitment to their customers that includes:
- The understanding that what is best for the customer may not bring the most immediate gross profit.
- The awareness that customers don’t always know which of your vehicles will best meet their needs.
- The willingness to say, “I don’t know but I can find out!”
- A caring attitude in all interactions.
Make the commitment today to conduct a proper needs analysis that puts your customer first and includes asking good questions as well as taking notes, so you can prescribe a solution that truly meets their needs.
Your customers will be glad you did!
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