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Why Your Clients, Customers, and/or Patients Buy
Admit it. You wouldn't be in business if your customers did not buy from you. Whether it is a new car, a stock portfolio, medical care, or eight veneers, you are in the business of selling. You also know that some buy and some don't.
What makes a person buy? In his book Little Red Book of Selling, Jeffrey Gitomer gives several reasons as to why customers buy. I have taken the liberty to extrapolate further.
- I like my sales rep. Gitomer says this is the single most powerful element in the business of selling. Do your clients enjoy doing business with you? Are you and your team members/employees pleasant to be around? Are you friendly and positive?
- I understand what I am buying. People must gather all the information they need to understand they have a problem before they are willing to buy the solution. Remember also that some people take longer than others to understand. Be willing to wait. Do you explain what you are selling in terms the client can comprehend?
- I perceive a difference in the person and the company that I am buying from. What makes you stand out from the crowd and your competition? What do you offer that no one else does?
- I perceive a value in the product that I am purchasing. Clients want to know what's in it for them - better health, peace of mind, more energy, or better control of their diabetes when their gum disease is treated, for example.
- I believe, have confidence in, and trust my sales rep. This trio is a tried and true component of successful selling.
- I am comfortable with my sales rep. Are you easily approachable and available? Are your clients at ease with you?
- I feel that there is a fit of my needs and his/her product or service. Are you able to satisfy the needs of your clients/patients? What else, or other services, can you offer that your clients want?
- The price seems fair, but it's not necessarily the lowest. Price might be the bottom line for some people, but not everybody. Price is only one consideration in the buying process.
- I perceive that my salesperson is a valuable resource to me. You are the authority on dental health, stock portfolios, a certain product, etc so use your knowledge and care to show others how you can help them.
If you really want to know what makes YOUR customers/patients buy, then ASK them.
Pick your top 10 clients and invite them to lunch. Give them a short presentation about something of value to them. Then turn the tables around. Have several questions ready to ask them about your relationship. Ask them what their needs are, how well you are meeting them, what you can improve on, and how you can help them better. With the answers in hand, go back to your team, your managers, your employees, and get to work on fine tuning your "sales".
Not only are you selling a service and/or a product, you are also selling yourself and your employees. Where is there room for improvement?
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