Think of your most recent purchases. What were they?  What do you like most about them, or what made you decide to buy them?  Perhaps some of your purchases were things like gas for your car (you appreciate being able to get from point “a” to point “b”), lunch (you LOVE the taste of fresh veggie fajitas), and flip flops (great color and so comfortable).  Now let's go back- when I asked about your most recent purchases, did you consider any that were for intangible items and services?  I bet 90% of you say “no,” and the reason is that for many of these, there is nothing for you to touch, taste, smell, and see; therefore, it’s harder for you to think about these items as actual purchases since you can’t picture them, or their benefits, in your mind (you can't exactly taste or smell what good health insurance is, right?).  If you are in a company that sells services, this should give you pause. With few or no tangible characteristics to what you are selling, it is harder for you to differentiate yourselves from your competition. Your customers instead have to consider price, reliability, customer service, and performance when they decide to buy from you.

Markita Andrews, at the young age of 13, learned her selling "rules of thumb" when she became a Girl Scouts cookie selling dynamo.  She sold more than $80,000 worth of cookies during her Girl Scouts career!  What motivated Markita to become the greatest "salesgirl"?  DESIRE.  Markita learned that the Scout who sold the most cookies would win an all-expense-paid trip for two around the world.  She desperately wanted to win this trip. 

Long gone are the days of using snail mail and placing catalog orders during business transactions.  Something that used to take days upon days to reach fruition now happens in literally moments.  With nearly a billion websites available at our fingertips and >100 social networking sites to join along with the use of email, smartphones, and tablets, we are always "connected" and can make decisions rapidly.  What does this mean from a customer service standpoint?  This means that customers are demanding, have lots of choices, and are in control.  

Do you make it easy for your customers to give feedback, both good and bad?  Also, when you get the feedback do you openly accept it and respond quickly?  You should.  As John Russell, former Managing Director of Harley-Davidson Europe said, “The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing.”  The feedback that you get from your customers, and what you choose to do with it, is paramount to maintaining longevity and acquiring loyal customers in this unpredictable consumer market.  The comments you get will give you the tools you require to always meet your customers’ needs.

Yes, we are going back to the basics.  Why?  Because when you are losing races, your track coach will tell you to focus on not allowing your arms to cross the center line of your body, keep a loose grip, and more.  If you want to make countless sales, "getting back to the basics" is the surest way for you, and your team, to improve your conversions which equates to an increased bottom line.  "Sloppy selling is an unafforable luxury," says author and coach Anne Miller.  Knowing how to ask the right questions so you can effectively feature and benefit sell with a smooth, polished, and natural approach is a critical and very affordable luxury within your reach.

We all know that the easiest way to sell your products and/or services is to info spew about features.  But, this is lazy selling and gives our customer no compelling reason for reaction.  We should always take our selling to the next level; we should always first ask questions (discovery) so that we can then cater our pitch to include the benefits that are most appealing and inspiring to make our customers buy. 

It is a very competitive and fast paced consumer world. For your business to thrive, you must take the time to learn (and know) your product, competition, market trends, economic factors, and current events. Customer relationships have to be built and accounts must be qualified.

How can you qualify and build customer relationships?  First, inquiring about the customer’s key needs and objectives are questions that must be asked during the sales process. Then, by understanding the needs of the customer, your sales process and pitch can be custom designed to match his/her key needs.  What's better?  Your customer will know that his/her needs are being met when you take the time to uncover his/her wants.  This will lead to loyalty and ongoing sales, which also results in a strong relationship.