In Today's Business Climate, Size Really Does Matter
As we hurtle towards Q3 (notice the urgency -- never a “gentle amble” for me) with all of the financial uncertainty that we are still destined to face on a daily basis, the organizations that are surviving - even thriving - are the ones that have demonstrated that they are willing to adapt and be prepared to change direction when market conditions dictate that they should.
Inevitably that means smaller companies are doing better, because they are not be weighed down by unnecessary bureaucracy and the “decision by committee” mentality; they don’t have to wait for corporate boardroom decisions to be taken, often miles away from the frontline; no hanging around waiting for budgets to be approved, leaving the competition to steal the lead, etc.
Compare the braking distance of a juggernaut with that of a small family saloon or the dexterity of a sperm whale with that of a dolphin – you get the picture?
I also believe that smaller companies are more capable of building stronger, sustainable relationships with their customers, and we can certainly say that 2013 is the year of “Customer Focus” – it’s what my learned colleague Colleen Francis refers to as “Love the one you are with”
But what exactly does “Customer Focus” mean?
Customer Focus Creates Competitive Advantage:
• The one term that sets top performers apart – customer focus
• Outstanding sales results depend on: – The ability to think from the customer’s point of view – Understanding the customer’s agenda, buying cycle and best interests
• Beyond a superficial reading of immediate customer needs, salespeople must gain a deeper understanding of both the buyer’s long-term goals and the overall business climate
• At the heart of customer focus is the art of listening constructively – the best salespeople are masters at capturing information
• Customer focus means taking the customer seriously – today the salesperson who clings to the product orientation of a decade ago is losing ground
• As client companies branch into new markets and unfamiliar territories, they are demanding unique, flexible solutions from their vendors – customised to support specific goals
• Another myth which can be exploded is that whilst customers value flexibility, being too flexible can undermine the sales relationship.
On the whole salespeople imagine that customers value a vendor’s responsiveness above all, however recent research shows that their primary concern is reliability.
In summary, in order to maintain customer focus the best salespeople become facilitators, creating a partnership that extends the selling relationship within the customer’s company. The motivation to achieve this should be strong – as I suggested in another post which I think you will enjoy.
The right to do business has to be continually earned and never assumed – that is certainly a message we will all need to heed in Q3 if we wish to either catch up, or consolidate our Q1 and Q2 performances.
Early indications suggest that around 50% of organizations globally are going to be behind quota at the half-year point, so if you are one of the one in two, maybe you should focus on customer focus!
