By Barry Farber
The customer is always right. We've heard that as a
basic business truth since the beginning of business. And for the
most part, it's true. But there are times when it's appropriate to
tell a particular buyer—the one who saps your strength and wastes
your time again and again—that although the customer may be right,
the relationship is wrong.
I'm not saying
get rid of every customer who is difficult to deal with. I'm
suggesting that it may be time to weed out your customer base so you
can harvest the greatest rewards. Here are some ways to do that:
1.
Know when to walk away. Persistence in
selling should add value. But if you've tried again and again to
reach a prospect who just doesn't understand your product or
service, who doesn't see its value, or with whom you can't establish
a connection, it may be time to walk away. If you're being
stubbornly persistent down a path that leads nowhere, that's
counterproductive. You want to spend your time where you're getting
results.
2.
Follow the 80/20 rule. Take stock of
your customers. Which ones give you the most business? Which give
you the most headaches? How much time are you spending with each?
Eighty percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your
customers, so focus on those customers that have the highest
potential to increase your bottom line.
3.
Ask the difficult questions. Too many
salespeople are "stuck" with problem customers because they don't
ask the hard questions. They get sucked into a long, drawn-out sales
process because they have never asked, "Is there anyone else besides
yourself who is involved in making this decision?" They spend a lot
of time with an indecisive customer because they haven't asked,
"What's our next step?" or "What do we need to do to get a decision
by the end of this month?" They're afraid of rejection and
objections. But getting an objection is often the only way to truly
understand how the customer is thinking and get the sale back on
track-or to realize that this track is not the right one for you or
your customer to follow.
4.
Measure your return on investment. How
do you know when it's time to end the relationship? First, you have
to know what your value is. You have to have the confidence and
belief in yourself and your product or service to be able to say, "I
can spend this amount of time with this customer and no more. I can
sell my product or service for this price and no less." Next, do a
thorough and honest ROI analysis. How many times have you called on
this customer without moving the sale forward? Is the time you're
putting into this account worth what you're getting back?
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5.
Leave the door open. Never lock the
door behind you when you go. There's no point in telling a customer,
"You're not worth my time." Say instead, "I appreciate the time
you've invested with me, but it doesn't look like this is a good
match for us." You might even recommend another product or service
you think is a better fit for their needs. Try to walk away on
friendly terms so that both of you have the option to call again
should the situation change.
The next time you deal with a difficult customer,
ask yourself this question: "Is the time I'm spending with this
customer taking time away from others who need me more?" If the
answer is "yes," then it's time to cut your losses and walk away. So
the next time your first thought is "The customer is always right,"
stop and ask yourself this instead: Is this customer right for me?
Top-rated sales, management and motivation
speaker Barry Farber (www.barryfarber.com)
is author of
Superstar Sales Secrets and
Diamond Power.
