Let me clarify. It’s not actually bad advice unless it’s taken the wrong way. The problem is too many salespeople do take it the wrong way! They take this platitude and go down the path of making “serving” their customers their paramount mission. Whatever the customer asks for they’ll bend over backwards to deliver. Their thinking apparently is the more responsive they are, the more the customer will appreciate them and therefore buy from them.
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with being responsive. We certainly don’t want to ignore our customers or dismiss their requests as unimportant. But too many salespeople go overboard at the expense of true selling. I call them “puppy dog” salespeople. They stay busy trying to satisfy every command issued by the customer. Set up a demo…check; provide a quote…check; respond to the RFP…check; request changes to the product or contract terms…check; advocate for a discount…check; and so on.They think “sell the way your customer wants to buy” means they should capitulate to every demand and let the customer completely control the buying process. But they are misguided in their thinking. Here’s why:
- A demand is not the same as a need. Our job as salespeople is to dig into what’s behind a demand, ask questions to uncover the true need (how about asking “why” in a professional manner?). Customers don’t always know what they need! Sometimes they need help; like identifying root causes of their issues versus presenting symptoms, preparing a case for change, navigating the buying process, and gaining consensus among an ever increasing number of decision stakeholders. [Nick Toman and Brent Adamson from CEB recently wrote a compelling article in the HBR Review about the effectiveness of a prescriptive instead of a reactive approach.] Yes, buyers have more information nowadays, but they still have trouble putting the pieces together. These are all areas where the best salespeople create value and differentiate themselves!
- They abdicate all the power to the customer. Customers often don’t know how to buy what we’re selling. They need our help, our expertise, our experience with other customers to guide them on the most effective path.
- Effective selling requires a peer to peer business relationship, not a subservient one. It starts with our mindset. And followed by how we behave. We get treated the way we act! And buyers, especially at the executive level, don’t respect subservient salespeople. They may like them, but not truly respect them. Which brings me to my next point:
- They confuse being appreciated with being respected. Respect is earned through delivering value, having an impact, not being a puppy dog.
And the biggest one of all: they are shortchanging their customers! In the interest of “serving” their customers they are doing them a disservice! Customers need help. We owe our customers more than being servants. Our customers deserve better. And if they don’t get it from us they’ll likely get it from our competitor! Our customers often don’t know how to buy the things we sell. We know better because we sell them all the time. Our customers deserve a salesperson who asks incisive questions, even suggests different ways of looking at their issues, is not afraid to challenge their thinking; someone who can guide them through the buying process: help identify impediments to reaching their business and personal objectives, assess the impact of these issues, create a case for change, align stakeholders in the decision process and take action that’s in the best interest of the customer and the salesperson. These are the things that create respect and true value, and win deals!
