Sales & Marketing
Ask SCORE                                                                        Word Count 401

Listen to What Your Customers Want

Sometimes, selling more means saying less. If your small business is
attracting good prospects, but you keep hearing “no thanks,” it may be time to
do a little less “selling” and a little more listening.

Take time to learn as much as you can about why your customers are coming
to you. Ask questions, and listen carefully to the answers. Gather information
on past problems and find out what’s working for them, what’s not and what
they are really looking for that your business can provide. Armed with this
information, your business can offer the solutions or benefits the customer is
seeking.

Do they merely want a wrench?  Or do they need one for a very specific
purpose such as making adjustments on an Italian-made bicycle? It could be a
big difference. Your task is to help customers explore their options and select
the right action to achieve their goals. Your small business will gain customer
trust by listening, not rambling endlessly about what you offer. Results are what
customers care about the most. If you provide results, you gain their business.

Once you’ve listened attentively, you have the information you need to create
an urgency to act that is based on the client’s needs, not yours. No need to
push. Just use your knowledge to understand the customer’s own urgency.
That’s why they are talking to you in the first place.

To make more sales, you must keep the process in motion by establishing
with the prospect what action will happen next. It may be a meeting or follow-
up phone call, but it needs to be something. In the process, try to identify a
consequence the customer will suffer if they don’t buy from you.

In all cases, you need to reach the decision-maker. Others may be too
concerned with trying to “not be wrong.” Find someone who is motivated to
accelerate the buying process. Do whatever you can to raise the comfort level
of buying from you. One good way is to give them a way out with a satisfaction
guarantee.

Customer satisfaction is crucial to a small business. For more help, contact
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business." SCORE is a nonprofit
organization of more than 10,500 volunteer business counselors who provide
free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small
business owners. Go to www.scoredm.org on the web or call (515) 284-4760
between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.