Customers said the reason for the higher grades was the higher level of contact and faster response by local salespeople. They can respond to a complaint or a need for service personally and timely.

Whether you’re next door to your customer or on the other side of the world, you can’t respond in an effective, timely manner unless you’re prepared. A poorly framed response may be more frustrating to your customers than no response at all.

The components of preparation

There are five main components of preparation related to customer response:

1. Anticipating request scenarios. The best salespeople use scenario planning to identify specific customer issues they may be called on to resolve. By tracking the most frequent requests, they may be able to compete favorably with a local salesperson.
2. Preparing for the unexpected. Customer requests for action may come out of the blue, such as unique information needs and problems. Unexpected customer requests are inevitable and can’t be foreseen. Preparation for the expected may enhance your readiness for the unexpected.
3. Giving access to resources. The speed of response is impacted by the availability of the resource required to fulfill the customer’s request. It’s a good idea to create lists of resources needed to fulfill the most frequent customer requests. By having the resources they need at hand, salespeople won’t keep customers waiting for information or problem resolution.
4. Offering a game plan. One of the most common and frustrating customer experiences is calling with a service issue or request and being handed off to one unprepared employee after another. This process requires the customer to retell the entire story at every stop. Top salespeople take over the management of the customer’s request and communicate an action plan on the first response. They have a plan in place to respond to the customer. When they’re receiving the customer’s call directly or responding with information, they have a series of action plans at hand from which to choose. Whatever response is required, the best salespeople are ready to get involved as soon as they accept their customers’  calls.
5. Being personally accessible. Whether you’re local or managing a large territory, accessibility is the key when a customer has a problem. Top salespeople reach out to make physical and emotional connections when problems arise. They are constantly looking for customer feedback so they can improve their accessibility and response time. They communicate this information back to their companies where it can be used to streamline customer’s processes, improve products and services and prevent future problems.

Adapted from Achieve Sales Excellence by Howard Stevens and Theodore Kinni (Platinum Press, Avon, MA). Howard Stevens is chairman of the HR Chally Group, a leading sales development firm. Theodore Kinni is a business author and journalist.

The survey also found that  payments online, either via ACH payments,  credit cards or direct from banking sites appeals to consumers “green” consciousness about helping the environment.

As might be expected, consumers ages 55 to 64 are farthest behind in making the switch to online payments.  But twice as many 25- to 34- year olds have adopted paperless bill payment

According to PayItGreen, if only 20% of American households switched from paper to electronic bills, statements, and payments, nearly 2 million trees, 151 million pounds of paper, and more than 100 million gallons of gas would be saved every year.

Mobile phone (49%), student loan (49%) and Internet (44%) bills are those most commonly received electronically only.

Utility companies lag behind other industries in electronic billing adoption.  For example, electricity (33%), gas (32%), and water (24%) were some of the lowest percentages of online bill pay.

You haven’t differentiated your product or service from the competition.

Price is seldom the dominant factor in buying decisions. Customers are far happier when they buy value — the combination of quality, service and price — than when they buy on price alone.

Here are two key rules about price objections:

1. Selling is not about giving the lowest price — it’s about offering the best value. The subjective nature of value makes it difficult for you to quantify and measure. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Price competition can be a fool’s game. How many times have you agreed to a low price because a price-cutter was undermining you? If you lose the order, you’re angry because you’ve been undercut. If you win, your profit margin may be too low or even cost your company money.

Responding to price objections

Being responsive to price objections isn’t the same as agreeing. Here are some helpful tips:

• Understand the value you offer to customers. You can’t believe in your pricing until you believe in the value of your products or services.
• Build selling confidence. The best pricing strategy fails unless you have confidence in the selling process and an ability to defend it. Confidence comes from knowing the value of your products or services.
• Remember who you are. Customers buy results. An important goal for you is to identify where and how your products or services are better than the competition’s.

Creating value

When creating value, you have three main tools — claims, features and benefits. Combined they create an extremely effective approach to selling value. Here’s how:

• Claims are subjective. They’re most useful for generating interest because they reflect the salesperson’s enthusiasm
• Features describe a product or service. They are factual, objective and specific.
• Benefits are perceived advantages to the customer. Benefits include savings of time and money, and increased profits and productivity.

Training tip: Ask your salespeople to pick one of your products or services and describe it using a combination of claims, features and benefits. Work their comments into a presentation and subject each person to the following four-step presentation test.

1. Have you set call objectives and prepared clear examples of value?
2. Are you using value to differentiate your offer from the competition’s?
3. Are you using claims, features and benefits in the best possible way?
4. What added value can you bring to follow-ups with customers?

Defining value

The best value-added salespeople define value in the customer’s terms. They understand that value is a moving target: It’s anything a particular customer wants it to be.

The goal: Uncover the prospect’s needs, analyze the costs associated with those needs and translate features of the product into what it’ll do for the prospect.

Adapted from “The New Science of Selling and Persuasion,” by William T. Brooks

But it’s even worse when the customer walks because of a conversation that had nothing to do with business.

It’s easy to hit a sensitive area while attempting to have a friendly conversation with a customer. And that’s why experienced salespeople will always steer clear of certain topics.

Share this list of topic landmines with your newer recruits.

1. Personal problems. Conversations about personal problems can too easily be interpreted as manipulation to gain sympathy. They usually make the customer uncomfortable. It works the other way, too. If a customer is going through a difficult personal problem, it’s usually not a good idea to bring it up until he or she does. Sympathizing with a customer who’s being downsized or replaced can backfire if comments get back to management.
2. Politics. Unless it relates specifically to what you’re selling, customers probably have little interest in your world view. It’s a high-risk topic that can easily become emotional. The best advice is not to be drawn into political debates, either at the national or state level. Few customers are going to buy because you have similar political views, and many will cut you off quickly if they feel uncomfortable with your politics.
3. Other people. Complaining about your boss or your wife in front of customers is unprofessional. Gossiping about competitors will also do you no favors.

What other topics would you recommend salespeople avoid? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

1. Plan ahead. Know ahead of time when you’re going to transition the conversation from small talk to business. Try not to wait too long to get to the real reason for the meeting.
2. Ask the customer to recommend a restaurant. Buyers feel more comfortable in places they are familiar with. But be prepared with the names of a few good restaurants in case the customer doesn’t want to make a recommendation.
3. It’s smart to meet at the customer’s office and drive him or her to the restaurant. It reduces the possibility of delays or cancellations.
4. Look for signals that the customer wants the meeting to wrap up. Lunches usually last from 60 to 90 minutes. Dinner meetings may last longer, but look for timing cues from your customer. You don’t want to overstay your welcome — or start to make the customer feel uncomfortable.
5. Before the meeting is over, recap what was discussed. It’s a good idea to schedule your next meeting at this time.

Tell us in the Comments Box below what works for you when it comes to meeting with buyers over meals.

Here are five ways your salespeople can take the sting out of complaints and keep customers buying:

1. Listen to the entire complaint before you say anything. For some customers, being given the opportunity to voice the complaint is the first step to a satisfactory solution. Even if you know the resolution immediately, let the customer finish before you say anything. The more you allow customers to complain, the more you will learn what is really bothering them.
2. Stay out of an argument. Many complaints are based on misinformation or problems created by the customer. Pointing out customer mistakes early in the process is not going to lead to a quick solution.
3. Avoid making excuses. If the complaint is valid, admit it, without trying to shift the blame. To the customer, you are the company, so pointing the finger at Shipping, Billing, etc., isn’t going to do anything — except maybe cost you a customer. It’s better to forget the alibis and assure the customer that you’ll take steps to make sure the mistake doesn’t happen again.
4. Set a timeline for a solution. The longer complaints remain unresolved, the more serious they become. Investigate immediately and get all the facts before you talk with the customer again. Minor complaints can develop into serious problems if they’re ignored.
5. Provide an explanation. No matter how obvious the solution is, remember that customers expect an explanation. They look for a report of the facts and circumstances, as well as proposed solutions.

Source: Herbert Brown, Sales Manager, Wayne Distributing, Cranston, RI

Whenever a new decision-maker comes on the scene, inform your managers immediately so they can give the account extra attention during the transition period.

Your major challenge may be to overcome the new buyer’s relationship with a competitor. It’s important to show the new buyer how successful the relationship has been and prove that it shouldn’t change.

Information like delivery statistics, cost reductions and testimonials from the former buyer and other customers may encourage the buyer to stick with you.

Here are three critical points to share with your salespeople:

• Find the new hot buttons. Since you’re dealing with a different decision-maker, his or her hot buttons may be different also. Mention the priorities of the predecessor but prepare to be flexible. What one buyer considers essential may be secondary to another. Listen closely and respond accordingly.
• Focus on service. Treat the new buyer the same way you would treat a new customer. Focus on follow-through and clear communication. New decision-makers need a lot more attention that regular customers.
• Satisfaction is still the key. The key to retaining customers when decision-makers change is satisfaction. Find out what they want and give it to them. Your job is to pinpoint these benefits and focus your selling efforts on them.