Understanding how customers think gives salespeople a big edge in closing. It’s not easy, but it can be done.

Here are four things we do know about today’s customers:

1. They are more knowledgeable. The Internet, e-mail and the economy have made them more knowledgeable about what they’re buying and how their decisions affect their organizations.

2. They are more analytical. Customers’ buying decisions are more closely linked to business strategies than ever before. In the back of their minds they are always thinking about how their purchasing decisions will impact their company’s profit and loss statements.

3. They expect salespeople to be a valuable source of knowledge. Customers want salespeople to make consistent contributions to their success — whether it be through knowledge sharing or innovative solutions to problems.

4. They look beyond immediate results. Long-term thinking is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Looking down the road is the key to future sales success. If salespeople fail to look toward the future they often fail to recognize when the marketplace changes, then they fall behind forward-thinking competitors.

Higher expectations

Customers don’t have time to become experts in what they’re purchasing, so they rely on salespeople to have the expertise. They expect salespeople to come up with solutions that will help them compete more effectively.

Here are three moves that may help you deliver the value your customers and prospects are looking for:

1. Don’t spend too much time thinking about the competition. When your eye is on the competition, it isn’t on what’s most important — the customer. Some salespeople convey the message that beating the competition is their primary goal. But keeping your eye on the customer is the No. 1 catalyst to a successful close.
2. Concentrate on what you’re going to do today, this morning, this minute, after lunch, this evening, before you go to bed, etc. Try to get up an hour earlier or work an hour later. Make “To Do Today” lists and check off items one by one. The only way to achieve success in sales is to put in the effort required to get it.
3. Get to know the prospect. Before preparing a sales presentation, do as much research as possible about the prospect and his or her business as you can. There’s no substitute for knowledge. Salespeople should ask themselves, “What can I do that’ll benefit the customer?”

Tags: closing, economy, sales presentation, Value