Chapter 3 - Sell on the End Result
The author uses cooking as an analogy for selling: you want a good result, but you can only get there by becoming skilled at the process that leads to that result. This means that:
- You don't get a sale simply by wanting a sale - you have to work to make it happen, and the process is laborious and messy
- If you take shortcuts in the process, the end result is likely to be failure or mediocrity. Sloppy work can result in success, but only by accident.
- Unless you have a vision of what you want to achieve, doing random things well is also a plan for failure
The author then explains this analogy in literal terms for the reader who doesn't get it and then muddles it with a few other metaphors (a journey to a destination, the "GIGO" principle of computing).
He does, ultimately, move on to his next point, which is that service selling is more difficult because there is no physical product delivered to the client. So even after the service has been rendered, they may not appreciate the final result. (EN: The same can be said of products - and it's a bit worse because they physical artifact is a distraction from the real goal. A customer who is handed a bottle of pills recognizes you have done something, but does not appreciate the value until the pain goes away. The bottle of pills is a physical object and misdirects attention, temporarily, from the goal the customer was seeking to achieve and they will definitely recognize that, if the pills don't work, they have been scammed.)
Ingredients of Effective Sales Calls
The author recommends first selling the benefit - qualities and features are merely means to an end, and until the prospect sees the end, he will have a so-what attitude. Back to the cooking analogy, the author suggests "that's why cookbooks have all those glossy pictures of food," that is., to help someone visualize the end result so they are willing to go through the process.
Some random tips follow of things to do after the benefit has been established:
- Outline the process - Don't just describe the benefit and expect them to guess how it will be achieved. Give the prospect a series of steps from the present to the future.
- Explain the logic - Chances are some of the steps will not make sense to the prospect an you will need to explain how they are necessary and how they work to achieve the goal
- Eliminate externalities - There are many facts about your product, but anything that is not related to the benefit is not of interest and may be confusing or distracting.
- Include quality checkpoints - The steps to success should include checkpoints on the way to enable the prospect to ensure things are going well. You (or another representative of your company) may need to step in and help to monitor this process.
- Set benchmarks - For the client to know you have given them something of value, there must be metrics that will prove it. Knowing them in advance increases confidence, and seeing them achieved increases satisfaction.
(EN: The last two steps seem like great ideas, but are toothless unless you can also describe what can be done if things fail to go as planned and goals are not achieved. A money-back guarantee is a strong assurance that the customer's risk will be mitigated if the promise is not kept.)
Showcasing the Completed Contract
Back to the cooking analogy, the author likens the contract to showing dinner guests the dish they are about to be served. (EN: I think he's a little off here - it's not so much the finished dish as it is the menu. Especially in services, but even in goods, there is nothing to be seen when the contract is signed, and it won't be anywhere near the dining table until later on.)
The contract presentation is an important and anxious moment for sales and the client alike because it is a commitment to enter into the transaction. It is not the end of the transaction, because neither party has "acted" yet - you must provide the service and they must render payment.
It's a very important ritual - and a chance for your to help reaffirm their decision to buy. It is also a significant opportunity to lose the sale when the contract terms describe something that had not been previously discussed.
The author jumps ahead of the moment to talk about expectations: getting repeat business means that your service after signing the contract is consistent with your service before signing it, and this remains true for the duration of the contract. The "honeymoon" effect is all to familiar to customers, who have experience with service providers that are highly attentive for a limited amount of time, and then get sloppy and inattentive. (EN: Another point of precision is that the customer more often assess value after service is rendered. They are impressed when a copier repairman shows up as promised, does the work, and is polite and attentive. But if the copier doesn't' work after he leaves, or breaks again the following day, they are less than amused.)
The author goes a little further in identifying service deficits where a provider's interest in holding up his end of the bargain tends to wane:
- Good service is provided immediately after the contract is signed, and in the period before it is time to renew, but tends to slack off in the middle.
- There are also inconsistencies in the time of year, day of week, and even the time of day that service is rendered. But you have to make sure that you are just as attentive at 4pm on a Friday in summer as you are at nine in the morning on a Tuesday in winter.
- Poor service is given to less valued clients, and the best hands are put to work on larger or more recent accounts. Clients can tell when they are not important to you and will take their business where it's valued.
The author suggests an ongoing engagement with clients, checking in to ensure the quality of service is being maintained, and taking action to correct it if it is not. Of particular importance is not to ignore or make excuses for poor service. Your ability to be dismissive is not admired by those whom you dismiss.