Chapter 24 - Giving Up Control
Control is a sticking point for many prospective customers for services: they may recognize that hiring someone else to do something for them is less expensive and more effective, but still feel the sense that handing the job over to them means giving up control over it.
This objection is generally less pronounced when the service is some routine and low-visibility task that doesn't have much impact to the firm or its own customers. Most office managers don't put much though into the cleaning service they hire for their office - but other services have a greater impact to the business: a bad accountant can land a firm in deep legal trouble, or a bad installer could be detrimental to the customers' impression of an appliance store.
Accountability is critical to overcoming this reluctance: the service provider will be held accountable for delivering the service as promised, and to relieve anxiety the service provider should provide assurances of the specific steps they will take to rectify it. Providing the customer with specific actions he can take (call a specific person) to engage the firm to address any dissatisfaction return to him a sense of control.
The author also mentions that setting expectations appropriately, particularly for any instances where a customer might reasonably expect something to be included in a service that is not, is also critical to maintaining customer satisfaction.
The author provides a fictional dialogue between a vendor who is attempting to provide an all-inclusive accounting service and a customer who just wants someone to handle the payroll, and rejects the service entirely because he doesn't want to "give up than much control" to a service provider.
What Makes Clients Fearful of Losing Control
Referring to the fictional dialogue, the author explains that the salesman attempted to go too far and present an "all or nothing" proposal to the prospect, who chose "nothing." Which is to say he lost a small sale in attempting to make a larger one, and the prospect will be unlikely to consider his firm for anything in future.
It's important to remember: the role of the salesman is to help the client do what he wants to do - no less and no more. Patience often pays off: if you can begin by doing those things the client wants, you can attempt to win more business from them over time - but you must develop the relationship to the point you can ask for more business.
There's also a stray note about reading the prospect. You should be able to pick up on discomfort, and ignoring it or pressing the issue further is unwise at that point.
Demonstrating Your Accountability
The author returns to the fictional dialogue. In this instance the salesman acknowledges the discomfort the prospect expresses at giving up too much of his accounting department's functions. He scales back to discuss what the customer wants, and then asks tentative questions about whether other services would be helpful. This time, the customer remains attentive and begins to ask additional questions (what about checks, taxes, security, backup plans, etc.)
Of primary importance is that providing detailed answers to questions (indicating exactly what happens if the vendor's website goes down rather than brushing it off with a "don't worry about that") puts the client at ease, and sticking within the comfort zone in terms of the scope of the solution is an easier and more certain sell that leaves an open door to discuss other services in the future, though not immediately.