Selling From Your Customer’s Perspective
There are two perspectives you can focus on when selling to your customers. How much money will you make, or how much value will they receive. It’s becoming increasingly important, especially as a small business, to focus on your customer’s perspective rather than your bottom line.
We all know how important it is to sell your products and services. Regardless of anything else you do, if people aren’t paying, you’re not staying. It can be incredibly stressful knowing that your next paycheck, or survival of your business relies on getting that next sale. That can lead to focusing on how much value you can get out of your customers, rather than how much value you can provide them, which in turn can have a negative impact on the customer’s experience. By focusing on meeting your customers needs, and providing excellent service you’re able to provide more value and really set yourself apart from the competition.
Think of the times someone has gone out of their way to recommend a business to you. Chances are the price or quality isn’t what made them so excited to tell people. They’re probably not recommending the big box store down the road, or a national insurance company. Oftentimes, they’re making the recommendation because the people made them feel valued and they know that they can trust that their needs will be taken care of. Providing that experience is one of the easiest ways to significantly increase the value you’re providing, and grow your customer base.
While there are a lot of ways to go about providing that better experience, here are some simple changes you can make that will have cascading effects.
Prioritize responding to customers.
In my experience conducting market research and secret shopping, I’ve found that the most successful businesses responded to my emails and phone calls the same day. If you’re someone who’s often busy being hands-on, then set aside some time a few times a day to respond to your customers. Life can happen quickly, and it’s incredibly important that you get back to people before something’s happened and they’re no longer interested. Ideally within a couple hours.
Listen to their wants and needs and use that to sell them on your value.
Actually take the time to talk with your customers, learn why they’re interested, what’s important to them, and focus on figuring out what you can offer that brings them the most value. If someone is looking for a new deck for their summer home that they use 1 month a year, they’re probably not interested in the industry standard, extra durable 4 season wood that you use. Offering something like a more affordable wood with special summer paint and a fabric cover would show that you’re thinking about what is best for them, not what’s easiest for you.
Know who your best customers are and why they’re a good fit
Take a look at the customers you’ve served, and find the ones that you worked well with. The ones who saw the value in your business. Figure out what it is about those customers that make them a good fit for you, and focus on how you can find more. A fine dining restaurant may have young families coming in for special occasions and asking for kids' menus, but they likely don't see the same value as the business professional who brings all their clients there. For that restaurant, offering birthday discounts probably won’t bring in their ideal customers.
Know what your competitors are doing and what sets you apart
Chances are that there is a lot of overlap between what you and your competitors offer. Almost all movie theaters have snacks, drinks, seats, a big screen, and the newest movies. None of those are going to convince a customer that they should do business with you over your competitor. If you offer dinner with the movie, luxury seating, or screen indie movies, you should be trying to show the customer the value of things that set you apart. Don’t tell them that your competitors aren’t as good, just highlight the things that you know sets you apart.
While pushing your customer to spend more, or choose higher profit options can be incredibly effective, and needs to be done to some extent, it can often be at the cost of your customer’s satisfaction. By following these points, and focusing on serving your customers as well as you can, you will not only set yourself apart, but work to create brand loyalty among your customer base. This is especially true in industries where quality customer service is not common.
