Think About It… the e-book version

by Todd Youngblood

We are all conditioned to always remembering that the customer is always right. That’s a good thing in general, but do we take it too far?

Like most bits of wisdom that stand the test of time, “the customer is always right” applies most of the time. Most – not all – of the time. That mind set can easily blind us to four critical facts.

1) Customer personnel do not have the time and/or wherewithal to address all of their known significant problems and opportunities.

Have you ever heard of a decision-maker that complained about having too much time at his or her disposal? That there just wasn’t enough to do to fill the hours of the working day? You almost certainly have heard something along the lines of, “my people have the best knowledge and skills in the business,” though. Even if that’s true, which I doubt, it is virtually impossible for anybody to keep up with the incredibly fast advances of the modern business world. My point is, every customer always needs every bit of time savings and/or knowledge you, your company, your products and your services can provide.

2) Customers have unknown problems and opportunities.

I don’t care how smart they are, all customers are oblivious to something. And they know it too. Anyone who truly believes their area of responsibility is totally under control and immune to circumstances lurking in the background or just around the corner, is either the most arrogant human in history or insane. My point is, every customer always needs every bit of relevant insight and perspective you, your company, your products and your services can provide.

3) Customer decision processes are not robust enough to deal with the complexity of their problems and opportunities.

The best business process in the world continuously becomes less able to deal with the changes thrown at it. Every day, it becomes just a bit more obsolete. That’s the best business process in the world. How many customers can even tell you what their decision process is? How many businesses have ever even thought through what their decision process should be? My point is, every customer always needs your spin on what to consider when evaluating the types of products and services you provide.

4) Few individuals consider their entire business when making a decision.

The functional “silo” has become a cliché for reason. It’s true! Most people don’t know about, much less care about or consider, people and processes outside of their direct responsibility. (Can you believe there’s an actual purchasing agent I know of who cares only about price? Who refuses to consider quality, durability, warranty, integration, service or support? I know, shocking!) The CEO, however, does consider and worries endlessly about how all the pieces of his or her organization integrate with one another as well as with pieces of supplier and customer organizations. You don’t get to be a CEO unless you’re really, really good at perceiving, understanding and managing all those connections over long time horizons. My point is, every customer always needs your ability and insight into how your products and services integrate with and help harmonize those connections. In fact, the better you get at “orchestrating” business processes, the more time you’ll be “forced” to spend meeting with top customer executives.

Notice how these four facts have little to do with your products and services. They have little to do with traditional sales skills. They have far more to do with your knowledge and skill as a creative business executive. Success in selling depends upon your prospects’ realization of how you can save them time; provide some of the knowledge and skills required to solve their problems and address their opportunities; point out the hidden problems and opportunities; constantly improve their decision process; and help them think big, broadly and long term. The customer is not always right. They know it. And they will embrace the sales rep who helps them get better with these four aspects of running a business.