Entrepreneur Zest

Reviewing Accounts For Further Business - Care, Cultivate, Consult

Ok, you've located the prospect, qualified the lead, made the contact, secured the appointment, made the presentation, presented the proposal and finally closed the sale. You now have a customer; that is someone who has done some business with you.

But now what do you do? How do you turn that customer into a loyal CLIENT? Understand this: creating long-term client relationships is not as easy as it once may have been. Today's consumers are sophisticated, educated, savvy buyers who have a whole world of information at their fingertips. Add the fact that your competition has become fiercer and are constantly trying to "buy" your customers and the result is buyers who are far less loyal then in the past and stand ready to "trade up" the moment you miss a beat. You must know how to build "relationships" and become an integral partner in such that you transcend the lure of a discount.

In reviewing your account base for more business remember three words: Care, Cultivate and Consult!

Care - for the Customer

The dictionary definition for "to care" means to be concerned. The first thing you must do is demonstrate that you are concerned; you care for your customer and their business. Note the word I used was "demonstrate" and not "talk about." You can tell the customer how much you care but you have do actually show that in what you do. How often do you call to ensure their needs are met? Not to see if you can get another order; but to see if you can be of SERVICE? As you work with your base, you want to contact your customers and show that your concern for their well being and success goes beyond the commission you already spent.

Send an email asking new questions, continuing to sell your services and the fact that you are always available.

"Hi Miss Customer; of course you know we sell software solutions, but I noted the last time I was there that you were having some problems with your file and print servers. I was just wondering if I may be of some help."

Let your customer know that you are there to assist even in areas were you do not get paid to do so. Keep notes in your CRM database, keep your eyes open for industry news that may apply to the customer and ask questions. Listen, you did things like this when you were trying to impress the prospect to get the first sale-now keep it up!

Cultivate - the Relationship

Most sales people believe that the way you cultivate and build a relationship is to go out of your way to become drinking buddies or golfing partners with your customers and while such may sometimes be the end result, it is not the path.

The correct path to a deep relationship is to continually provide valuable services, solve problems and become a close "partner" to your customer. By doing this, the personal relationship will automatically develop-but it will be sincere! Look, people are not going to remain loyal to you just because you sent a bottle of scotch or 'butter them up' with false flattery every time you see them. Be sincere and help them.

"Mr. New Customer, I came across this article on international mortgage rates and I know you are looking for a new location, so I thought you could use this information..."

A good way to cultivate is to ask the customer to explain and boast about their achievements. As they do this, it gets you deeper in to the company and closer to the client. "Miss New Customer, since you took over IT at XYZ, you increased efficiency 85% and I am glad I was able to help with our software solutions. But I would really be interested to know how you overcame so many other challenges like high turn over at the help desk. Could I buy you lunch and..."

Consult - Always

Continue to be a consultant, which means to give advice; to be a counselor, industry authority and mentor. "Mr. Customer, there is a conference next week on international shipping; it might be a good idea if your shipping manager could be there."

"Mrs. Customer, I know you have a booth at the upcoming convention and I would like to give your sales team a few extra tips on using our CRM that will help them maximize the amount and quality of the leads they capture..."

For solid account management: Show you care. Cultivate and broaden the relationship. Continue to be a consultant.

About The Author

Sean McPheat and his team provide sales training across the UK, Europe, US and the Middle East. Visit his sales blog for free information about how to increase your sales and close more deals.

Take the Pain Out of Proposal Writing

Many companies and their decision-makers require written proposals, and if you are like many sales people, you probably shudder at the thought of this request. However, writing a good proposal doesn't have to be painful providing you keep a few points in mind.

First, recognize that closing the sale in a business proposal is a process, not an event. It doesn't occur just because you have asked for a commitment or because you have presented all the features and benefits of your product or service. When a customer or prospects agrees to do business with you after reviewing your proposal, it means that you have addressed their key issues and demonstrated exactly how your solution will benefit their company. This requires a bit of strategic planning.

Unfortunately, too many sales people spend too much time talking about their company, product or service at the beginning of the proposal. The drawback with this approach is that decision-makers are extremely busy which means they don't want to waste their time reading something that has little or no relevance to their situation. Salespeople will argue that this information is critical and that they need to present it in order to show how their solution is appropriate to the customer's situation. While this is true, it is essential to direct your initial focus on the customer and demonstrate that you have a good understanding of your prospect's issues and concerns.

Great proposals often start with an executive summary which highlights the prospect's current situation or problem and how this issue is affecting the company. This means you need to ask your prospect key questions during your conversations. In the hundreds of sales training workshops I have conducted over the years, I have discovered that the vast majority of sales people fail to ask their prospects sufficient insightful, thought-provoking questions. As a result, they fail to understand the negative impact of a particular problem on the company's business. However, stating the impact of the problem in your proposal can reinforce to the decision-maker, the importance of implementing a solution.

Closing the sale in a proposal means positioning your solution and demonstrating exactly how your prospect will benefit by using your product or service. Far too many sales people forget this critical element. They discuss many of the features and benefits of their solution but they fail to outline the impact of their solution on the prospect's business. The challenge is that the majority of sales people do not discuss this with their prospect. Therefore, they cannot address it in their proposal.

Reduce the prospect's risk. Many people would rather tolerate working with a vendor who is not performing well rather than make a change because of their fear of the unknown or the pain that is often associated with making a significant change. I once retained the services of a particular individual even though I was not completely satisfied with his work simply because I dreaded the hassle of finding a new vendor. If this is a potential concern of your prospects, then offer some type of reassurance or guarantee to reduce or eliminate this fear.

Closing the sale in a proposal also requires some form of action or commitment. Ending your proposal with a feeble statement such as, "If you have any questions please let us know" is not effective. It is essential that you clearly outline the next step(s) you expect from your prospect along with a time frame.

Lastly, keep your proposal as brief as possible. Unless your solution is extremely complex, you need to keep it short, clear and concise because executives simply don't have time to read a fifty page document. Besides, short proposals are usually much easier to read and understand. I recall the very first proposal I was required to present. Because I didn't know any better, I only included information that I felt was relevant to my prospect and was able to outline a thirty thousand dollar project in just three pages. After we reached an agreement I asked what influenced their decision and was told, "Your proposal was easy to understand."

The bottom line? If you have asked your prospect enough of the right questions and positioned your solution in a manner that demonstrates exactly how your solution is the best one for your prospect, and removed the risk, you increase your ability to close the sale.

Copyright 2008 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of Stop, Ask, and Listen: Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers Into Buyers. For information on his programs, visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.