The Sales Coach Newsletter
February 1997
© 1998 by Galante & Company

Are you a problem solver or just a provider of stuff? There's an old saying in sales that goes something like this: People don't buy green boots to wear green boots, they buy green boots to have dry feet. In other words, it is our job as professional salespeople to identify the problems each customer wants to solve. Then explain to them how our product or service is going to make things all better. The gap between getting someone to say yes and solving their problem is as big as the Grand Canyon. Selling has been known to be one sided and is usually done through tactics. Problem solving is a two sided transaction and is done through understanding. Selling used to be about making a sale, now it's about retaining the customer. Previously, selling consisted of elaborate marketing, polished pitches and high pressure closing skills. The formula for success was: see enough people, present your product and go for the close. And if that didn't work, use manipulative tactics that box the prospect into a corner until they crack under pressure. Under the new formula for success - Problem Solving is most effective when there is a lot of conversation. This will include extensive probing on the part of the salesperson for customer needs, attentive listening to responses and discussions of potential solutions. The purpose will be to fully understand the needs and concerns of the customer before making a recommendation. Times have changed and the way we sell has to also. Our recommendation is to shift your focus from being a provider of goods and services to being a problem solver. This relationship approach will established you as the customer's main supplier, not for just this one transaction, but for any future needs that arise. The focus will be on making this sale as well as making future sales. This is going to require a shift in what I refer to as your agenda. This is what you focus on whenever you enter into a transaction. It dictates how you conduct yourself throughout the process. The new agenda will focus on mutual satisfaction and establishing long term relationships. During the old days of selling, the agenda (focus) was about what the company or the salesperson was going to get out of the transaction. Now, the agenda (focus) will revolve around the premise that we must provide the customer with exactly what they are looking for so they will come back to us automatically when they need similar products/services again. Take a look at your operation from marketing to selling to order processing to delivery. Does each step send a positive message to the customer? Is your customer turn-over rate high? Ask yourself and your staff, How can we become more reliable to our customers? Look for areas to improve. Become the bench mark for which every other vendor is compared to. From a sales point of view, it takes more skill to be a problem solver. First, salespeople have to realize the value of long range opportunities. Some sales are designed to be one-shot-deals. The salesperson's job is to close the deal and move onto the next customer.This has its place, but if your company is interested in keeping customers coming back, your salespeople need to be focused on relationships not just sales. For example, there are different levels of probing questions. One could find out where someone likes to vacation and when was the last time they were there. Yet another person could find out those things plus, how often they frequent the place, what they like most about this place,what they do when they are there, what it was like the first time they visited, how has it changed, what these changes have meant to their vacations, etc., etc., etc. Fact finding can be very interesting and customers love to talk about themselves. The more you know about a customer the more the relationship grows. This intimacy brings about a trust or bond. This bond is the mastic that will hold the customer to your organization when a competitor bangs on his/her door. Empathy is a another helpful attribute for salespeople to possess. This is the ability to understand the thoughts and feeling of another person. Women salespeople are great at this. They relate well to both men and women customers, speak to people on their own level and put customers at ease. They appear to be on the customer's side and will do what ever it takes to make the customer satisfied. They go out of their way to deliver more then what was originally promised. These skills take time to develop but pays big dividends once internalized. The key is to think long term and be sincere about serving the customer. Let's look at some of the benefits of being a problem solver. First and foremost is greater customer loyalty. This is created as the relationship matures to the point where the customer considers you as a problem solver. Any time the customer has a problem, maybe even when it does not relate to your product/service, the customer will call you for information or recommendations. When this happens, you can be sure that you have won their trust and confidence. Loyal customers bring repeat business. Customers who rely on you to deliver quality products/services will buy from you again and again. Reliability becomes more important then delivery times and prices. They are easier to deal with and do not shop around as much. When they can count on you, they will return to you and reward you with additional business. They become proponents of your company by referring others to you. When they hear of someone who is looking for what you sell, they will either recommend you to that person or recommend that person to you. This gives you the opportunity to sell to someone who you might not have ever met. This cuts down on marketing costs and adds to your bottom line. Referrals are the lowest cost leads you can find and many times are the most profitable sales you will make.

Quotes to sell by

The most important thing about communications is to hear what isn't being said

- Peter Drucker

There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic time frames

- Larry Presser

Pessimist sees a difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty

- Winston Churchill

Lighten' up The economy is getting stronger
Sales abroad are on the rise
Web sites are getting more and more traffic
Broadway theater ticket sales are hot!
The Jets and the Giants...

Galante & Company is a sales training and positioning firm. Our mission is to help entrepreneurs, executives, managers and salespeople realize greater success. Our purpose is to increase the performance of individuals and organizations. Our role is to understand our client, set realistic goals, help create practical action plans and follow through to completion. Coaching, consulting, speaking and training services are available nationwide via telephone, e-mail and in person. The Sales Coach is a free newsletter. Please copy it and pass it on to your associates or anyone who you think would benefit from it.

Thank you.

Michael J. Galante

GALANTE & COMPANY