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Your sales team must do more than sell. They must be good learners (that means less talking, more listening, and more curiosity about how they can help their customers). Your customer’s time is valuable. When they give you their time they are voting on your value.
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About Jennifer Matt
Jennifer Matt is the managing editor of WhatTheyThink’s Print Software section as well as President of Web2Print Experts, Inc. a technology-independent print software consulting firm helping printers with web-to-print and print MIS solutions.
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Discussion
By Thomas Lickert on Mar 28, 2018
Could not agree with you more, if you're looking for results you'll need know how to solve the problems.
By Linda Manci on Mar 28, 2018
We can never emphasis this enough. This is how you win and keep clients and earn their business.
By Gina Danner on Mar 28, 2018
Understanding the "WHY behind the WHAT" is critical. Too many reps feel that their customers buy because of the relationship with the rep. I hope my reps go a step deeper and understand that if the client is buying because you are friends, when that buyer leaves, so likely will the business. When you can solve real problems not just for the buyer but for the organization, you have something special.
By Jennifer Matt on Mar 28, 2018
Thomas, Linda, and Gina,
Most people are nice. Most people don't want to deal with unnecessary tension in their lives. So when a sales rep says; my customer "likes me" and that's my defense strategy - it is hard to quantify.The customer isn't going to tell you they don't like you; they are going to avoid you.
I recently visited a customer of a printer and the main contact pleaded with me to help them get a different sales rep. They are nice people; they have nothing personally against the rep, they just aren't getting the value.
Sales is about relationships AND its about delivering value. This value can be delivered by others that are included in the sales process but I am of the strong belief that the sales rep (the one getting commission checks should be delivering more than just the relationship side).