Find out why and how to shift to a customer-centric sales approach. Your bottom line will thank you for it.
If you’ve read many of our blog articles, you know we often highlight the value of a customer-centric sales approach, even if we don’t always call it by that name. This sales approach looks beyond the immediate dollar value of a sale. Instead, it focuses on the ways in which building longer-term relationships is beneficial to both you and your customers.
It sounds easy enough, but it’s tough to put into practice when you’re looking primarily at monthly numbers and quarterly profits. However, if you can set that aside for a bit, it’s easy to see that a customer-centric sales approach leads to a more sustainable business with higher profits.
Of course, this seems nice, but what does that look like in the real world? Research from Deloitte found that “client-centric companies are 60% more profitable compared to companies not focused on the customer.” Surveys conducted by Vantage Partners found that companies like Intuit saw their stock prices climb, and Maersk, one of the largest companies in the world, “saw 350 percent ROI in the two years immediately following a customer-centric revitalization of its sales curriculum.”
Make more calls, manage your customers in a cloud database, track your call statistics, and much more with Call Logic. Schedule a free demo today to see what you’ve been missing!
What is a customer-centric sales approach?
Before we get into the “how” of putting a customer-centric sales approach into place, let’s solidify what this approach actually is. Luckily, it’s pretty easy.
In a customer-centric sales approach, you’re working to build a long-term relationship with your qualified prospects by putting their needs first and addressing their challenges with the best solution possible. More than just a salesperson, you’re an advisor, a guide, and a collaborator in helping them get to the heart of the issue. You may even help them define their needs and present them with the benefits your product or service offers in solving this issue.
For example, Call Logic is dialing software. Yes, the software can help you make sales calls more quickly. So can just about any dialing software. But if we dig in a little, one of the challenges that companies run into when they make a lot of sales calls is compliance issues. It’s easy to accidentally dial the wrong number or forget to remove a number from your call list after someone has requested that you don’t call them. Fines for oversights, accidental or not, can be high. So one of the FEATURES of Call Logic is that the software automatically scrubs your list. However, if we reframe that to a customer-centric sales approach, users get the BENEFIT of knowing compliance is taken care of and, therefore, can focus on their job with less stress.
Of course, there are a number of examples. The point again is that you’re setting aside the “pressure” of a sale and working to help your customer solve a challenge. How do you put that into practice?
Making the change: Shifting your sales strategy to focus on customer success
With a customer-centric sales approach, you’re successful when your customer is successful. Here are some ways to make that shift.
1. Change your mindset. A customer-centric sales approach is all about the long-term. You benefit from customer loyalty and retention, more referrals, and happier customers.
2. Share the benefits with your sales team. You can’t change a sales approach alone. You have to get your entire team on board and answer the age-old question, “What’s in it for me?” What does your sales team get from this new approach that they aren’t already getting? Do they care about customer loyalty, or is it easier for them to make a quick sale and move on to the next person? Ideally, they will see the same benefits your company will: higher profits, more referrals, etc.
3. Make the changes gradually. Don’t alienate your sales team by expecting significant changes to happen overnight. Give yourself and your team time to absorb different aspects of a new sales approach to smooth the transition.
4. Prepare to spend more time with prospects and current customers. The short-term downside here is that you may see a drop in numbers. You won’t make as many sales calls, your call times will increase, and your sales may even temporarily decrease. However, through solving problems, you’re building quality relationships that push your long-term profits higher.
5. Stop pitching. Remember, you’re here as a consultant. Stop the sales pitches and start having conversations. Learn about your customer and dig into what can truly help them succeed.
6. Ensure your customer service is flawless. Sales does not exist in a vacuum. Your follow-through, onboarding, and ongoing customer service are every bit as important as the initial sales process.
7. Be patient. Remember that this is a long-term approach to sales and profit. This isn’t your quick-cash grab. However, your patience will pay off.
Shifting to a customer-centric sales approach might take a little time, but you’ll notice happier customers, bigger profits, more referrals, and an all around boost to your company!
Call Logic’s auto-dialer and call management software offers dozens of helpful tools to increase your success and simplify your daily tasks. Call for your free consultation today to learn more!