Some customers prefer to deal with their suppliers on a close, personal basis. Others choose suppliers because of their unique products and services. Still other customers seek out suppliers whom they consider reliable - who are consistent in quality, delivery and service.
Effective sales behaviour synchronises with the customer’s behavioural preferences, which are based on their values and their view of the market place.
There are four basic behavioural sets:
- Reliability – focusing on quality and consistency of product or service – requires:
Sales behaviours that emphasise reliability, consistency and probity
- Product – focusing on superiority of product or service – requires:
Sales behaviours that emphasise superiority of products or services
- Relationship – focusing on personal relationships and interpersonal trust – requires:
Sales behaviours that emphasise interpersonal warmth and trust
- Partnership – focusing on creating common goals with customers – requires:
Sales behaviours oriented towards problem solving and discovering business opportunities
Selling is part of the marketing mix but Sales and Marketing are frequently separate functions, especially in larger companies. Marketing determines product positioning, awareness and brand image while Sales moves the product along. OK in theory, but sales behaviours actually affect the product and its market image – often in a negative way.
Surprisingly, Marketing is rarely concerned with Sales behaviours. But, the company that ignores the behaviour of its sales force in relation to its customers' values is ignoring a crucial part of its marketing strategy.
If buyers know a product is a commodity, they will react negatively to product hype and positively to sales behaviours stressing reliability. If they know they can get a product from many sources, they will react positively to a sales person who looks after them and treats the product as a vehicle for personal care. Buyers may seek a partnership – or they may find this too intrusive. They may want expert advice or they may simply want good reliable service.
There is nothing wrong with seeking product differentiation. A product can be sold on its unique advantages and benefits - but only if it has them. To pretend that it does when it doesn’t, or to use psychological tricks to fool people into thinking they are getting what they are not, risks de-valuing the product, the company’s credibility and losing the business with that buyer.
Get your sales behaviours synchronised with customer values and you become the people they want to do business with. Get it wrong and they will go elsewhere.
Advance has a unique Sales Behaviours Diagnosis© tool that helps organisations analyse their sales people’s behaviours. Once you understand what sort of sales behaviours are being demonstrated you can match these with the values of your customers, and make adjustments where necessary. This can provide invaluable insight and help steer coaching and training of individual salespeople and teams.
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