4 Ways to KNOW Your Customer: How Effective Planning Guarantees Higher Sales
The sales industry is a tough one to crack and even tougher to stay at the top.
To maintain your hold against your competitors it is important to stay fresh, learn new techniques and employ regular research and analysis.
Without this you will stagnate and stand still.
Many sales people become far too comfortable once they have been in a long-term relationship with a client.
This can lead to an accepted laziness and lack of research before what might be regular meetings with a client.
This can make all the difference to keeping the client happy in the long run.
I suggest taking 5 minutes out of your time before a meeting.
This can take place in the parking lot outside the clients building or even at your desk minutes before they arrive.
All you need to do is focus on the acronym KNOW.
KNOW will ensure you conduct powerful analysis in order to tailor your presentation to each specific client meeting and therefore enhance your chances of success.
Here's what KNOW stands for: K= Know: - What do your customers know about your product and/or service? - What do your customers know about your company? - What do they know about you? Make a quick point of marking out everything that your client already knows about you, your products and company.
Time management is the key when it comes to a successful presentation or sales pitch.
You have to convey your knowledge but that does not mean cramming everything into a small time frame.
Pick out the important points and leave out any fillers or information they know.
N= Need: - What do your clients need to know in order to take the action you want them to take in the time frame you need them to take it? How many times have you arranged a meeting with a client to last for 30 minutes, yet when you have arrived at your destination they are running behind can only give you 10 minutes? What should you do in this situation? It is tempting to try to cram your planned 30 minute meeting into only 10 minutes.
You'll feel good about communicating all of your knowledge but where will it leave the client? Most likely confused and unable to fully understand the key points that you wanted to get across.
Two of the biggest mistakes we make as communicators and sales professionals: - We confuse our listeners with too much information we want to give them and not information they truly need to know.
- We go over our allotted time: The worst thing you can do is to be known as the person that asks for 30 minutes and end up taking 45.
The minute you go over time you are telling your clients that their time is not important.
O= Opinion: - What is your client's opinion about your topic? If you are unsure of the answer before to your presentation or meeting then there are ways to gather this vital information.
Ask open-ended questions at the beginning of the conversation in order to find out exactly what they know about your company, your products and services.
What do they like about your competition and most importantly what areas of improvement are they hoping to see? This line of questioning can help you choose your opening words carefully.
Within 30 seconds or less your client should know what it is you want them to do and exactly what's in it for them.
You should be giving them full expectations within 30 seconds.
A bad example is as follows: "Thank you for your time here today.
I know you're really busy.
I am here today to talk about...
" These words have no purpose to your sales pitch.
When you start you are telling your client that there is not much point to listening to the first 60 seconds but after that tune in for some interesting points! Also, never acknowledge that they are busy.
It gives the impression that they do not have the time to see you and that you are not important.
W= Who: - Who are they? You should keep any information that might be important at the forefront of your mind to help you tailor your pitch during the presentation or conversation.
Think about their needs and use their words and terminology.
This can often be tough for seasoned sales professionals.
The longer you have been in the industry, the more comfortable you become.
It is very easy to drop into script mode when you know your services, products and message like the back of your hand.
It leads to complacency and the chance of missing out on opportunities to take your career, communications and relationship with clients to the next level.
KNOW will only take 5 minutes to walk through it in your mind before you embark on a sales pitch or meeting.
When meeting a brand new client it would be wise to expand W in order to dig a little bit deeper to tailor your behavior and plan to communicate and sell.
- What pre-conceived notions do they have of you? - What has been their experience of your product or competition? - What do they want to change? Taking the analysis to the next level will force you to think clearly about your clients' wants.
Even though you are selling the same product, every pitch should be different in order to suit that specific target.
Taking the time to walk through KNOW can make all the difference - whether it is with regards to presentations, sales pitches, or even the way you reply to emails.
Put it into practice and watch your positive response rate increase.
To maintain your hold against your competitors it is important to stay fresh, learn new techniques and employ regular research and analysis.
Without this you will stagnate and stand still.
Many sales people become far too comfortable once they have been in a long-term relationship with a client.
This can lead to an accepted laziness and lack of research before what might be regular meetings with a client.
This can make all the difference to keeping the client happy in the long run.
I suggest taking 5 minutes out of your time before a meeting.
This can take place in the parking lot outside the clients building or even at your desk minutes before they arrive.
All you need to do is focus on the acronym KNOW.
KNOW will ensure you conduct powerful analysis in order to tailor your presentation to each specific client meeting and therefore enhance your chances of success.
Here's what KNOW stands for: K= Know: - What do your customers know about your product and/or service? - What do your customers know about your company? - What do they know about you? Make a quick point of marking out everything that your client already knows about you, your products and company.
Time management is the key when it comes to a successful presentation or sales pitch.
You have to convey your knowledge but that does not mean cramming everything into a small time frame.
Pick out the important points and leave out any fillers or information they know.
N= Need: - What do your clients need to know in order to take the action you want them to take in the time frame you need them to take it? How many times have you arranged a meeting with a client to last for 30 minutes, yet when you have arrived at your destination they are running behind can only give you 10 minutes? What should you do in this situation? It is tempting to try to cram your planned 30 minute meeting into only 10 minutes.
You'll feel good about communicating all of your knowledge but where will it leave the client? Most likely confused and unable to fully understand the key points that you wanted to get across.
Two of the biggest mistakes we make as communicators and sales professionals: - We confuse our listeners with too much information we want to give them and not information they truly need to know.
- We go over our allotted time: The worst thing you can do is to be known as the person that asks for 30 minutes and end up taking 45.
The minute you go over time you are telling your clients that their time is not important.
O= Opinion: - What is your client's opinion about your topic? If you are unsure of the answer before to your presentation or meeting then there are ways to gather this vital information.
Ask open-ended questions at the beginning of the conversation in order to find out exactly what they know about your company, your products and services.
What do they like about your competition and most importantly what areas of improvement are they hoping to see? This line of questioning can help you choose your opening words carefully.
Within 30 seconds or less your client should know what it is you want them to do and exactly what's in it for them.
You should be giving them full expectations within 30 seconds.
A bad example is as follows: "Thank you for your time here today.
I know you're really busy.
I am here today to talk about...
" These words have no purpose to your sales pitch.
When you start you are telling your client that there is not much point to listening to the first 60 seconds but after that tune in for some interesting points! Also, never acknowledge that they are busy.
It gives the impression that they do not have the time to see you and that you are not important.
W= Who: - Who are they? You should keep any information that might be important at the forefront of your mind to help you tailor your pitch during the presentation or conversation.
Think about their needs and use their words and terminology.
This can often be tough for seasoned sales professionals.
The longer you have been in the industry, the more comfortable you become.
It is very easy to drop into script mode when you know your services, products and message like the back of your hand.
It leads to complacency and the chance of missing out on opportunities to take your career, communications and relationship with clients to the next level.
KNOW will only take 5 minutes to walk through it in your mind before you embark on a sales pitch or meeting.
When meeting a brand new client it would be wise to expand W in order to dig a little bit deeper to tailor your behavior and plan to communicate and sell.
- What pre-conceived notions do they have of you? - What has been their experience of your product or competition? - What do they want to change? Taking the analysis to the next level will force you to think clearly about your clients' wants.
Even though you are selling the same product, every pitch should be different in order to suit that specific target.
Taking the time to walk through KNOW can make all the difference - whether it is with regards to presentations, sales pitches, or even the way you reply to emails.
Put it into practice and watch your positive response rate increase.