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Profit isn’t often regarded as a value, but it has always been the basis and driving force behind every business idea. And if that’s the only goal, then customer needs are of secondary importance. In such a strategy, you can skim the cream off, but you can’t “play the long game”.
Think back to the feelings you had when you were being offered a product. Were you angry? Tried to resist? Did you want to cut the conversation short? What about when someone was genuinely trying to help you? Can you remember yourself at that moment?
Sales Strategies
As customers, we all fall victim to one or more common sales strategies. Here are some of them:
- Product focus. The salesman is essentially trying to convince the customer that his product is so good that it is impossible not to buy it. He spends most of his time showing and talking about its features and benefits.
- Transactional focus. The main goal is to persuade and sell, whatever it takes. The success of the transaction comes down to how persuasive and persistent the salesperson can be and how effectively they defend their position.
- Focus on the customer’s needs. Goal: Establish the need before any sales and promotion activity begins.
The fact remains. The more they try to convince us of someone else’s rightness, the more we resist. But if something is offered that is valuable, necessary and desirable, without imposition or subterfuge, we are willing to accept information, hear and listen calmly.
In a needs-based approach to sales, the salesperson focuses on getting a clear picture of their situation, of what they need now. This approach increases sales by 15-30%.
Needs analysis
Creating a customer-centric business is not an easy task. Where does customer focus end and targeted sales begin? Step one is to study the pain points and find out what your customer needs. Step two is to present the solution to the problem in a clear, unobtrusive and effective manner.
In between these two steps there is a lot of work to do: you need to prioritise your customers, create a customer profile, identify consumer trends and research long-term customer retention patterns. If any difficulties arise, Stelvel Ltd specialists will help you with A/B testing of different sales strategies and, based on the data obtained, will develop an effective plan that will maximise sales and demand.
It’s impossible to treat all customers’ needs the same way. A company must understand which problems it can solve and which it cannot, and be honest about it.
Product needs
What basic needs should be met by the product or service offered? What do any of us need? Let’s list the basics.
Functionality. Price. Convenience
A product has to: fit within the anticipated budget; work as the customer expects; be a convenient solution, a find, a way out.
Experience. Design. Reliability
What is offered to the customer should be simple or at least intuitive and reliable.
Performance. Efficiency
By purchasing, the customer achieves their goals and optimizes time-consuming processes.
Transparency. Awareness
Customers expect honesty and integrity from the vendor not only in warranty matters.
Ethical issues
There’s no need to “sell” a product. No sales scripts, super-salespeople, or gimmicks will help. If your product doesn’t solve any of the client’s problems, there is a 99.9% chance no one will want to pay for it.
At the start you need to find the problem (find it, not make it up) or give up the idea. Lack of business principles or a ‘moral compass’ not only undermines trust, but inevitably leads to loss of loyalty and affects the future of the business and brand.
From first contact to sale
Asking questions is a great way to better understand anyone’s needs and wants. Throughout the entire sales process, from first contact to closing the deal, always keep the customer and their interests in mind. It’s not about selling something, it’s about finding out what the customer needs and helping them get it!
Stelvel Ltd specialists monitor customer needs, work with customer engagement and create sales scripts for specific products. Unified rules and algorithms of interaction with the customer improve the quality of service and optimize the handling of appeals.
In consultation with the customer, Stelvel Ltd marketers analyse customer behaviour, expectations, interests and motivations for purchasing.