6 Secret Customer Needs
Customers will seldom tell you
what's really important to them, but new research reveals their base
desires.
Everybody knows that selling entails
meeting your customers' needs. However, it's a huge mistake to assume that the
most important needs are those that show up on a RFP or in a business
discussion.
According to research conducted by
the Chally Group (I'm writing a book with
their CEO, BTW), customers have six needs
that are rarely expressed outright, but which are the true foundation of a
customer relationship:
1.
"I need you to be accountable."
Customers hate "hit and
run" sales. If they're working with you, they don't want you to pass the
buck to "sales support" or anyone else if something goes sour.
2.
"I need you to come prepared."
Customers hate being interrogated.
Never expect your customers to answer questions about anything that you could
have researched yourself.
3.
"I need you to be on MY side."
Customers risk their careers and
companies by doing business with you. They expect you to represent THEIR
interests and not just your own or your firm's.
4.
"I need you to make things simple."
Customers, like everyone else, live
in a constant state of information overload. They don't want more data, they
want you to make sense of the data they've got.
5.
"I need you to be accessible."
Customers want you to get back to
them immediately if they call with a problem or question. If you don't,
you're telling them they aren't important to you.
6.
"I need you to be an outsider."
If customers could solve their
problems themselves, they would. They're hiring you and your firm because an
outside perspective brings new creativity to old problems.
http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/6-secret-customer-needs.html?cid=em01016week07d
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