If you are a salesperson, what would you say if a prospective customer called you, and the first question she asked was if you provide the product that your competitor offers?
If you say to her, “No, we don’t offer that, but what we do offer is this (your product),” what do you think will happen?
I would suggest that if you handle the interaction with the prospective customer in that manner, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the prospective customer will kindly thank you, hang up, and call someone else, likely your competitor.
I am sure this type of interaction happens many thousands of times every day, in all types of industries across the world.
Question: If the product you offer is objectively better for the prospective customer than the product she asked for, and you handled the call in such a way that she ends up buying your competitor’s product, what does this say about you as a salesperson?
It says that you have let that customer down.
You have failed to use all your sales skills and training to find out what she really needs, and then persuasively take her through a process where she will eventually come to her own conclusion that the product you offer is, in fact, better for her.
By failing to engage her in that process, you have left her less well off, and left the world less well off.
Ouch.
What Is She Really Asking For?
When the prospective customer asks you if you provide your competitor’s product, she believes that she’s already figured out what is best for her.
The problem is this: she is not an expert at understanding all the available product options in your industry, and all the features and benefits of those products.
As the salesperson, YOU are the expert.
And it is your responsibility to make sure your prospective customer fully understands the options available.
And if your product is objectively the one that will benefit her most, it is your responsibility to do everything in your power to make sure that she comes to understand that.
What your prospective customer is really seeking is the product or service that will give her the greatest benefit.
In economics “geek speak,” consumers seek products that maximize their utility.
Advantage Pro-Life!
Here’s some very good news if you are a sales professional working at a pro-life Pregnancy Help Center in the Pro-Life Business Industry.
In probably every other industry you can think of, it is unlikely that your product will objectively be the best product for every prospective customer.
In every other industry, prospective customers’ needs and wants can vary dramatically.
Not so in your industry.
The product you sell – choosing life – is always objectively better for your prospective customer than the competing option – choosing abortion.
No exceptions.
For pro-life Pregnancy Help Centers, this fact should afford them an enormous competitive advantage if they have in place the right sales professionals equipped with the right sales process, including the right marketing program to increase inbound leads.
Sadly, the majority of Pregnancy Help Centers get this wrong.
And I mean completely wrong.
Tomorrow, I will share with you the typical sales process of many PHCs, and it will help you understand why Planned Parenthood easily wins the market share battle in almost all markets where it competes against PHCs.
Regards.
Brett
Bridget
Very very challenging and intriguing questions and bringing some important insights to the forefront.
Is she really buying a choice for life?
Are we selling a choice for life?
I would say that’s maybe half of the equation.
Selah…
Brett Attebery
Thanks Bridget!
Interested to hear your thoughts on what you believe is the other half of the equation. 🙂
Bridget
Very very challenging and intriguing questions and bringing some important insights to the forefront.
Is she really buying a choice for life?
Are we selling a choice for life?
I would say that’s maybe half of the equation.
Selah…
Brett Attebery
Thanks Bridget!
Interested to hear your thoughts on what you believe is the other half of the equation. 🙂