Customers don't want to wait. When they need one of your products or services, they typically need it right away. The salesperson's job is to understand that urgency. The longer the customer waits for you to get back to them, or provide them with the information they need, the more likely that the order will be lost to the salesperson who recognizes the urgency.
Understanding a customer means understanding the customer's needs. The need may be a quotation so that the product can be budgeted. The need may be a drawing or specification so that the engineer can spec your product into the project.
Everyone reports to someone up the chain of command. It's important for the sales rep to understand that when someone asks you for something, it's because someone up the ladder wants the information--urgently. Without the quote, without the specifications, without the lead time information, the order gets lost to someone who recognizes the urgency.
In this time of supply chain delays, it's up to the sales rep to stay in touch with the customer--to keep the customer informed about the timing for whatever their current needs are.
The corollary to Urgency is Communication. Remember, again, everyone answers to someone up the corporate ladder. The more you communicate with your customer, the better the your contact looks to the bosses.
The underlying principle that will allow you to stay in communication with your customer, is to make follow-up lists. I have written a couple of blogs about making lists. The links are here.
Also, I highly recommend sales guru Brian G. Burns' YouTube channel "The Brutal Truth". The link to his videos is here. Brian can also be found on LinkedIn.
Remember, if you don't understand the urgency of the sales environment, someone else will. Losing an order or a customer to someone who recognizes the customer's needs is an unnecessary way to lose--a customer or an order.
Understanding a customer means understanding the customer's needs. The need may be a quotation so that the product can be budgeted. The need may be a drawing or specification so that the engineer can spec your product into the project.
Everyone reports to someone up the chain of command. It's important for the sales rep to understand that when someone asks you for something, it's because someone up the ladder wants the information--urgently. Without the quote, without the specifications, without the lead time information, the order gets lost to someone who recognizes the urgency.
In this time of supply chain delays, it's up to the sales rep to stay in touch with the customer--to keep the customer informed about the timing for whatever their current needs are.
The corollary to Urgency is Communication. Remember, again, everyone answers to someone up the corporate ladder. The more you communicate with your customer, the better the your contact looks to the bosses.
The underlying principle that will allow you to stay in communication with your customer, is to make follow-up lists. I have written a couple of blogs about making lists. The links are here.
Also, I highly recommend sales guru Brian G. Burns' YouTube channel "The Brutal Truth". The link to his videos is here. Brian can also be found on LinkedIn.
Remember, if you don't understand the urgency of the sales environment, someone else will. Losing an order or a customer to someone who recognizes the customer's needs is an unnecessary way to lose--a customer or an order.
