By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling®
I encourage salespeople to gain access to all members of buying committees whenever possible. The major reason is that unless sellers get everyone’s perspective, it’s likely they haven’t identified all the potential benefit that can be realized. Each title may have different priorities and therefore different views of a seller’s offering.
A few years ago I worked with a company that sold temporary housing as an alternative to extended stays in hotels. They offered a monthly rate on furnished condos and one of the features they felt was important was that units had working kitchens complete with pots, pans, utensils, plates, etc. I asked why that was important and they looked mostly from the standpoint of the user (i.e. a consultant with an extended engagement that commuted to his/her home for the weekend). When asked what advantage a functioning kitchen provided they said that the consultant had:
- An alternative to eating at a restaurant
- Restaurant meals take a long time
- Some people feel awkward eating alone in restaurants
- Consultant could prepare healthier/lighter meals themselves
I then asked them to consider the advantages a functioning kitchen could provide to other titles. Ultimately they identified other benefits:
The consultant’s manager
- Could have lower meal expenses and stay under budget
- Higher productivity by freeing up time by not eating out
- Less burnout as employees get tired of restaurant meals
The VP of HR
- A potential tie breaker when recruiting new consultants
- Lower turnover as a result of lower instances of burn out
- Improved morale
The CFO
- Lower expenses
- Lower cost of meals
- Lower attrition rates
When selling what could be perceived as a commodity, getting more perspectives can allow sellers to establish greater value and differentiate themselves from competitors.
