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Life Beyond The Product Pitch
Why Customers Really Buy
by Sam Reese and Damon Jones of Miller Heiman
July 18, 2008
M
ost would agree that it’s easier to win new business from a satisfied customer than it is
to acquire a new client. Both present plenty of challenges, but by focusing on our client’s “
concept” of what they want to fix, accomplish or avoid, we can greatly improve our win rates for
new business and generate continued added value for our existing clients. Indeed, even the savviest
strategic marketing and the most aggressive business development efforts could be exercises in
futility--unless you approach selling from the standpoint of the client’s point of view.
This conceptual approach to selling is a process designed to help you sell more effectively
by aligning the way you sell with the way your customers buy. It depends first on understanding
your customers’ issues--what they are trying to accomplish--and then applying your unique strengths
to help them develop suitable solutions.
The Starting Point:
The Client’s Concept
The concept, or the solution image, is something that develops in the client’s mind. It is
his attempt to frame a solution for a problem that may or may not have anything to do with what you
are selling. The client’s concept, which is entirely subjective and different for each prospect, is
tied directly to something they want to fix, accomplish or avoid.. We must be crystal clear about
what the concept is before presenting any solutions.
The approach you used to gain the client’s trust in the first place is the same approach you
use to win additional contracts. Keeping your new and existing clients’ concepts in mind as the
relationships expand bolsters your hardearned credibility and helps you lock out the competition.
You deepen the client relationship and gain more valuable insights into the client’s ongoing needs
with each completed project.
The Challenge: Concepts Are Individual And Dynamic
It is also important to point out that companies don’t have concepts--individuals do. For
that matter, different features and benefits may appeal to different decision makers in the chain
of command of one company. The salesperson is charged with discovering what the motivating factors
are and crafting the solution discussion around meeting those custom needs.
You must be absolutely clear about the client’s concept before presenting your solution, and
highly selective about how you describe your services with features and benefits that resonate with
the client during the sales call. It’s not the product or service that makes or breaks the sale,
but the prospect’s subjective view of what your solution can do for him.
During a sales call, then, the first order of business is to discover the individual’s
solution images. The salesperson’s job is to address the concepts of each individual who influences
the buying process. And, as if that’s not challenging enough, you have to take into account that
the client’s concept is ever-changing and the process of speaking to the solution images could be
different from sales call to sales call. The answer to this challenge is to do more listening than
talking.
Two Ears, One Mouth
Salespeople are always guilty of talking too much and not listening enough; you have two
ears and one mouth, so use them in those proportions. Salespeople can’t just do a feature or
product dump on a customer. They need to strike a balance between getting and giving information
and use their understanding of the clients’ concept to determine how your products or services
relate to their needs. If salespeople listen, they’ll discover the motivation behind why customers
really buy. Miller Heiman has discovered that buying motivations are usually tied to one or more of
three basic areas: discrepancy, importance or solving a problem.
Three Sales Drivers
1. Discrepancy
Discrepancy occurs when there is a perceived gap in the client’s mind between where he is
right now and where he wants to be. That frustration is a catalyst for change. Where a discrepancy
exists, the salesperson’s goal is to probe and listen well enough to truly understand the customer’s
issue. If a potential client is content with his current situation, then there’s no way he will
expect you to deliver results that will improve upon it. If there is no discrepancy, then there is
no sale.
2. Importance
Importance is another key sales driver. The salesperson needs to ask questions to discern
the level of importance the client places on a task. If the client is only vaguely dissatisfied
with the status quo, then the trigger doesn’t hold enough tension to fire off change. If the client
doesn’t view the problem as a priority, then your creative solution to his complex problem won’t be
enough to ignite action. However, if the client does have an urgent problem and you can provide the
solution image, then circumstances are strong for winning new business.
3. Solving a Problem
Clients are most likely to buy in growth or trouble modes. In trouble mode, the client is
failing to achieve the desired business goal--there is a discrepancy. Likewise, in growth mode,
there is a gap between where the client is and where he wants to go. The driver is the quest to
improve operations.
Trouble mode could be a CEO who is behind in meeting revenue or profit targets and needs to
get back on track. Growth mode could be a sales VP who is doing well but who knows the market is
ripe for a new product or service. There is more urgency in trouble mode, and how keen the prospect
is on buying depends on how much trouble there is. It’s like a driver who is dissatisfied with his
car, but doesn’t take steps to upgrade to the model his heart desires until it starts to break
down. When the driver is no longer willing to tolerate paying mechanic bills to fix the problems,
he’ll take action to buy a new vehicle.
Even if the driver’s problem is not severe enough to leave him stranded on the side of the
road waiting for a tow truck, the salesperson may still be able to sell to the driver’s solution
image if he can demonstrate that the new vehicle will help him avoid a problem in the future.
Understanding Concepts Creates a Win-Win
Of course, the goal of any sales process is to create a win-win. Sometimes a win for the
client is based on achieving personal goals. A sales vice president gets his business results by
hitting revenue targets, but the personal reasons for hitting those targets could vary from
individual to individual. It could be that he is looking to buy a bigger home for his family,
seeking a promotion at work, or just trying to keep his job. The salesperson’s task, once again, is
to consider the personal win in order to offer products or services that will drive results and
achieve the client’s goal.
In doing so, you create a win-win that is based on realities rather than assumptions.
Assumptions can be dangerous. The effective salesperson always determines upfront what the client
wants from the meeting--and also understands his own needs--so he can be on the same page with the
client. That goes for first-time meetings as well as for the existing customers you meet several
times a year. Priorities change, problems change, potential solutions change, and competition
changes.
Consultative Selling Is Not Enough
In today’s competitive market, it is not enough for us to approach potential clients in a
consultative manner. Gaining a true understanding of client issues and priorities requires a
conceptual approach to selling. By focusing on the client’s concept, you are assured of a
client-centric approach that is by definition results-oriented. Selling is really all about what
the client is trying to fix, accomplish or avoid, and understanding this clearly and precisely will
help us sell more effectively.
©2008 Miller Heiman, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of these materials is by permission of Miller Heiman, Inc.
