Caught in the Middle and How Get Out

Customers are demanding lower prices. Factories are moving overseas.
How can salespeople survive?
These are tough times for salespeople. Customers are demanding more services and lower prices. Many are purchasing directly through the internet and from manufacturers.
Salespeople find themselves caught in the middle - doing more for customers, making less money and wondering about their paycheck.

The solution is simple. Salespeople Must Add Value. How?
Salespeople add value in many ways - before, during and after the sale. These services include product availability, problem solving and technical support, just to name a few.

But customers often do not realize how these services translate into dollars-and-cents value. Why? Because salespeople are generally not trained in how to calculate this value for customers.
Beyond product training
Customers are interested in more than product features and benefits. They want to know how these benefits translate into dollars-and-cents cost savings or sales increases.

Salespeople must learn how to calculate these numbers for their customers.
The limits of “features and benefits” selling
Until the salesperson can demonstrate savings to the customer, his products features and benefits are useless.
Why customers still demand lower prices?
Because the salesperson does not customize the savings for the customer! When he can do that, he will move the customer’s focus away from the purchase price and toward the dollars-and-cents value they will realize.

After seeing these numbers, the customer is now less likely to buy through the Internet or through another channel.
Selling dollars-and-cents value
Salespeople don't have to be caught in the middle.All it takes is the right training. For more information on how salespeople can learn these skills, visit here.

By Andy Ng, Sales Trainer Coach of Asia Trainers.

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