Systems News - Used Office Furniture

Link: http://systemsnews.com/newsletter/2008/Nltr02-25-08.pdf

What Type of Customers Are You Facing?

There are often three types of customer that you will have to deal with. Each has a different interest in the product and may be interested in the product at different times in the sales lifecycle. Depending on the sale, they may all be roles played by one person or may be separate people. Generally speaking, the bigger the sale and the bigger the company, the more likely it is that these are separate people.

Lets look at The Financier

This is the person who holds the strings to the purse. They give the go ahead to purchase the product and effectively sign the purchase order. They are interested in the product early on to make sure they company is not dreaming of too expensive equipment. Mostly, however, they are involved at the purchase decision stage., They may well have a lead role in the negotiations. Their main concern is cost, so don't try telling them how great the product is. The tools of the financier are the offers and price lists of competitors along with independent comparative studies which show ‘best value’. Sell to the financier by showing how low your costs are compared with the opposition. If the product cost is high, show how the cost of ownership is low over the whole life of the product. You should also, of course, how buying your product will save them money and increase their profits. Break even time on the purchase is another good metric to use.

Link: http://systemsnews.com/newsletter/2008/Nltr02-18-08.pdf

Does ―Luck‖ affect you?

1. Create, Notice and act upon chance opportunities

2. Use intuition to make successful decisions

3. Expect the best for the future

4. Transform bad luck into good fortune.

A few seconds of bad fortune can unravel years of striving, while a moment of good luck can lead to success and happiness. Luck has the power to transform the improbably into the possible; to make the difference between life and death, reward and ruin, happiness and despair. Research has revealed there are four main differences between the lives of lucky and unlucky people:

Link: http://systemsnews.com/newsletter/2008/Nltr02-11-08.pdf

Will You Pass the Flinch Test?
Part Three

“For 25 years, sales people asked me for coaching on the price of their proposal as I was the head of Procurement for my company. I told each one of them the same thing. Provide us with the best price that you feel good about giving and either way, you win. I always got a puzzled expression from that. Let me explain. If we award the business to you at that price, you’re happy. If we award the business to someone else at a lower price, you are happy as well because you wouldn’t have been happy to support the account at that price point.” —Lee B. Salz (President of Sales Dodo.)

To share a little secret, I use the flinch test all the time when I buy. It’s amazing how quickly sales people drop their drawers on price. I bet I’ve saved my family 20% across the board for all of our spending just with that test. It’s no wonder that professional buyers use this. I often wonder how many commission dollars were lost just because they flinched. How may commission dollars have you lost because you flinched?

If you remember back to last week, we were talking about the test of folding before your client in pricing. We talked about the secrets to people who don't flinch, and here is the final thoughts:

Link: http://systemsnews.com/newsletter/2008/Nltr02-04-08.pdf

Will You Pass the Flinch Test?

1. They set expectations upfront. Early in the buying process, they set the expectation that they are not the low price provider. “To be clear, our company is rarely the low bid, does that mean that we won’t be working together on this project?” If they say no, you are set for the later phases of the process. If they say yes, at least you haven’t invested a ton of time in an account that you won’t win. If you are going to lose, lose early.

2. They don’t flinch! “I’m not surprised by your reaction. I get that a lot. As I mentioned at the outset, we are rarely the low bidder.”

3. They seek to understand. “When you say that you are shocked by the price, which part is surprising? This is the subject of another article of mine which addresses the importance of understanding the prospect’s perspective of price.

4. They reinforce their position. “Since we are rarely the low price provider, what do you think our 1000 clients see that leads them to pay a little more to have us?

If you remember back to last week, we were talking about the test of folding before your client in pricing. We listed some examples, but here are the secrets to sales people who don't flinch: