Systems News - Used Office Furniture

Link: http://systemsnews.com/newsletter/2008/Nltr03-03-08.pdf

What Type of Customers Are You Facing?

Last week we looked at the first type 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 Second:

The Expert

When people are buying something that they do not fully understand, they will often call in an expert to give an opinion. They may also use the expert as a bludgeon to beat down the quality of your product.
When faced with an expert, you have a great opportunity to demonstrate what the product can really do. They may well be drawn in by technical features that, in practice, may not be of significant use. If you can get them on your side, they can be a great asset. Watch out for the relationship between the expert and the financier. Experts can easily be precocious and annoying for financiers, and you may be able to downplay the importance of the experts negative comments.

When an expert is being critical, either have your product knowledge at your fingertips or call in your own expert. Experts often get on very well with one another and problems may get usefully lost in the tech-fest.