5 WAYS TO TEST YOUR CUSTOMER PERCEPTION VS REALITY

One of the most common pitfalls that a sales professional can make is assuming you have a good grasp of your customers’ needs and are ready to propose a solution for their problem or challenge. But it’s important to bear in mind that perception and reality often exist in different realms—meaning that the customer may have an entirely different take on the situation. Learn how the right to propose a solution must first be earned by having a thorough understanding of the customer’s issues, and get tips about how to identify their needs.
According to customer-satisfaction studies, in order to meet the client’s expectations, salespeople must first understand the customer’s needs before attempting to match a possible solution to the client’s goals. Doing so is the difference between solution-led selling and product-led selling. Yet, although the majority of salespeople believe they focus on selling solutions rather than products, they also admit that they often don’t understand their customers’ issues before presenting a possible solution—an admission that is too often corroborated by the customer, unfortunately. This disconnect can ultimately determine whether a customer chooses your organization’s service or product.
When salespeople don’t take the time and effort to properly research the customer’s needs, they are opening themselves up to the claim that they don’t really know the customer’s business and what the customer is trying to accomplish, which could result in the following:

• The customer has a need the salesperson doesn’t know about; and/or
• The salesperson proposes solutions in areas that aren’t relevant to the customer.

Here are five things to consider for improving how you connect solutions to their needs:

1. Take the time to interpret customer feedback and develop an action plan based on that information. When customer information serves as the basis for an action plan, customers feel that they are being heard and valued.
2. Go back to the customer and present the initiative designed to improve the customer experience, along with the action plan for furthering the business relationship.
3. Make sure the plan is actionable and well-defined, with assignments and time frames in place. Doing so will demonstrate your commitment to the customer and will also help keep the momentum going.
4. Validate your plan with the customer on a regular basis to ensure that you’re focusing on the right areas.
5. Ask the customer to own an action item on the plan to encourage their buy-in and to lay the groundwork for your relationship to be perceived as a partnership.

It’s a given that customer satisfaction leads directly to increased sales and profitable, long-term relationships. The burden rests squarely on you as a sales professional to move the needle from vendor status to becoming a valued partner with the customer’s business—one who is well-equipped to hear and meet the customer’s needs with a solution that fits.