Question and Answer
Clearly, spreading the business around between several vendors is the customer's philosophical approach to purchasing. He/she probably has arrived at this approach through some combination of personal experience and/or executive direction.
Here's a pretty effective rule for sales strategy: When your customer voices a firmly held position, do not attack that position. You'll just harden their positions and make life difficult for yourself. Instead, go around that position.
In other words, retreat a bit, change the subject and look for an opportunity on the specific, rather than the general, level. Leave the philosophical approach unaddressed. Instead, show him why, in one specific opportunity after another, you are the best choice. Do that over and over again, and, hopefully, he'll discover himself buying more from you than your competitors. He'll never have to publicly change his position; he'll just find himself acting differently.
That's the most effective approach. But, that isn't the only strategy. You may, for example, take a bit of a round-about approach to the issue. Realize that you have to influence the customer to change his opinion, to change his beliefs, and instead to believe that doing more of his purchasing from one vendor (you) is a better idea. Put yourself in the customer's shoes. If you were him, what would convince you to change your beliefs?
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The decision as to which accounts to invest your time in is a critical part of every salesperson's success. Learn a systematic way to make that decision in Chapter Six of Eleven Secrets of Time Management for Sales People. Learn more. |
Start by digging into the customer's head. What is more important to him when it comes to making a decision: price, quality, service, ease of doing business, etc.?
Once you uncover your customer's priorities, then you can work to fulfill his expectations in that regard. Over time, show him by your company's performance and your attention, that your company gives him everything that he wants.
At some point, a number of years down the road, when you have been successful on the item by item basis, it may be helpful to have a discussion about doing more business with you.
This is one of the most difficult sales situations for the sales person, because the customer's deeply held values prevent you, at least in the short term, from increasing the business. Before you decide to spend the time and effort to try to change the situation, make a cold-hearted, rational decision about the likelihood of you being successful in this account. It may be that your time is better spent in other accounts.
One of the greatest aspects of the sales profession is that there is always another challenge out there. You don't sell them all. If you did, it would get boring, and the job would be done by someone with half of your ability. This is one of those challenges that may frustrate you for years. Take the long term approach, and determine to eventually succeed.
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Dave Kahle is one of the world's leading sales authorities. He's written ten books, presented in 47 states and ten countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations. Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. Check out our Sales Resource Center for 455 sales training programs for every sales person at every level.
You may contact Dave at The DaCo Corporation, PO Box 523, Comstock Park, MI 49321, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Page Title: What to do when the customer wants to spread the business among several vendors? A question and answer by Dave Kahle for sales people.
Key Words: Dave Kahle, Kail, Kahil, Kale, selling, sales training,B2B sales, wholesale distributor sales people, sales reps, how to sell, spreading the business among vendors, key account sales, penetrating key accounts, sales management, managing sales people.
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