Know-ing or No-ing Your Customers

Which Road Do You Take?

So you think your know your customers or do you really no your customers. You’ve been calling on one customer for a few years. You’ve been moderately successful but you can’t quite make the big sale. You’ve prepared great presentations and the customer seems interested but when you go back, the customer either turns you down or just places a small order. You politely thank the customer for this order and suggest that maybe next time it can be larger. The customer says “yea, maybe next time.” As you walk back to the car, you scratch you head in disbelief. What are you doing wrong? Why can’t you get this customer to buy your product? You’ve tried everything you can think of to get this customer to place a large order. Maybe instead of know-ing your customer, you are in fact no-ing your customer. Whether you own a large business or a small Mom & Pop store, know-ing your customers is critical to your success.

Let’s consider how you may be no-ing a customer. Do you make decisions for your customer? Do you assume that a particular product or pricing structure would or would not be of interest to your customer? Do you trust your customer? Have you developed a business or personal relationship with your customer? Now turn the tables; what type of sales person do you prefer when making your own purchases? Do you prefer a sales person who includes you in the sales decision or one who tells you what you look good in or what and when to buy? The answers to these questions will help you to begin to understand whether you are know-ing or no-ing your customer.

Present your product or service in a way that lets the customer see how your product or service will help him or make his life easier. In order to do that you must know your product, know your customer and his needs and know how those issues come together. By the way let your customers know that you care about his business and how helping him, helps you, your business and your employees. In this economy there are many businesses that offer the same product and you can distinguish yourself and your business by remembering to know your customer versus no your customer.
There are here are a number of websites which offer suggestions on this topic. I found http://www.mycustomer.com/topic/how-get-know-your-customer-build-trust and the blog http://www.smallbusinessnewz.com/topnews/2008/07/08/getting-to-know-your-customers very helpful.