Stop whining and get out there and sell!

Selling value means explaining to the customer what your product does better. You will not bring in more money by sitting around whining that customers are stupid. Show the difference, explain the benefit and get out there and sell.

That is my somewhat angry message here in February 2010 after an email from a salesperson at a technology company I have worked with for several years. I will not name the company. They are bloody good and have some fantastic, advanced products. In my opinion, some of the best you can buy in Denmark. But they do not sell very much, and I think that is a shame.

The programmer had built something in an hour

We have discussed why the products are hard to sell, and I have offered a few tips. Today, one of the salespeople sent me an example of what he felt they were up against.

A director had written that the price of their product was completely ridiculous. His own programmer had installed a similar solution in an hour, so the salesperson’s company must be charging a pretty good hourly rate.

Between the lines was the claim that one hour’s work produced a solution as good as the product they wanted to sell for many thousands of kroner.

The salesperson’s reaction was roughly: There you go, Martin. We cannot sell anything with stupid customers like that.

I saw a sales problem

What? I wrote back that it was bloody poor selling. I thought the customer needed their product, but the salesperson had failed to convince the director of that.

Then you need to book a meeting and explain the difference. Show what the customer has had made and what you can deliver. I think there is a world of difference.

With the knowledge the company has, they should quickly be able to show the difference and explain why the customer can earn more with their solution than with something put together in an hour.

But the reply was that it was not poor selling. The director was arrogant, people were awful, they understood nothing and the customers were stupid.

For fuck’s sake, man. I do not want to listen to that. You end up sounding as though you have already lost.

Selling value requires an explanation the customer understands

It is about producing decent presentation materials, having a decent website and reaching the right people. And then you need to explain the product the right way.

You need salespeople who can explain things clearly and use images so the customer understands exactly what he is getting. You need to formulate a proper value proposition: What value does the solution create for the customer? You can find more of my experiences of online selling in E-pusher.

Yes, the solution the customer built himself in an hour may work. But what if it means he loses three out of four sales? Then simply comparing the cost of the programming is not enough.

Show the numbers

I use a hypothetical example: Your solution costs 20,000 kroner. If it gives the customer 10,000 kroner more in revenue a day, is saving those 20,000 kroner worth it?

It is an illustrative calculation. The point is that you need to show how much extra value your product may offer, rather than accept the customer’s comparison with a quick homemade solution.

The same applies when the customer compares it with a competitor’s product. You need to explain what makes your offer worth more to that particular customer.

Stop whining and move on

I provocatively say that customers are thick as shit. But how does thinking that help you? Does it bring in more money?

There is much more to gain from explaining your products properly. Stop sitting around whining because the customer cannot already see everything you know.

Show what you can do. Explain it well. Stop whining and get out there and sell some products.

Does a whining salesperson sell well? Best wishes, Martin

Location:Fort Lauderdale,USA