Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1280561
28 PalletCentral • July-August 2020 palletcentral.com The customer pays the ultimate price of a failing supplier. Service levels drop, inventory delays add up, and aggravation and frustration ensue. These customers need a safety net. It is up to you to provide that safety net. Identify your weaker competitors and begin prospecting to their customer base. Offering added support to these prospects will position you as their go-to supplier. Tough times create an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with customers and prospects. SELL YOUR PERSONAL VALUE. The same pallet from the same company, but sold by two different salespeople, are two different solutions altogether. Companies blend in and look the same, products are virtually the same, but the salesperson remains that one unique dimension of value. Too often, salespeople forget to include the exceptional value they create. Our research shows that the salesperson provides 25 percent of the total value in any given solution. Ask yourself, "Am I providing my customers with the full 25 percent of value they deserve?" Our research also revealed that knowledgeable expertise is the number-one attribute customers look for in a salesperson. Customers expect you to know the answers to their questions. Buyers expect you to understand your products, your company, and your industry. Provide the buyer with meaningful insight and ask the questions they didn't think to ask themselves. If you're not the expert on your solution, then you are missing an opportunity. TOUGH TIMES ARE PART OF LIFE. These tough times will pass. Eventually, you'll reflect on these tough times in the comfort of a better future. On that future date, you'll look back on this time and ask yourself, "Did I give it my all? Did I make the most of that time? Did I emerge stronger? Was I as resilient as I know I could be?" Your action today will determine the type of conversation you'll have with your future self. Some sellers will merely go through this tough time, and others will grow through this tough time. The choice is yours. Paul Reilly is a speaker, sales trainer, co-author of Value-Added Selling, fourth edition (McGraw- Hill, 2018), and host of The Q and A Sales Podcast. For additional information, call 636-778-0175 or email Paul@ ReillySalesTraining.com. Visit www.TomReillyTraining. com and signup for our free newsletter.