Practical Help to Grow Your Business  

David Winch

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• The Professional Adviser
• The Business Health Club
• Phone 07940 703895
• E-mail david@davidwinch.co.uk

David's Top Ten
Customer Centricity Tips

Restorative Therapy for Sales and Marketing

For those who are not used to thinking and acting in this way, the transition can at times feel strange.  Don't worry!  Everybody goes through this stage.

1. "Say less, Sell more!"  A genuine interest in the customer means you're keen to find out more about them - So let them tell you!
2. Learn to articulate what you do, who you do it for, and the pleasure they get from having you do it, all without ever mentioning you, your business or your products and services - OK, I'll allow "I work with ..." and "I help them ...", but that's it.  50 words or less!  Off you go!
3. Ask your prospects what they want, and ask your customers why they chose to buy from you - Your belly-button isn't as good a source of reliable information! - Neither is the ceiling or your colleagues
4. Customers are only interested in what they will get out of buying from you.  Realise this and accept it.  They're not interested in your longevity, your experience, your client list, or how exactly you will do what you do - So don't try to tell them, unless you're asked!  But when you are, do tell
5. Prospects will often not be able to clearly describe the underlying problem, but may well have thought about a possible solution.  You are at your most customer-centred when you help them explore their own thoughts, and lead them to tell you all about the real problem
6. People don't buy what they need.  They buy what they want - And don't let any Sales Trainer tell you otherwise!  The customer-centred you might know they need something, but until they tell themselves they want it, you're flogging a dead horse.
   Of course, once they understand its value to them, they'll be begging to buy it and you won't have to sell anything.
7. Always look at life from the other person's point of view.  Help them to help themselves.  Don't issue commands, don't even ask them to do anything.  Offer suggestions, possibly options, and let them tell you what they think.
8. Problems, issues, and concerns never exist in isolation.  They are always part of a larger picture.  You cannot claim to be customer centred if you don't investigate and understand how a problem fits into its surroundings.
9. If you're short on confidence, create yourself a list of probing questions and try using one - Then keep quiet and listen to the answer.  Now, ask another!
   When it comes to confidence, practise beats study, thought and procrastination every time!
10. At the risk of sounding like a pure theorist, I believe you should always talk about 'You' much, much more than you talk about yourseldf.  Don't be a urinary tract infection - going we, we, we all the time!

Give it a try and just see how much more compelling people find you.

David Winch
Pain Relief and Restorative Therapy for Sales and Marketing
Practical Help to Grow Your Business

M: +44 (0)7940 7038985
E: david@davidwinch.co.uk

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David Winch specialises in working with smaller businesses whose Marketing function is not fully effective, with the result that they are worried about meeting their sales and profit goals.  David helps them craft more compelling messages and make better use of the internet, so they get more first appointments, build better strategic alliances and create more effective keep in touch systems.