How to Turn Customer Problems into Opportunities
A buying signal?
Have you ever come across a situation where your customer is stating an issue or problem? And you suddenly think.
Aha! This is a buying signal. It’s time to start selling!
Think again.
Quantify the problem first
Step back. You need to determine which factors are affecting your customer regarding this issue.
The first step is to get your customer to articulate the costs of the problem. For example, you could ask:
- “What is this problem costing you in time?”
- “What is this problem costing you in opportunities?”
- “What is this problem costing you in resources?”
- “What is this problem costing you in overhead?”
- “What is this problem costing you in customers?”
Determine the magnitude
When you ask about costs, you are able to QUANTIFY the problem.
It now becomes much clearer what the magnitude of the problem really is — and you’ll be able to find out what your customer really needs.
A true closing opportunity
Because you now know, what the customer really needs, you can present a value-based solution that is truly meaningful.
Your customer, literally, has no choice but to buy!
Now you can say it…… Aha!
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Paul Cherry
For over two decades, sales expert and author PAUL CHERRY has helped B2B sales professionals close more deals in all major industries. As a recognized thought leader in customer engagement strategies, Paul Cherry has been featured in more than 250 publications, including Investor’s Business Daily, Selling Power, Inc., Sales & Marketing Management, The Kiplinger Letter, and Salesforce.
Contact PaulPerformance Based Results
Paul Cherry is the president of Performance Based Results. PBR delivers intense, customized sales team training programs and sales management coaching to companies throughout North America. Paul has worked with more than 1,200 organizations, including 175 of the Fortune 500, plus more than a thousand entrepreneurial, small to mid-sized, cutting-edge businesses looking to dominate their niche markets. Clients typically get 7 times their return-on-investment (ROI) or better.
Questions That Sell
Paul Cherry’s top-rated bestseller, Questions That Sell: The Powerful Process for Discovering What Your Customer Really Wants (AMACOM) has been listed on BookAuthority’s “100 Best Sales Books of All Time” and has been published in four languages. He is also the author of Questions That Get Results (Wiley) and The Ultimate Sales Pro (HarperCollins Leadership).
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I like this approach! Nicely done.
Gary, Thank you for your kind words and I take it as a great compliment from a marketing pro
Hi Paul, we met a few years ago during one of your training seminars, and I still apply some of the philosophies you taught us back then. So its always nice to remind myself which ones I forgot about via your regular videos, so thanks for the reminders!
Martin, Great to hear from you. I remember you in our session. The UK team by far was the best, just don’t tell your US counterparts. And thank you for kind words and your commitment to continue to put the concepts into practice. Please tell your team members I say hello.