Effective Selling (CONT’D FROM PAGE 70)
understand them, the better able you will be to help them. Their packaging cost will add up in four columns: time, space, labor, and material. Time: Lead times; the amount of time it takes to pack a
on a more meaningful level? To find the answers to those questions, the salesper- son must capture information. Essentially, that is all you are ever doing, capturing information and solving prob- lems. The key to the effective pursuit of this goal is to consistently see the issues from the buyer’s perspective. No matter how charming you are or how nice you are, the buyer doesn’t care about you nearly as much as they care about solving their own problems. If they perceive you as self-interested, as just another salesperson looking to get an order (the way buyers describe the 85 percent of sell- ers they say are not top-notch professionals) – they are not going to give you the information you will need to help them. So, Don’t Be Self-Centered Be focused on the buyer and the business of that pros- pect in such a way as to demonstrate your professional cu- riosity and concern for their success. It’s all about them! Try to estimate the actual cost of the packaging solu- tions they are currently paying – or, at least, do your best to identify the components of cost your prospect incurs due to packaging needs. If the buyer sees you as a pro- fessional who understands their business, they will give you the information you will need in order to make a pretty good guess regarding their goals and challenges relative to packaging cost. In other words, the more deeply you
box; the time it takes to respond to a request or a problem; the time a box sits waiting to be used in the customer’s fa- cility; the time it takes the customer to find the boxes when they need them; payment terms. Some specific examples of how time plays a role in the life of a box are: What hap- pens when lead times are missed? Who pays that price within and outside their facility? How does that reflect on the buyer’s life? How long does it take to pack a box and get it ready to load onto a truck? How long is a refriger- CONTINUED ON PAGE 74
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September 9, 2024
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