It's Good To Talk, Pick Up The Phone!

Why Suppliers Should Stop Focusing On Their Products.

I recently had a situation where a client asked me to intervene with a supplier as the proverbial was hitting the fan in a time sensitive situation. I tried to communicate at four levels within that company from Managing Director to Account Manager, none of whom would return my call even though emails were being exchanged. The sad part about this is that the problem was easily solvable if the supplier had answered the phone, but the client’s time had run out. You can imagine how this supplier was viewed by my client - whom promptly served notice to terminate the supplier’s contract.

For me, suppliers communicating with any customer primarily through email is a terrible idea. Emails have their place, but they have no tone, a lot can get lost in translation and simple messages can mean completely different things depending upon the voice the recipient hears whilst reading the message. Emails also lack the personal touch. 

In 2011, a new customer to me had just agreed to us working together. This represented a huge deal to me personally and was very significant to the company I was working for. I will paraphrase what the customer said which has always stayed with me; ‘When the proverbial hits the fan, I will call you, make sure you pick up the phone so we can work together on the solution!’

I picked up the phone many times and we did a lot of business together – we still work together today, both of us at different companies. Account management is supposed to be about building and maintaining personal relationships – pick up the phone, customers appreciate the personal touch!

We all face situations that seem to be beyond our control but in reality, this is rarely true. This perceived lack of control is what makes some want to hide away, not deal with the situation and, either hope it all blows over, or that someone else will deal with it. What happens initially may be beyond our control, but how we react is not, and in fact, how we react is far more important. High end sports phycologists tell their athletes to concentrate on controlling the controllables – it’s a mindset. How an individual decides to turn up each day, or face a situation positively is entirely within their own control. We can always do better!

There seems to be a decline in the quality of the account management across the fitness industry. Our company works with around 100 suppliers on a regular basis and there is significant variability in the level of service we receive. We also see this variability with the level of service our customers receive from suppliers. Indeed, one of the reasons our company exists is because frequently it is as if suppliers and buyers are speaking in different languages – we are the interpreter for both sides.

Most suppliers and account managers’ understanding of their customers’ procurement process and business finance is also limited. The ROI calculations that suppliers provide are not worth the paper they are written on as they ignore the financial reality within which customers work. As an example, suppliers of fitness equipment may not be competing against their natural competition (i.e. other suppliers of fitness equipment) but against suppliers of swimming pool plant equipment, changing room suppliers or flooring contractors. The fitness equipment proposal may be valid but not as appealing to the customer as refurbishing their changing rooms. If budget is limited, this is their real competition. Providing a customer with an ROI or USP’s against other fitness equipment supplier proposals is not going to win them the business.

In the early stages of research, customers are interested in new ideas, innovation and generally any proposal that solves their requirements. Although there is usually a project lead, most complex buying is done by consensus. Once a solution is identified and has been socialised within their company, alternative proposals that challenge this are much less welcome. Most buyers see products as generally interchangeable and instead their decisions are based on a wide range of other factors. 

If you look at any supplier’s website, their marketing departments are pre-occupied with the belief that their success is based on their USP’s and a full description of their technical information. This then becomes the default position for their sales proposition. When was the last time a gym member cancelled their membership due to the brand or technical capability of a product? If the product is unavailable, in poor condition, dirty or causes discomfort through use, then it’s likely that a member will complain, and or cancel their membership. Through product specification or brand though, this is virtually unheard of. I would go as far as to suggest that most gym users could not tell you what brand of equipment their gym has, or model of equipment – it’s of no importance to them. 

It sounds counter-intuitive, but suppliers and account managers have got to stop focusing on their products. In 2017, Steve Martin did some research for DiscoverOrg that showed only 35% of buyers have a favourable view of salespeople – this is quite astonishing. The report also states that reviews, testimonials and competitor comparisons are what buyers want to see on a suppliers’ website. The third point I picked out of this research was that buyers like salespeople who are available & trustworthy, match solutions to problems and challenge thoughts to offer new solutions. This is no surprise that people buy people, especially those who add value. This brings us back to where this article began. 

Communication is the key to any relationship. Having the right tools in place to create transparency on both sides and prevent mistakes is essential. Given a customer’s numerous priorities, account managers need to be proactive with their communication. The aspirational goal of any account manager should be to know a customer’s business better than the customer does. This of course is near impossible, but the goal should reflect the proactive nature of the role. Account managers should become true partners of their customers. The very nature of a trusted advisor requires you to be a great communicator and to put the customer first. Be that person who the customer rings to ask advice on a host of subjects, products or services, most of which you won’t be selling to them. This is an ideal scenario, they are trusting your opinion and whilst they are talking to you, not only are you are cementing your relationship with them, but they are then not speaking to your competitors!

So, the next time you want to contact your customer, or your customer wants to speak with you, pick up the phone – they’ll appreciate the personal touch and you’ll generate more business!