October Newsletter: Challenging False Assumptions

Have you ever dreamed of becoming one of the sales winners in your organization? Do you hope to one day be the #1 sales rep in the company? Do you have a particular personal or fitness goal you want to achieve? These goals are absolutely within your reach!

I read a statement this week made by one of my favorite authors, Brian Tracy: “Incorrect assumptions lie at the root of every failure. Have the courage to test your assumption.”

Have you ever thought about how dangerous it is to make assumptions? Assumptions can wreck our chances of reaching our full potential.

What is an assumption? An?assumption?is “something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof.” In other words, when I assume something, I believe it to be true without any sort of proof or evidence.

Most of us are unaware of how often we make assumptions. In reality, we make assumptions every single day, and those assumptions can lead to certain patterns of behavior. Sometimes, false assumptions lead to detrimental actions and habits.

Are you perceiving life accurately?

In the 1960s, American psychologist Harry Harlow conducted a fascinating social experiment with monkeys. Five monkeys were locked in a cage, and a banana was hung from the ceiling with a ladder placed directly under the banana. Of course, one of the monkeys immediately raced toward the ladder, intending to climb it and grab the banana. However, as soon as he started to climb, the researchers sprayed the monkey with ice-cold water. Interestingly, they also sprayed the other four monkeys at the same time.

When a second monkey was ready to climb the ladder, the researchers sprayed this monkey with ice-cold water too and then applied the same treatment to its four fellow inmates. The monkeys learned their lesson. They decided not to climb that ladder again—banana or no banana!

The researchers then replaced one of the monkeys in the cage with a new monkey. As you might expect, the new arrival spotted the banana and went after it right away. As the new monkey started to climb the ladder, the situation got interesting. The original four monkeys, familiar with the cold-water treatment, ran toward the new guy and yanked him down. The new monkey, although blissfully unaware of what had happened previously, instantly got the message: no climbing up the ladder in this cage! One by one, the researchers replaced all the original monkeys with new ones, and each time a new monkey attempted to climb the ladder, he was pulled down by the other monkeys.

In time, only monkeys who had never received the cold shower were in the room, but none of them would climb the ladder! And, they prevented any new monkey introduced to the cage from climbing the ladder as well—even though none of them knew why they did this.

How often do we act like those monkeys??We must challenge the assumptions we have, evaluating whether or not they are true and/or applicable to our situations.

Our greatest challenges to success will always be the ones we create in our own minds. As an exercise, finish these statements:

“Never talk to ________.”

“Don’t ask so many _______.”

“Always eat your ________.”

“Always wear clean ________.”

“Keep your elbows off the ________.”

Why were we able to finish each statement? We’ve heard these phrases multiple times since childhood, as is the case with many of our assumptions about life. Although seemingly harmless, assumptions can become beliefs that condition how we act and live. When do they become destructive??When they cause us to act without reason or thought, thus stunting our growth and forward momentum.

If you find yourself thinking?“I’m not good enough; I may never be able to succeed; other people are better than me; I’m probably going to fail—then you’ve probably allowed your thinking, at least in some part, to be controlled by assumptions.

Challenge your assumptions about the world and about yourself. Make sure they are factual and relevant—don’t let your life be run by fictional perceptions of your situation. Choose to ignore the voice that says “I’m not enough” and instead step into the freedom of believing?you are enough.

Any person who desires to be successful must recognize and ruthlessly evaluate assumptions. Don’t assume your thinking is correct, even if you’ve thought that way for many years. Stephen Covey said, “We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be. And our attitudes and behaviors grow out of these assumptions.”

Why can’t you be the #1 salesperson in the company? Why can’t you be physically fit? Why can’t you be the person who achieves something great? Casting aside assumptions, the answer is: YOU CAN.

Famed scientist Isaac Asimov’s advice provides a perfect conclusion: “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”

Redefining Your Sales Strategy Around Customer Needs

Customer needs in sales should be paramount when developing and executing sales strategies. After all, the “customer is king!” and, ultimately, if you don’t meet or exceed their needs and expectations, your sales will fall flat.

So, what exactly IS a Customer Needs Sales Strategy?

Definition of a “Customer Needs” Sales Strategy

A Customer Needs Sales Strategy is a thoughtful sales approach that prioritizes understanding the customer and addressing their specific needs, pain points, and desires. It deviates from a more traditional sales strategy – which focuses on pushing products or services – by building rapport, actively listening, and tailoring true solutions unique to the customer.

Why is it Essential to Execute a Customer-focused Sales Strategy?

Benefits of a Customer Needs Sales Strategy are many. It puts the customer first and delivers solutions that truly meet their needs. This results in a more satisfying and successful experience for both the customer and the seller. This level of satisfaction helps build customer loyalty; and this can be key to boosting market share.

What are the Four Primary Customer-focused Sales Strategies?

1. Needs-Based Selling: This value-based strategy is based on identifying the customer's specific needs through active listening and questioning, and then tailoring the sales pitch and recommended solutions accordingly.
2. Solution Selling: This strategy focuses on identifying and addressing customer pain points and providing responsive tailored solutions.
3. Consultative Selling: This strategy involves building rapport and trust with the customer, with the goal of becoming their trusted advisor who can provide expert guidance and guide them through the decision-making process.
4. Relationship Selling: This strategy emphasizes building long-term customer relationships based on consistent communication, trust, mutual benefit, and ongoing support through value-added services.

Which one of these customer-focused sales strategies works well when customer needs don’t vary much? Actually, it’s possible – and beneficial – to combine elements of each selling strategy. Of course, your “go to” or default strategy could depend on your customer personas and demographics. It might also be important to consider how your competitors market their products or services and then take a differentiated approach.

What is an Example of a Customer-focused Sales Strategy?

When redefining sales strategy, consider this scenario: You are selling to a tech firm that wants to grow more rapidly and gain market share with small to medium-sized businesses. How can you execute a Customer Needs Selling Strategy to help them achieve their goals?

1. First, engage by asking key questions and actively listening to gain understanding of the customer’s needs. Ask about their pain points, their Key Performance Indicators, their growth goals, their market demographics, and their customer personas.
2. Based on what you learn, present a tailored solution that aligns your services or products with their needs. If there is, indeed, true alignment, you will be able to clearly demonstrate and articulate the value of your solution. You might, for instance say something like “Based on what we’ve learned about your needs and the needs of your target customers, we’re confident our solution can help you reach the right prospects at the right time and in the right way (or something similar but more specific to the situation).
3. After the sale, provide ongoing support and resources to ensure customer success.

What is a Good Sales Strategy to Increase the Number of Customers?

Specifically, what might be a good Customer Needs Selling Strategy designed to increase the number of customers? Well, it involves adopting and adapting components of the strategies presented above. But it should be beneficial to focus on these key methods as part of your Customer Needs Selling Strategy:

1. Asking open-ended questions and actively listening to what they say, how they are saying it, and even interpreting their body language, to gain full understanding of their pain points.
2. Develop a Needs Assessment based on confirming what you’ve learned. Be sure to include a clear assessment of their overall goals and which customer growth goals and success metrics are most important.
3. Present a solution tailored to your customer and their needs, recognizing the context of their market and competitive landscape. Highlight benefits and clearly articulate value. Also, be prepared to offer options if the customer pushes back.
4. When the solution has been implemented, monitor and refine it to achieve sustainable customer growth.
5. Remember that being a trusted resource after the sale is essential to a true Customer Needs Selling Strategy.

?? The Bottom Line

Redefining sales strategy around customer needs in sales has become increasingly important if you want to gain a competitive advantage and increase customer growth and market share. A carefully crafted and well-executed Customer Needs Selling Strategy can be the tool to achieve those goals.

To better understand your current sales process and how it can be improved, reply to this email to take my free 10-Question Sales Agility Assessment!???

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