As salespeople, it is comfortable to sell and resell the same products & services familiar to our customers. The clients already know what we have and reach out when they are ready to buy. Salespeople are also inclined to have others develop their sellable product line. This includes in-house development people and imaginative competitors with new, successful offerings. We see what these competitors are doing then mirror their product with our own signature twist.
These standard practices of reactionary selling, limited new product generation and following the leader become boring to all parties involved. Eventually, as these salespeople remain stagnant, they will lose their customers to creative competitors.
The most inspiring salespeople are those that do not wait and continuously push their company to innovate and design new products & services. These creatives raise the bar for everyone in the industry by taking risks to be the first to market. When these salespeople encourage their company to think differently, they have more to win.
Save your company hours of product research and development time by simply asking your best customers what they want next. They are your front line research team.
Your customers will tell you what they are looking for and what they are willing to pay. They already know your product and reputation so will provide valuable feedback and ideas. As long as you stay consistent with your brand, expanding your offerings should be a win-win for both parties. When you ask your customer “what do you want next?”, you will make more sales.
INSPIRE.
If you have been to Puerto Vallarta, you know the practice of vendors on the beach selling you products as you relax on your lounger. Some of these items include face masks, massages, boat tours, wood cutting boards, grilled red snapper on a stick, oysters and pareos. I am a customer to many of these vendors, but my biggest weakness is buying solid silver rings with various colored stones.
Every year, I usually buy two or three of these rings from the same vendor. He always visits with a case full of jewelry and I pick from a rainbow of options. This past year though, a new vendor approached me and asked to see the actual rings on my fingers. I asked him why. He said, “I think I made those rings. I want to see if my initials are stamped inside the silver”. I thought that was pretty cool, so I took the two rings off my fingers. It turns out Luis Flores was the designer and I had purchased a jewelry box full of his rings from this other vendor for the past decade.
The next day, I brought Luis my ten other rings in my travel case. Nine of these ten rings were his originals. It was fun watching him see “his” rings again. He was proud of his work as he should be. The quality and designs are all unique and beautiful.
The other day I told Luis what I do for my career as we talked about selling and customer service. Due to Covid, Luis told me he probably sells one ring each day if he is lucky. I asked him if he was interested in an idea that I thought could increase his sales. (You can’t take the consultant out of the girl–even on a beach day!) I suggested in addition to the case of pre-made rings he carries like every other jewelry vendor, he should walk around with the loose jewels & stones with various silver settings and let customers design with him on the spot. He was already designing each ring, so why not let the customers see endless options of possibilities and feel they were getting an even more custom-created ring?
Luis listened to my idea. The next day he showed up with a large red velvet roll. He unrolled it on my beach chair to reveal hundreds of jewels and stones. Within minutes, six women were surrounding my chair. We were all playing with the stones and deciding which ring we wanted made for us. Luis sold eight rings within a half hour. It was a great sales day.
