One of a salesperson’s biggest challenges is the growth of the “Experience Economy.” It is also a source of great opportunity. Salespeople today cannot just peddle a product. They need to create a customer experience that is pleasant, memorable and focused on anticipating and solving problems.
Most products and services are the same or very similar to the products and services offered by the competition. A unique product last year has been reproduced at a lower price and is now commoditized in the minds of customers. How do you differentiate yourself from the company down the street, and how can you add a personal, engaging, unique experience to the way you do business?
Commodities vs. Experiences
Consider that:
- Many families pay as little as they can for commodities so they can spend a lot on an experience. They’ll buy cheap bread, milk, and eggs so they can spend big bucks on a trip to Disney World.
- A $20 bottle of wine becomes a $70 bottle when consumed with a meal in a trendy restaurant.
- You can either rent a movie or pay ten times as much for a family of four to see it on the big screen.
Many of us are willing to pay extra for a memorable experience.
If you are selling a commodity, price is always an issue. If you are selling an experience, people actually want to pay more as long as you don’t disappoint them. The question becomes: how can you shift from being transactional to leveraging the experience economy?
Ways to Create an Experience
Look at every contact you have with customers:
- phone calls
- literature
- your web site
- advertisements
- the look, feel and smell of your office
- the way you dress
- the greeting they get when they enter your business
- the stages they go through to make a purchase
- the invoice
- the way you deliver their order
- your follow-up calls or letters
- the professionalism and branding of your product
- your return policy
- anything else that is a touch point between your company and your customers
Ways to Stand Out
What can you do differently from everyone else? How can you do to wow your clients? Can you make your customer’s life easier, less stressful, and more fun?
Make the experience of dealing with you so appealing and memorable that the purchase of your product is a natural progression of the relationship.
Steve Jobs took Wayne Gretzky’s advice to heart. “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Jobs successfully anticipated and created a customer experience that people didn’t know they wanted until he showed them it was possible.
Learn more about Pure Selling, a program designed to help your business stand out!