Contrary to popular belief, customers are less interested in price and more interested in these ten things…

All customers want the highest quality at the lowest price, right? Well, sort of. That is important but, surprisingly, the quality vs. price formula is not usually on the top of the customer’s list of concerns, especially when it comes to selling business to business (B2B).

According to numerous surveys, B2B customers want the following ten things from the people who sell to them:

1. Preparation Customers want you to do your homework before talking with them. They resent it when you ask questions that can easily be answered by a few minutes on their website or LinkedIn.

•Wrong: “And your head of manufacturing is who?” •Right: “How are purchasing decisions made between the manufacturing and engineering group?”

2. Simplicity Customers, like everyone else, must cope with the complexities of business. They want you to make what you’re selling simple but without being simplistic.

•Wrong: “Salesforce.com, the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced new next generation social analytics for the Marketing Cloud. With the expanded Marketing Cloud ecosystem, which now includes 20 industry leading social analytics vendors, companies are able to make better business decisions based on the massive amounts of social media data created every day, all from a single dashboard.” (this is a real example!) •Right: “We make it easier to find sales prospects on the web by gathering the results from multiple social media searches into a single convenient place.”

3. Creativity Customers already have ideas on how to solve their problems and create their opportunities. They want you to surface new ideas that won’t turn up during in-house discussions.

•Wrong: “We can address your list of requirements.” •Right: “Have you considered an alliance that might let you outsource that function?”

4. Loyalty Customers are risking their companies and careers by doing business with you. They therefore want you to represent THEIR interests and not just those of your company.

•Wrong: “Is there any reason why you wouldn’t buy from us?” •Right: “If you’re not 100% certain this is a good idea, then we should reassess the situation together.”

5. Accessibility Customers want to know they’re a priority and that you’ll get back to them quickly if they have a problem. If you don’t, they conclude they’re not important to you.

•Wrong: (recording) “I’m out of the office for a few days. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you when I return.” •Right: (recording) “If this is important, please text me at [number]. Otherwise leave a message.”

6. Accountability Customers don’t want you to pass the buck to anybody else in your company. If they’re going to work with you, they want you in the game.

•Wrong: “You’ll have to take that up with the sale support team.” •Right: “I will call the sales support team right now and have them give your problem immediate attention.”

7. Accomplishment Under-promise and over-deliver. Endeavour to provide what you set out to, and then some. Customers will always be impressed with high levels of service. By keeping customer expectations low and routinely exceeding them, an individual or company will develop a good reputation.

•Wrong: “I’ll be able to get the report to you by Wednesday” (Delivers Friday) •Right: “I’ll be able to get the report to you by Friday” (Delivers Wednesday)

8. Continuity & Service Customer service is an integral part of our job and should not be seen as an extension of it. When you satisfy your customers, they not only help you grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates. Continuity is also hugely important. Customers don’t want to be forgotten about after a few weeks, once you have new clients to focus on.

•Wrong: “Thanks for calling, goodbye” •Right: “Thanks for calling. Is there anything else I can help you with? By the way, we have a free copy of our new e-book available to download on our website”

9. Delivery Provide what the customer wants, not what you think they want. Be a good listener. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Beware of making assumptions – thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants. By delivering, you will build long term relationships and truly become that Red Jacket in the Sea of Grey Suits.

• Wrong: “I have sent out a direct marketing email on your behalf” • Right: “As you like my email on customer service is there anything else I could write for you?”

10. Continuous Improvements Keep up with the times and the competition. Customers (long-term especially) want to know that your services are up to date. In the digital age, changes are happening faster than ever, so don’t fall behind! Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs. Continuous improvement can also help to eliminate waste in your business and save you money as well as keeping customers happy: a win-win situation!

•Wrong: ‘Please fax us this information’ •Right: ‘You can now send us your receipts and invoices via your smartphone!’

The S4B Team