The MHEDA Journal - Second Quarter, 2013 - (Page 42)

21 ST SALES & CENTURY CLIENTS MARKETING An Expert, Advisor, Resource and Single Point of Contact What the 21st Century Client Really Wants BY WARREN GRESHES I recently conducted a webinar on “Effective Prospecting Skills.” As part of the process, attendees were able to type in and submit questions online before and during the webinar. The question that popped up most often was, “How can we convince our customers and prospects of the value of paying fair market prices or slightly more for better services instead of going to a competitor who is in panic mode and undercutting pricing to the point of not leaving any margins for anyone to survive?” I could think of only two answers: 1. Cut your price to match the competition. Be aware that if you do, you better be prepared to make painful cuts in quality, service and, most likely, people in order to make up for the big hit you will take to your bottom line. But, what the heck, cutting price is easy. Why do you think that’s the route most companies take? Or you could… 2. “Do the hard.” The key to success is not to do what everyone else is doing, but to do what everyone else is not willing to do. In this case, that means stop being salespeople and start being experts, advisors, resources and single points of contact for your clients. I guarantee there is not a single client, customer or prospect 42 MHEDA | themhedajournal.org who wants to be an expert on what you do. That’s what they have you for. Most clients don’t have the time to keep up with all the information they need to be experts in their own field, let alone yours. That’s why your ability to supply your clients with knowledge, expertise, information and education is not only critical to your success, but theirs, too. On top of that there are three very good reasons why you should always strive to be an expert, advisor, resource and single point of contact for your clients. 1. An expert, advisor, resource and single point of contact is the toughest thing for your competition to duplicate. There’s no secret that price is the easiest thing for competition to duplicate. http://www.themhedajournal.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The MHEDA Journal - Second Quarter, 2013

President’s Perspective
From the Desk of Liz Richards
Ask Your Board
MHEDA Member Profile
At Work
The Next Economic Cycle
In Case of Emergency – Disaster-Proofing Your Supply Chain
Annual Convention
Convention Program
Exhibitors' Showcase Floor plan
Absorption Measures Performance and Sustainability
Exhibitors’ Showcase Product Guide
The Parachute Congress Made
Get Your Game On
An Expert, Advisor, Resource and Single Point of Contact
What Looks Good on Paper
Instilling Work Ethic in the Emerging Workforce
How to Get People to Do What You Want Them to Do
Search Engine Marketing Value Proposition
New Members
Spotlight on Association News
MHEDA University Calendar
MHEDA Milestones
New Products
Index of Advertisers by Product Category

The MHEDA Journal - Second Quarter, 2013