Alienating Potential Customers: Be Aware!

I am sure each of us has lost a sale at some point in our lives (and if you haven’t, please, tell us your secrets!).  You can’t win them all and sometimes you and a potential customer just aren’t a good fit.  However, there are times when you in fact alienate a customer.  But have no fear!  We are going to tell you how you alienate a potential customer and how to stop this cycle.

Geoffrey James, writer of the Sales Source column on Inc.com, recently sat down with Susan Scott, author of the best-selling books Fierce Conversations and Fierce Leadership and discussed five very common sales mistakes.  We will discuss three of them in this post.  To read his entire article, click here.

3 ways you alienate a potential customer:

1. Trash-Talk the Competition.
   When you are selling your product, you are selling yourself in a sense too.  Trash-talking can make you seem disrespectful and unprofessional, which isn’t usually the type of company people want to work with.  This can be a hard thing to avoid when you are trying to compare the advantages you offer over your competitors.
   
   Instead of pointing out the bad in your customers, point out the good you offer.  James and Scott suggest you make the case that something your product does well is essential.  Customers will appreciate the positives you offer over the negatives you say about competitors 10 to 1.
   
   
2. Cave to Last-Minute Demands
   You set your prices at a rate you know you need to be successful.  If you go and change the price just to please the customer they will conclude you weren’t offering the best deal to start which makes you look untrustworthy.
   
   James and Scott recommend you frame the parameters of the deal fairly and honestly from the very start. When a last-minute demand appears, simply say: "That won't work for me." The customer backs off.
   
   
3. Become Complacent
   After you have been working with a customer for a while, it can be easy to put the relationship on the back burner.  You become less proactive with them, because you have newer customers who need more attention.
   
   The greatest tip from the article is to always assume customers are asking themselves: "What has this guy done for me lately?" Answer the question by doing something that helps the customer become more successful.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in closing the sale, we forget about how customers perceive our actions.  The best advice is to always treat a customer how you would like to be treated.  You really can't go wrong with that kind of mind set!