Ditch The Old Ways Of Selling And Embrace This Path

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Ditch The Old Ways Of Selling And Embrace This Path To Make Your Customer Happy



I deeply believe in being customer centric when it comes to selling. Really understanding the needs of buyers usually leads to a good outcome for both parties and to the kind of relationship that results in repeat business.

But there are two customer-focused approaches that are pervasive in modern selling and we would be wise to jettison both of them for a third way.

The oldest rule in sales is that the customer is always right. The harsh reality for sellers, however, comes when the customer turns out to be wrong — and the seller must bear the consequences for it.

Today buyers have access to so much information that it’s common for them to say they know exactly what they want and how they want it. Sometimes a motivated buyer has done enough research to know as much or more about the field, broadly speaking, as the seller.

Don’t overindulge the buyer

The customer isn’t always right. Let me illustrate with an example from my own backyard.

I live in a very rural area and have a very large garden. I know there are people who love pro sports, or poker, or fine wine, but my own vice is growing things. Greens, beets, beans, carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, peppers, celery, cucumbers — you name it, I enjoy the challenge of nurturing it and harvesting it.

My problem is that I am surrounded by deer that enjoy harvesting it, too.

So, I called a local fencing company and told the owner exactly what I wanted: a two-rail fence to keep out the deer. My garden is big enough to make the fence a $4,000 investment.

A couple weeks later, I returned home to find the work crews had installed a two-rail fence just 40 inches high. That might be tall enough to fend off rabbits, but it’s hardly even a speed bump for deer. I may as well have not built anything.

“That’s not going to keep any deer out,” I told the owner as we surveyed his company’s work.

“I know,” he told me, “I had no idea what you were thinking when you said you wanted a two-rail fence, but that’s what you said you wanted.”

“But you knew I wanted to keep the deer out. You knew what I was trying to accomplish.”

“You said you wanted a two-rail fence, not a three- or a four-rail fence, so I gave you a two-rail fence.”

The fence company owner refused to bend. No repairs, no fixes. I was forced to find and hire someone else to add an electrical fence that rose another two feet above my two-rail fence.

My thumb may be green, but my face was red. In the time since, I have told many friends and neighbors to never, ever buy a fence from that company.

The overall lesson: No matter who did what, buyers will always hold the seller accountable for the outcome — especially if the outcome is bad.

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