Selling versus consulting
October 24, 2014
By Ray Barry, Chief Shreducation and Member Relations Officer
“People will pay more if they perceive there is greater value or a deeper reason for buying from one provider over another.” ‑ Chet Holmes, “The Ultimate Sales Machine”
This quote from the late great Chet Holmes tells me one specific thing: It’s not always about price. People will buy value from your destruction company if you can show them a deeper reason as to why they should.
What do I mean by “a deeper reason”? It certainly is not just matching or beating prices. The best way to show a prospect the deeper reason for doing business with you is to teach them something or be perceived as a trusted adviser, much like a business consultant. If you sell your service to your prospects, it becomes less about value and more about price.
On the other hand, if you offer to teach them something valuable, you will find that price is not the deciding factor. Most prospects would rather do business with an expert as opposed to a salesperson. Below are a few reasons why teaching something to your customers instead of selling them something works:
- By offering education that helps the buyer, you create buyer interest.
- If the information is useful, it positions you in the mind of the prospect as an expert compared to your competitors.
- The information you teach will in someway relate to your destruction service that will ultimately sell your services much better than pitching your company or service.
Here are some ways to teach your prospects:
- Offer to write your prospect’s information destruction policies and procedures (put a value on this service).
- Offer to train their employees to help them maintain compliance with all data protection regulations and use the NAID employee training DVD.
- Become a Certified Secure Destruction Specialist (CSDS) so you have the knowledge base to help your customers with protecting their information. They deserve it!
- Develop a story or message that applies to your market.
- Speak at tradeshows and seminars.
- Write for industry publications.
- Conduct lunch ‘n’ learns.
Remember, if you share your industry knowledge, you will earn the sale by providing value first.