Customer Data Reveals Gaps

C-Lens Index Data from a December 2009 scan. 322 customers.  Industrial supply company selling through distributors.

Here is just a small portion of a larger set of data.  These are basic sales actions.  Look at what customers say they are getting:

Note: Click on the graphs for a better view.

Note the 1-5 scale is defined in the blue box.  Look at the responses for choices 1 and 3.  Choice 1 is Important to Me and TM (Salesperson) does it Frequently.  Choice 3 is Important to me and TM does it Infrequently.

These are five relatively basic sales actions--asking questions, listening, etc.  For each of these, from 25-to 30-percent of customers are seeing these infrequently.  The implication is that a significant number of sales people aren't seen by customers as practicing a basic skill.  Are these skills unevenly distributed across the population of sales people?  What else could explain this data?

What Do Customers Want Now? What The Latest Research Says

http://www.managesmarter.com/msg/content_display/sales/e3ia67226593de9282c5c1b54456e1f8605#

The latest research on what customers want now from sales teams.  While sales teams are fulfilling customers' immediate needs, long-range customer needs could use some work.

Does this research reflect what we've been hearing about "adding value"?

More Insights On Adding Value

We asked our Linked In discussion groups to help us on our journey to defining "Add Value".  The results came from more than a dozen sales professionals from all over the globe.  Here's a high level summary that distills out the main concepts:

1. Adding Value revolves around uniqueness, whether it is knowledge, experience, insight, perspective or perception that the sales person or team brings.  
2. The customer is changed by that uniqueness; customer are left in "a better place" by virtue of their interaction and relationship with the sales professional or team.
3. There are many ways to make that kind of impact--assuring implementation will work as planned, providing access to experts, disseminating news from the business community, connecting people together, etc.  
4. Fundamental to all of the above is a clear understanding of the customer's business and empathy for the customer's situation.

Agree?  Add? Have we captured the essence?  Next time, we'll present some research we've done that measures the extent to which customers experience value in the sales process.