It’s time to stop wasting customers
By John R. Graham
Running out of customers is far worse than running out of gas. We can always find a way to get a can of gas. But finding more customers is different. More and more salespeople are stranded on a dark, desolate road when it comes to getting more customers.

We’re coming face to face with the one word that’s abhorrent to the business psyche and that’s “limitations.”

The notion that customers are in endless supply pervades our thinking. It’s a belief that’s perhaps best expressed in cold calling. Every day of the week, cadres of salespeople are exhorted by sales managers to “just keep dialing for dollars” as the way to get more business.

“Make more calls and write more orders” are also the words that have driven legislation to restrict cold calling. To the surprise of many, “Do Not Call” lists are growing far more rapidly than anyone expected, a clear indication that customers are tired of being hounded, interrupted and pestered at work and at home.

Yet, even as the prospect ranks dwindle, we are relentless in casting customers aside like empty coffee cups from Starbucks.

Much of the blame for the wholesale destruction of customers and prospects rest at the feet of those who are responsible for marketing and sales operations who continue to harbor naïve and long-dead “onward and upward forever” attitudes. They carry the deadly “no limitations” virus in their minds.

Customers are in short supply is an unavoidable reality
Why does even Wal-Mart continually look for new sources of customers? Dell dropped “Computer” from its name as it has branched out into selling printers, servers and services. The merchandise mix in Banana Republic stores is a far cry from what it was just a few years ago. The food processing giants such as Kraft and General Mills are in a race to rid their products of anything that’s “unhealthy.” It’s all the same message: customers are in short supply.

Just as we learned to live with other limitations, it behooves anyone in sales to look at each prospect and every customer as incredibly valuable. The old New England aphorism — “waste not, want not” — is as true as ever.

Here are guidelines for breaking free from the noxious notion that there will always be more than enough customers:

Don’t display stupidity. It’s time to think carefully before bypassing what appear to be small customers, the ones we decide are “not going anywhere.” Figuring out how to serve all customers is the real challenge for today’s salesperson, not just trying to pick off the ripe plums. Anyone can do that. There’s not a salesperson anywhere who hasn’t made the mistake of assuming that there was no future spending time on a particular account, only to discover that it had quickly blossomed into a major customer for a competitor.

Act as if every prospect is important and every customer counts. There’s nothing worse than wasting a prospect or a customer. Unless executives and sales reps begin thinking this way, the future may be far less rewarding.

We still have time to change our thinking, but it takes a new approach if we are to reclaim the future, one that respects prospects and customers, no matter their size.

Look for the sales potential in each prospect. This is an effective way to clear our minds of short-term thinking. The entire sales process should be aimed at creating a long-term customer relationship. It’s far more important than merely getting a sale. An ad agency met with a prospective client only to discover that the potential seemed rather limited. Nevertheless, it accepted the assignment and within 30 days it was clear that there was an endless supply of work.

No one dares to take chances, so it’s not unusual for a customer to hold back to evaluate how a supplier is working out before revealing the possibilities. Just because an account starts small doesn’t mean it won’t grow.

Too many sales executives actually defeat themselves over the long term by emphasizing what the sales force should be doing today or this week, leaving little or no time for discovering customer potential or cultivating long-term sales objectives with individual customers.

Meet the customer’s needs. It sounds so simple. Isn’t this what we all do? Not really. We still think that what we want to sell is what the customer wants to buy. It’s time to clear our head of such nonsense and make a point of concentrating on what your customers need to be happy and satisfied.

A sales manager for an office equipment dealer urges his salespeople to look around once they are inside a business to see what they are doing. He is sometimes frustrated because salespeople are so focused on getting the order for a particular product that they miss the big picture and overlook what may be a substantial potential for ongoing sales.

Unfortunately, what happens is that we make one sale and move on to the next prospect, failing to recognize the possibilities for an account for which we just won the order. How often do we leave a tremendous amount of business on the table for others to take for the asking?

Stop destructive sales practices. We need to think about what we’re doing, not just go about it blindly. For example, does cold calling produce the best results? Is it the most effective use of our time? The answer is “no,” even though too many in sales management continue to press the point with recruits. And when sales are down, the push to cold call increases. Cold calling is so irritating, so onerous that it actually destroys customers in the same way strip mining ravaged the countryside for so many decades.

Worse yet, cold calling shows that a company is bankrupt when it comes to effective marketing. It has nowhere to go except to the telephone. Start thinking about other ways to generate new business. Never stop thinking like a customer. In fact, take time to talk to customers and ask them how they would like to be approached.

Recognize your value. Every salesperson suffers from lack of customer appreciation. It goes with the territory. Ironically, it’s not always what we see that earns us special appreciation.

A client called in a senior sales representative to comment on a proposed program. When the client outlined the project, the salesperson realized the immense potential for his company, but he also knew from experience that the project was flawed and would quickly fail. Without hesitation, he expressed his reservations. A few days later, he presented a solution that would work for the client, even though it cut him out of the picture. A few weeks later, the client called and filled the sales rep’s plate with new business.

Today’s customers are looking for relationships based on results and trust. With downsized staffs, they count on the added expertise of their vendors.

Show appreciation. Too many salespeople never take the time to express appreciation, to say thank you. Once they have the order, that’s the end of it. They’re so interested in their next appointment that they ignore those who have contributed to their success.

How many salespeople will take the time to write a thank you note instead of dashing off an easy email message? Whenever Paul Marshall, a printing salesman, comes to call, he brings along a box of delightful pastries. One time, just as he was leaving for a vacation, a customer called. Even though time was short, he made the extra effort to pick up the pastries. The client didn’t forget his thoughtfulness.

Too often, it’s the next conquest that has our attention, while our existing customers pay the bills. How about 30 days after the transaction? Or six months? Or a year later? Here’s a good rule: If you remember a sale, the customer will never forget you.

Decide what you want as customers. Don’t just sit back and let fate decide your destiny. While most salespeople are always on the lookout for prospects, finding them becomes more a matter of chance than planned encounter.

A much more professional approach is to be proactive and develop profiles of those you want as your customers. Make an effort to gather all the information you can on them. Let them know that they fit the profile of customers you best serve.

Roll out a program to acquaint these prospects with your expertise. Keep moving closer to them by gently pulling them into your orbit. Once they know you and are comfortable with your approach, you are in the process of transforming them into actual customers. When this happens, you will get the orders.

Keeping your pipeline filled with qualified prospects is your sales lifeline. From it will flow a steady stream of orders. Why? Because when the customer gets ready to buy, you’ll be there.

If the lure of making the next sale is greater than the desire to meet customer expectations, we will continue to act as if the reservoir of customers is bottomless. If, on the other hand, we make a commitment to utilizing our experience and resources to helping the customer succeed, there will be a steady flow of business.

About the author: John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm. He is the author of The New Magnet Marketing and Break the Rules Selling, writes for a variety of publications, and speaks on business, marketing and sales topics for company and association meetings. He can be contacted at 617-328-0069 or . The company’s web site is www.grahamcomm.com.