"Perfect Sales " Process: Finding Those Prospects Who Already Want Your Service

Part 2--Targeting Potential "Perfect Service" Disciples

As president of your company, you have already focused the company to differentiate using a premier service approach. You have implemented many of the tenets of "Perfect Service," have begun delighting your current customers, and beginning to focus on profitable growth.

Remember, the magic "Perfect Service" success formula: Satisfied customers will stay with you at premium prices, buy more services when appropriate, and serve as enthusiastic references for new customers. The sales idea, then, is to find more customers who will act as disciples for your success.

You have now segmented your market into three sets of buyers:

1. Low Cost Buyers
2. Rich Features Buyers
3. Premium Service Buyers

Customers who value your key proposition--Premium Service--will appreciate the unique nuances of your offering, and be willing to pay higher fees. Your growth strategy should be to dominate the Premium Service segment, while working to grow that segment overall. Larger slice of a growing pie, so to speak.

There are a few categories of potential customers upon which a sales organization may target. For expediency, I will call them all "Service Prospects.":

• Prospects who value your service proposition and are willing to buy from you;
• Prospects who value your service proposition but don't know you exist;
• Prospects who don't know if they value your service proposition but know who you are;
• Prospects who don't know if they value your service proposition and don't know you exist;
• Prospects who don't value premium service but know who you are;
• Prospects who don't value premium service and don't know you exist.

An effective sales effort needs to quickly determine into which of these categories a prospect falls. Depending upon sales situations and service offered, once the category is determined, sales efforts must be targeted and proportional. Selling a service requires intimate understanding of the prospects specific needs, so the correct solution/service may be offered. Cost of sales effort is likely to be high, and also requires a high close rate. This requires time and resources, and must be focused on those prospects that already value what your company offers.

The prospects you should see out include:

• Prospects who value your service offering, and who already know you;
• Prospects who value your service offering, and who don't know you;
• Prospects who are unsure about the value of service, but who know you;
• Prospects who are unsure about the value of service, and don't know you.

Once identified, it is not useful to pursue those customers who do not value your service proposition. You will spend a lot of time convincing them that service matters, and will likely entice them with lower pricing for service that they will not value over the long run. They will never be "Perfect Service" disciples. Therefore, do not pursue:

• Prospects who do not value service, but who know you;
• Prospects who do not value service, and don't know you.

It may seem elementary, but few companies are so focused on their competencies that they are willing to cede potential sales on the grounds that the sales efforts will be wasteful, and the subsequent relationship will never be totally fruitful.

My View:

Targeting the right customers is an essential first step for the "Perfect Service" organization. Creating customized service solutions requires time and effort to understand each potential customer's situation, needs, and desires. (More on that process in future posts.) So it is critical that there is a high probability for a successful sale.

How does a firm determine the prospect's buying criteria? It is not cookie cutter, but there are a few indicators:

How is the prospect currently being served, and from whom? This is often an indication of past buying criteria, as well as an understanding of the service the prospect is currently experiencing.

Why is the prospect undertaking the search? Oft times, it is merely a due diligence search required by a purchasing department. Other times, this question uncovers a dissatisfaction with current service. If the dissatisfaction is with price, it is strong indication of a commodity shopper...but not always. Price dissatisfaction could also be a prospect currently paying for service not valued.

Why is the prospect willing to talk to us? Somehow, the prospect is communicating with your company. If you called, then they took the call. If they called, there is something they want to know. Either way, the prospect is most likely willing to learn, either about your service proposition, or about your company.

By identifying the type of buyer, a sales organization can now get to work on finding service solutions for this company's unqiue issues. This is where "Perfect Service" is first demonstrated.