Why Are You Helping Your Clients Under-Invest?
I am taking over Jeff Shore’s blog today while he is celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary. So, for as long as it takes for you to read this single post, you belong to me!
When people guest post for friends, they often re-purpose content they have already produced. But this is a takeover, not a guest post.
And since I am taking over, we are going to dig deep into one of the areas salespeople need to do better work. This is preventing their clients from under investing.
Some salespeople believe the best thing they can do for their prospect or client is to help them save money. Mistakenly, they believe that lowering their price or finding their prospect a lower priced alternative solution is the way to serve their clients.
Most of the time, they are trying to make selling easier by taking money out of the equation.
Worse still, one of the main motivating factors for lowering their price or recommending something cheaper is they are uncomfortable asking for money and dealing with conflict around money.
This isn’t what great salespeople do. They don’t lower their price, especially if it puts the outcome their client needs at risk. And they don’t recommend something less than what will really serve their client. Instead, they show their client what is possible.
The end result of lowering prices and cheaper alternatives is, by allowing your client to under invest, you are depriving them of the best outcome, the best experience, and the greatest value.
If you are going to serve your prospects and clients, if you want them to trust you as their advisor, you must keep them from under investing.
This is what professional, consultative salespeople do. They don’t lower their price to make selling easier. And they don’t find cheaper alternatives because they fear pricing discussions.
Instead, help your clients make an investment that matches their real outcomes. Remind them of what they really want and show them what they put at risk by spending less money.
Whatever you do, don’t be complicit in helping people under invest.
That’s my takeover. Do good work, and tell Jeff I took good care of you in his absence.
About Anthony Iannarino
Anthony is the Managing Director of B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy. He also owns part of his family’s staffing business, a company he has grown from 3M to 45M with a small sales force of 6 people. Anthony teaches Professional Selling, Persuasive Marketing, and Social Media Marketing at Capital University’s School of Management and Leadership.
Anthony is internationally recognized as a thought leader in sales, with his award winning The Sales Blog being read by 65,000 people each month. His Sunday newsletter reaches 80,000 people each week. For more insight from Anthony, follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
