Once we have this knowledge we can position our solutions as the means to help them accomplish the goals and objectives they already have, because . . . It’s a lot easier to sell somebody something if it’s positioned as a way to help them achieve a goal or an objective that they already want [...]
Some of the best resources from which to learn about your customer’s business are the various corporate reports that all publicly traded companies, and many private companies, produce and make available to the public. By reading key sections of these documents, you can get an overview of your customer’s business model, their high-level business strategy, [...]
Just about every company and every sales leader I meet and work with tells me, ‘We want our clients to think of us as more than just a vendor. We want to build strong partnerships with our clients.’ You know what? Your clients want that too! They wish somebody would come along who could help [...]
With the exception of those who make their living as purchasing agents or secret shoppers, most people aren’t professional customers. Rather, they are professional engineers, accountants, human resource managers, customer service reps, chief executive officers (CEOs), or whatever. They spend their time thinking about the things that are most important to them and to the [...]
Learning business acumen can be turned into an academic exercise, complete with memorization and testing, but this only serves to reinforce the theory of cause and effect. While there is tremendous merit in developing a thorough understanding of the possible forces at work in a hypothetical business scenario, its practical value can be somewhat limited. [...]