Five Ways to Win Customers

Are you challenged to win more customers in today’s market?

All of us are challenged to win new customers in today’s marketplace.

As we look at different ideas to win new customers, here are a few ways that we can utilize to win customers.

These are “back to the basics” in terms of winning new customers. Sometimes we forget to execute the fundamentals and make business more complex than we need to make it.

I believe in keeping things simple and in that way I would advocate we consider going back to the basics. If you believe the fundamentals are important, here are some sure-fire ways to win customers for your business:

Ask questions

This is really the number one way to win new customers. What we really need to do is ask good questions of our customers in order to learn more about their business, their issues, and their opportunities. Actually, if you put yourself in the position of your customer, what you really want from your suppliers is for those suppliers to ask the right questions so they can meet and fulfill your needs.

Listen

Once you have asked your questions of the customer, listen intently to their response. Take notes on what they say and read their body language to better understand the best way that you can serve them. Listen for tone of voice, frustration and the excitement that they would feel if someone were to help them capture their opportunities.

Stop talking/ Be slow to speak

If you want to win customers, just stop talking so much. When we are talking it is harder to learn what the customer needs. However, if we are listening to what they are saying there will be opportunities for us to serve them.

Stay out of presentation mode

There is nothing worse than a salesperson who goes into presentation mode before ever asking any questions and listening to what the customer really needs and wants. Rather than talking and throwing out every possible solution or product that we sell we should consider closing our mouths, opening our ears and taking copious notes from what our customers say to us.

Be consultative

Stay away from product focused discussions. Instead as you are asking questions and listening to what the customer is telling you, stay alert for opportunities to help them find solutions to what is on their mind. In this way, you will differentiate yourself from the rest of the competition by truly listening to how you can best serve them. Be consultative even if the product or solution has nothing to do with what you can sell them.

If we want to win more customers we need to keep thinking about getting back to the basics.

Working on the fundamentals keeps business simple and we can focus on just doing a few things very well.

What are some of the ways that you have found that work for you and help you win customers?