How do you want to be sold to? It depends a lot on what you're buying doesn't it? In fact, can you really separate the selling process from the overall product experience?
A salesperson is the ambassador for your company, and what goes on in the field has a lasting impact on the overall perception of your business in the marketplace. Certainly those front-line sales persons have a big impact on a customer's purchasing decision. It goes well beyond this though.
A good salesman captures the essence of the product or service. He relates the benefits beautifully. He is selling himself. He is part of the brand and he's part of the product.
The McKinsey Quarterly's latest edition features an article on the drivers of the sales experience, Basics of B2B Sales Success. Their survey focuses on the tactical; it nicely relates back into the strategic overall customer experience. Which features of the selling process are the most influential to the customer? (a) too much contact (b) lack of product knowledge, (c) lack of understanding of customer's needs, (d) selling style.
From the customer's point of view, the sales process is just one touch-point in the overall experience with an offering. The classic Consumption Chain tool (below) shows this succinctly. Transacting with customers is simply a link in the workflow as a customer interfaces with a supplier. Its an essential function however, and it often carries a very high weighting of importance for customers.
McKinsey gets one thing spot on: Relating product knowledge is just critical when it comes to care-abouts during the transaction process. This knowledge is typically forward looking in terms of the consumption chain. For example, take the purchase of office furniture. A buyer would rely on the salesperson to augment their understanding of each of the links post-transaction. As the customer steps through the chain, they both receive benefits and incur costs. What will happen during the process to receive the chairs & tables, move the products through the office? How will employees use & experience the furniture, and how will faulty equipment be handled?
The purpose of this type of knowledge in the sales process is to set expectations. Mis-steps in expectations along these lines will almost certainly lead to unhappy customers and quickly minimize the chances of future business.
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