Selling In The Current Economy
May 8, 2009 by cvitello




My guess is that the title of this blog is one of the most searched strings on Google as of late. Everyone responsible for generating revenue or increasing profits for their business is looking for the answer to this question. You will not find it here, I am sorry to say. I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on the subject, and what I have seen recently.

There has been, without a doubt, a real shift in how businesses look at the investments they make. Long gone are the days of large budgets with little oversight. Gone are the days of “As long as you get the results, we’re not concerned with how much it costs.” We are operating in a time of intense scrutiny and evaluation when it comes to what we buy, both from a company and personal perspective. I can see the wheels turning in my clients’ heads as I speak to them, and I know they are thinking, “How do I justify the expense for this?” “How am I going to get budget for this?”

It is the job of the sales professional, now more than ever, to ensure your client has a crystal clear picture of the ROI you are providing. Your client must be able to not only understand the value you are bringing, but convey that value to their leaders so that the investment in you or your business is seen as a necessity. As sales professionals, we need to not only convince our clients of the value or ROI of the solution, but we need to teach and coach our clients on how to present that message to their leadership.

In addition to teaching and coaching them on speaking to the value/ROI, we need to be constantly thinking about what we can give them over and above our contracted services. Think about what expertise you have and could share that would be valuable to them. What have you recently learned, or read, that would help them better do their job? You probably meet with many other companies in their industry. Clients are always looking to hear about best practices, and how other business might be addressing the same issues. Sharing this knowledge with your client increases your value and importance in their eyes.

Never miss a chance to impact a client in a positive way. It is these things that they will remember when the current climate shifts.