The Third Commandment of Selling Services

Customize each solution
by James “Alex” Alexander, Ed.D.

This is the third in a 10-part series on the 10 commandments of selling services.

On one hand, prospects look for a provider that is the industry expert, knowledgeable in their specific problems and well-versed in all the nuances of them. On the other hand, prospects know their situation is different and abhor the thought of having a cookie-cutter solution pulled down from the shelf and used to cut into their dough (pun intended).

Furthermore, the more seasoned the services salespeople, the more they realize that the majority of issues and opportunities, problems and options are similar across businesses, geographies and industries. When these old pros hear the words, “But our situation is different,” their first inclination may be to don a knowing and saintly smile and wittily educate the account that they’ve seen it all before — the prospect’s situation is identical to countless others. Don’t let them do it!

Selling sin: Smugly invalidating the customers’ perception of their uniqueness on the planet.

To some degree, all prospects relish their uniqueness, but when a services salesperson attempts to deny a prospect that point of view, the salesperson initially perceived as an outside expert there to help quickly will be seen as a cocky “know-it-all,” there to show off. The psychologists call this “invalidation,” and the normal reaction is quite strong, off-putting and often lasting. Once this negative perception takes hold, you will have a devil of a time changing it … in fact, the prospect will probably not let you back into the building.

The appropriate way to handle this ever-present scenario is all about balance — to confirm the prospect’s uniqueness while demonstrating similarity based on the seller’s experience. It requires both choosing words appropriately and stating them sincerely. Here is an example that fits these requirements:

“I believe I have a fair understanding of your situation. Thank you for taking the time to get me up to speed. I’ve been working for years with similar organizations facing similar challenges, and the good news is that much of what I’ve learned will apply directly to you.

“However, I’ve never run across (the severity of X or the speed of Y or whatever is truly different) before! We will have to study this and think it through as we apply best practices to the more common issues you face. Every situation is different, and that’s why we never assume we know it all and always start with an objective assessment. May I share with you how we would go about it?”

While you are stating the above or something similar, the customer is watching you intently, trying to determine by your facial expression and mannerisms if you really mean what you say or if you are being condescending. Done well, it validates the prospect’s uniqueness, starts creating trust, builds your personal credibility and provides the rationale for the need for starting the engagement with an assessment* — powerful outcomes.

Selling sin: In an effort to be efficient, turning your distinct service offerings into commodities.

Be aware that another organizational tendency compounds the problem of granting uniqueness. Deep within every business is the desire to “kerchunk.” Kerchunking is the organizational mindset of wanting to drive efficiencies through productizing offerings. As soon as the truly unique project is completed successfully, the search starts to find other accounts in which you can apply the same solution.

While the idea is a good one, as it embraces the concepts of continuous learning and leveraging capabilities, you must balance it with the realization that the better job the organization does of kerchunking the solution, the more quickly potential buyers view it as being generic. Customers don’t pay premium prices for commodities.

When sellers talk of sameness, they inadvertently commoditize their offerings in the mind of the buyer. Even if your offering is “me-too” in most respects, it is up to the salesperson to tailor its application in a way that the account perceives the valuable uniqueness created just for it.

Best practices

Here are some other best practices that can help you customize each solution:

• In all proposals and letters of engagement, demonstrate a clear understanding of the account’s situation before outlining recommendations or solutions.
• Use account terms, phrases and examples in all account communications.
• Use industry data and trends to show linkage to the clients’ business, and point out where they are similar and where they are different.
• Take advantage of tried-and-true methodologies and processes that have flexibility and can expand or reduce dependence on the engagement scope, time allocated and budget parameters.
• Be aware of balance. Demonstrate related experience, yet respect and point out areas of uniqueness.

Uniqueness is a big deal to every customer — make sure you emphasize it at every opportunity.

*Learn more about the vital importance of starting most engagements with an assessment in The First Commandment of Selling Services: Clarify complex customer issues.

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About James “Alex” Alexander
Alexander is founder of Alexander Consulting, a management consultancy that helps companies create and implement professional services strategies for product companies. Contact him at 239-671-0740, alex@alexanderstrategists.com or visit www.alexanderstrategists.com.
© Alexander Consulting