REAL Account Management Free Training Resource – Week 7 – Presenting the Benefits that Customers Want To Listen To

Let me explain the concept again for those who are new to REAL Account Management.

Recently I have been working with a number of clients who all had similar issues within their business development or key account teams.

Each one had a talented group of individuals – teeming with experience, ability and attitude – and yet in each and every case, the manager was frustrated that the team weren’t hitting targets or delivering the required results.

To re-focus teams, get them back on track and start hitting those targets and key performance indicators we developed this new set of workshops under one umbrella entitled ‘REAL Account Management’

The four key stages in the ‘REAL Account Management’ programme are;

Recognise – The needs of the business, the customers’ requirements and the role of the account manager
Evaluate – Our current customer base, prospect list, category and planning process
Act – On our plans, the sales process and required resources
Learn – From what we’ve done, sharpen the axe and move forward

We’ve already published the first 6 of 12 exercises, which you can drop into your monthly sales meetings and combat some of the key problems, while giving your team a head start on the competition with a bit of targeted training and enlightenment.

ACT – Part 1

Presenting the Benefits that Customers Want To Listen To

What are we doing?

Creating benefit statements that spike the prospects interest and develop into irresistible customer propositions

How are we going to do that?

We’re going to learn how to pin point and explain our ADVANTAGES and BENEFITS in such a way that we don’t cause ourselves more problems than before we started.

You see, generations of sales people have been taught to make benefit statements by explaining how their product or service is intended to help or be an advantage to the customer. And yet studies have shown that the easiest way to create an objection is to offer the customer a benefit that has not been asked for.

Explain this to the team

The true benefit statement, the behaviour most closely associated with success, shows how your product or service satisfies an Explicit Need for which the customer has expressed a desire for a solution.

So, when it comes to Benefit Statements here’s the Golden Rule;

If you ain’t got an Explicit Need, you do not present your solutions.

Presenting benefits implies the following;

• You have a clear understanding of the difference between Features, Advantages and Benefits

• You have uncovered a clear and agreed need for what you are about to recommend

• You are in a position to prove the capability of your product or service to meet the need

• And if you really want to nail it; You can quantify the benefit in financial terms.

Take a look at the next article on this blog “Concentrate on the Itch Not the Scratch”, for a quick overview on Implied and Explicit Needs.

Definitions

Features – Statements describing some characteristic of a product or service

Advantages – Statements showing how a product or product feature can be used to help the buyer

Benefits – Statements showing how the product, product feature or advantage meets an Explicit Need addressed by the buyer

Implied Need – Statements by the buyer about problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions with the existing situation

Explicit Need – Clear unambiguous statements of the buyer’s wants, desires or intentions

Exercise 1 – Features and Advantages

On the download sheet (Download a copy here) write down ten FEATURES of your product or service followed by ten ADVANTAGES directly linked to each corresponding FEATURE.
10 minutes

Exercise 2 – Powerful Selling Statements

On the download sheet use the link words and phrases to create ten Selling Statements linking your FEATURES to your ADVANTAGES and then using one of the following phrases “Which gives you…” or “Which means that…”; to finish off the statement with a quantifiable BENEFIT
10 minutes

Reflection

“Sales people always want to talk about the scratch, but rarely ask about the itch!” – And because of that, very few ever think about – for even a short time – what their product or service really does for the people who are expected to buy it!

I can guarantee that a proportion of the business currently eluding your team is based on this fact

Until next time

Chris Murray

New Account Management Workbook Free to Download

Just thought I’d let you know that we’ve made the REAL Account Management Workbook free to download as both an E-book and PDF, might be someone you know who could benefit.

http://eepurl.com/cuTKb – will deliver both links directly to you via a single email

Hope you find it useful

Chris

This year, I want to help you and your team become more successful than you’ve ever been before – call my team now on 0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £185 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

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