Ego is the unobserved mind that runs your life when you are
not present as the witnessing consciousness.
- Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
A couple contacted my husband several months ago about
building a new home. We spent many hours taking them
through the design process, finding out specifically what
they wanted in their new home, and how their budget could
best be utilized. They spent several thousand dollars
purchasing a lot, paying for my husband to do the home
design, and installing a septic on the home site. The
building permit is now ready to pick-up. Our clients are
at the final decision making stage. The only question
remaining is will they or won't they sign the construction
contract...
As we were going through this process, the housing market
took a nose dive. Suddenly the perception of our clients,
and most of those folks in the market to build a new home,
is that they should be paying a price per square foot
comparable to existing houses that have decreased in value
significantly.
Consider this scenario. If you were a home builder paying
astronomical gas prices, which affects every part of the
building supply industry; you had to deal with suppliers
and subcontractors who also have rising costs; and you had
employees who expect to eat and pay their bills regularly,
does it make sense that any of your costs would be going
down? I think not...
So, here we are at a crossroads with our customer. Their
perception and our reality are very different, and ne'r the
two shall meet. Where does this leave us? How do we
overcome the disparity between us and our customers?
As well as looking for ways to cut costs and get the best
prices on materials possible, it's part of our job to
educate our customers about what's going on in the building
industry, and the value we can add to their project. What
is not in our best interest is criticizing, judging, and
allowing bad feelings to dominate our lives until it
carries over into our business relationships, which could
lead to the death of our business.
Here are five strategies to help you overcome negative
feelings and move into a positive mode of caring for your
customers and your business, when you are faced with a
similar situation.
1. Walk a mile in your customer's shoes. If you were
hiring someone to provide a service or product, what would
you look for before you signed on the dotted line? Would
you accept a proposal or purchase the product without
making sure you were getting the best price and quality
possible? Probably not.
2. Make a list of possible objections your customers may
have, and make sure you are able to answer them before you
sit down to meet with your customers in person. Have you
ever looked back on a situation and thought, "I wish I had
said..."? Avoid the looking back syndrome and think ahead.
Thinking ahead will help you avoid getting ambushed with
an objection you haven't had time to think through.
3. Ask trusted friends and family what they would be
looking for in a service provider in your area of
expertise. Take their answers to heart and see how you can
improve your service or products based on their feedback.
4. Be proactive. Use the list of objections, and the list
of what people want, and address them on your marketing
material, your brochures, websites, advertisements, etc.
5. Focus on the value and results you can bring to the
table. Make sure you are communicating your unique selling
position. What do you have to offer that can set you apart
from your competition? If you position yourself so that
you have no real competition, it will be easier to address
objections.
The more time you spend focusing on how you can position
yourself as the expert in your field, and how you can
educate your customers on the unique value you have to
offer, the more your business will thrive in spite of a
"slow" economy. And as a bonus, your efforts towards
creating a positive, caring relationship with your
customers will enhance your life, your community and your
world.
----------------------------------------------------
Sandy Reed is a Professional Certified Coach and small
business owner with 30+ years of corporate and business
building experience. She publishes business building
articles, and has been featured in True Wealth and Simply
Home Magazines. Visit her website at
http://www.SoulpreneurSuccessStrategies.com to get more
information about upcoming Soulpreneur's Get Clients Now
Teleclass Workshops and to check out her free resources.
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