
Customers Aren’t Always Right!
Why It Pays to Challenge Customers
By Steve Martinez
Because I sell for a living, I can’t always
follow the customer service
philosophy
that “the customer is always right”. It is the same for
doctors when they work with patients who think they can
control their medical issues. The last time I saw my doctor,
he asked me how things were going with the diet and the
exercise routine he prescribed. You probably know what this
situation is like.So, I told him
the white lie about my diet. “Oh, sure, I have been
following it pretty close I said”. LIAR! I was clearly
lying to him and I think he knew it.
My doctor stopped for a brief moment,
looked at me and said, “Really”. When I heard that
word, I felt like a kid who just got caught in a lie. I then
proceeded to tell him the truth about my diet and the
exercise routine with more details than he probably wanted
to know.
This one word question, “really”,
is used when I challenge a customer who tells me something I
find hard to believe. This one word is listed in my hall of
fame for great sales moments because it works. I can make it
more powerful by adding “OH” in front of it and widen my
eyes as I say it.
Challenging customers is part of sales
because if we want to prescribe the right solution, we must
get to the truth with our customer. Sometimes, customers
don’t start out telling us what we need to know. Sometimes,
customers lie to us. To get to the truth, we must challenge
our customers.
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Steve Martinez President of Selling Magic 9319 Robinson Lane Corona, CA 92883 (951) 277-0080
www.sellingmagic.com
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