I had ordered some handouts for recent event online through Fedex Kinkos. It isn’t my favorite way to go as it usually involves a phone call or three because my orders are rarely standard. It is, however, convenient particularly for this ace procrastinator (yes, I did just admit that.)
On my way to the airport, I stopped by to pick up my order and had a few moments at the counter to listen and watch what was going on with a woman next to me. She was dressed in business attire, and explained to the clerk that she needed her order by 10am for a meeting. It was 9:15.
She’d ordered the night before, as I had, but they had no record of her order. She didn’t seem concerned about that, she simply needed her order run.
THE CATCH was that the clerk was not on the same page. They kept telling this customer that she’d have to pay for the order again, and they were spinning their wheels and hers by looking up an order that was not going to be found. Her urgency was palpable, she needed it run immediately and was happy to pay the cost again.
You see, COST WASN’T THE ISSUE, for this customer. She needed the product at any cost. She had a deadline that superceded any cost consideration. And while I overheard that the job was just $24, it honestly could have been 10x that and she would have wanted it just as much and been willing to pay for it. The clerk was missing this entirely, it almost hurt to watch.
Active Listening ConvertsQUESTION FOR YOU:
When you speak with prospects (and clients in an upsell situation) are you truly in tune with their priorities or have you guessed at what matters most, or worse have you decided that their priority would be the same as your priority if you were buying (this is what the Kinkos clerk did)?
Do NOT guess, harness your active listening skills to find out what the priority is. It may not be price. In fact, you may be working with a prospect who is most focused on what your program or package will deliver and price isn’t their issue. They may be more focused on the time frame that you work in. They may want to move faster or take longer.
You won’t know, when you have made up their mind for them about their priority.
THE COST TO YOU:
When you fail to pay attention to your prospect (or client in an upsell) and don’t understand their REAL PRIORITY, you are going to miss the sale. I guarantee it. You are not in alignment with their priority (aka their hot need) and they will disconnect and go elsewhere.
Back to the Fedex Kinkos, I couldn’t stay to hear the end of it, but I can tell you I was just shy of jumping across the counter and telling the clerk, “run the damn order, right now, she is going to pay for it, again!” (She’d already paid online.) I empathized with her because I’ve been there too when someone across the table didn’t understand what my priority was.
Listen actively to align with your prospect’s priorities and you’ll convert more prospects into pleased clients more quickly. You’ll also be able to upsell them more frequently when you quell the chatter in your head and allow them to chatter and tell you what they want most.
TALK TO ME IN COMMENTS HERE! I want to know about experiences you’ve had that mirror this or if this has provided an AHA MOMENT.
