I saw silk worms in the various stages of growth and I was also introduced to meal worms! The only way I can describe them is ---- ikkkkkky shriek, horrid, prickly feelings under the arms as you watch them wriggle and Terry handles them as if they are great. Oh no, it may be the direction our industry is going, I only hope I never have to package them or retrieve them from the vehicles if they somehow escape from their containers. It has also been a week with meeting different personalities and how we as people and consultants react to each new client. It has been my experience that some clients actually become friends. However, I am not sure Terry’s lovely wife will allow me back, because I fell in love with her Great Dane and would easily have slipped her into my car if she were not so tall. The Great Dane met me at my car and looked me directly in my eyes through my car window. What an extremely gorgeous Lady, big beautiful eyes, one of them blue and such a soft nature. She will lick an intruder to death before she bites them. Terry’s lovely wife warned me not to take her “baby” and said I could have her hubby instead. Giggle! I cannot wait for them to meet my little zoo and possibly Monster would have had her kittens by then.
Speaking of which, she is the grumpiest pregnant cat I have ever met. She eats all day and growls at her children all day and if we try to move her to her secure bedroom, she also growls at us. I have to say I tread very carefully around her. I rely on my natural ability to read moods when I am near her- as this is the safest option- I pet her lots and offer her food whenever she looks at me.
During my years of selling, I have had to learnt how to use this natural ability to read moods and how to read a client. I look for the buying signals as well as those clients who just wanted rates to force their current carrier to drop their rates.
If I had to categorize clients, I have met this is how they would be categorized:
The Professional Client:
They do not have time to chat and want to get down to the basics. Give them the rates and the basics. Ask what their needs are requirements are and then GET OUT AND leave them to do their work. Now Bern Falls into this category - professional but has no time for a chit chat. I remember in Johannesburg there was a consultant who would “pop” in for a service call to make sure that the company was happy with the service they were receiving. Now she dealt with Bern as Bern handled this function and dealt with suppliers.
So this pretty woman walks into Bern’s office in her high heels and short skirt and booby top (unfortunately, you will always have these types in the freight industry). She toddles over to Bern’s desk, sits down and smiles this big empty smile and speaks
In her squeaky girly voice she says “Hello Bern, I was in the area and thought I would pop in to say hi and chat” This is hysterical because Bern does not like princesses or divas at the best of times, and she has zero tolerance for “dumb” and do not interrupt her day with drivel.
Bern used her famous eyebrow stare and responded. “When you next get that urge – ignore it and it will pass - if I have a problem or need more vehicles I will phone you!”
Now this dolly bird sat there, smiled, and waited for more. Clearly, the information had not reached her two dead brain cells yet and there was that uncomfortable pause and Bern looked up at her expectantly; she finally comprehended what Bern had said, giggled like a little child, and thought it was a joke and picked up her bag and left the office. Bern the diplomat – however the consultant never visited again.
Now I make a point of never popping in to see a client, I make sure they are expecting me, because through years of training I have realized that this is unprofessional and I would not like to be faced with a customer who is annoyed at my visit.
The Potential Client
These clients are fun to visit as they are quite happy to chat and tell you all about their business and before you know it, you know everything about them and their kids and their gall bladders. I actually get on quite well with these clients and the meeting is quite a long meeting with a relationship being built. You sit and listen and try to find out common interest, their hobby’s and goals. Sometimes the decorations in their office helps you with discovering who the client is and what his or her passions are. Photos of family, children, pictures on the walls of achieving ones goals, or fancy cars – or my dreaded naked ladies on calendars.
Usually you can strike up a conversation as to what is on display in their office, but I refuse to mention the naked ladies -that to me is just disrespectful. However, this does not always work, you have heard about making assumptions – don’t assume it is the persons office you are sitting in for the meeting. –A comment about how lovely the children are could turn into – well they are the ex and her new hubbies kids and I hate the little brats……. – after that trust me the meeting has lost its spark unless of course you want to swap stores on ex’s . Now this can also be very dangerous as this person may still be in love with their ex or hate them so much you are witness to an emotional break down and this is not good for business either. I can see myself having to hand over tissues and listen to how the person has been destroyed by the divorce (which I can relate to) and eventually I am holding this sobbing giant of a man telling him everything will be all right. What are the chances of me securing the business after the client has drooled on my shoulder and gulped down big heart wrenching wails? -None after that. The secret is to try to keep it simple and less personal, this also saves my heart as I am a real softy and am easily moved by a sad story and tend to become so involved in the unfairness of their plight that I want to fight the battle for them.
My plan of action, I ask them about their company, and how they market their products and they invariably tell you a little about themselves. Unless this only something that happens to me – as I have mentioned before – complete strangers have this need to share their life with me. However some potential clients lie on the phone and give you the impression that they are interested in doing business and need to make use of your specialized services – all this is a con to get you to come to their place of business. These are predatory players.
The Player Client
This client agreed to the appointment with one goal in mind…. To see what the consultant looks like and to see if they could score some extra benefits of the forbidden type. This happens a lot in our industry and I have learnt to overcome this type of client by handing them my rates schedule and explain that if it is not listed as a service IT IS NOT AVAILABLE. One client became quite over friendly and insisted we must go for dinner. I realized he fell into the “pig player category” and I faced the challenge with a combination of feeling like a trapped animal looking for an escape route and some of my normal gusto. These clients see every phone call from a female consultant as a possible trophy for their wall of conquests. Through the years, I have learnt to ask them directly if they agreed to the appointment just to see what I looked at, and some even have the decency to be honest and admit it. Well the joke is on them, gone are the days of me being a Hottie and now I fall into the category or almost matronly!
These clients believe that in order to close the deal they need to have the added extras. I had such a client - After handling him my rates schedule and trying to be diplomatic by joking that if it is not on the rates sheet and on the services offered then I am afraid it is not available. He was just not taking the hint and insisted we need to go out for dinner. With this becoming a little uncomfortable, I picked up my cell and started to dial my then husband – he asked me what I was doing, so I said, “I am inviting my husband to join us, why aren’t you going to invite your wife?” That was the time he tried to get added benefits and I left with my dignity intact and then reported him to his MD for asking for “favours”. Sorry but that type of harassment I just will not tolerate. I also have a low tolerance for Power Clients.
The Power Clients
We have all met these clients. … the clients who believe they earn more than Bill Gate and walk around with an attitude of “Do you know who I am?” They spout off names of people they know and associate with – try to intimidate you with tactics of overbearing bullying and insist on low rates. Now this does not work with me at all. It is like a red flag to a bull -I take them head on and will not back down. I don’t care who they are, I do not care how much money they have, and more importantly I do not care if they can make my yearly sales target. I have learnt this type of client may be an extremely bad payer and more often than not this is the reason he is wealthy because he knows that court cases take forever and as he has more money than I will ever see in a life time I will not have the funds to take him to court. They treat you with such disrespect however, when you stand up to them and bully back an amazing transformation takes place. This bolstering bully becomes a puppy dog -All wags and wriggles and suddenly you are given all the information about their particular needs and as you exit, they tell you that no one else was prepared to handle their business. Gosh is this any surprise to them. I advise them I will get back to them and will advise them what we have decided is best for their business. Sometimes I do quote and leave it at that after telling them that our rates are not negotiable. One time I was with this client and he was insisting on a discount, so I turned the tables and asked him how much his product was and he smiled and glowed and told me all about how wonderful his product was and the technical jargon and how lucky I would be to have his product. I smiled and said
“wow that sounds amazing – so it is a top product and you are proud of it?”
He of course nodded, smiled, and said it is the best in the market. So I smiled again and then the claws came out
“That sounds very good, however please can you give me a 25% discount as I do not believe your product is worth the price you are asking”
He was totally offended and quickly jumped in to tell me about the benefits and features and why it was worth the amount he was selling it at and that it was worth every penny. To which I added
“Well Mr. Client, what I have requested is no different to what you have asked of me. You have asked me to discount my rates and thereby cheapen my product and service. Like you I pride myself in my company and the little bit extra ensures your goods are delivered as promised.” He was speechless and could not fault my reasoning and finally said “extremely well put, I have never had anyone take me on like that before.” Okay so I did not get the business straight away; but I also did not let the company down by selling our service at a Cheap and Nasty rate, which affects our service levels at the end of the day. He did contact me again after he lost a whole consignment to one of his cheaper providers and agreed that rates are not Always as important as the actual delivery of the consignment is. Some Power clients are so full of their own importance however and they believe throwing your printed rates at you while in a discussion will encourage me to give them better rates… Not likely buddy, even if I had been inclined before to re-look the rates – that type of action will only ensure a mail advising them that we have evaluated their type of freight and feel that our company would be better off not handling it. I have done this before in principal and have accepted that you win some you lose some. Selling can be quite a painful experience and rejection is a normal event in the sales cycle – however there are clients that are a pain in the derrière.
The Painful Client
This client whines, moans, and is so difficult to please. They request credits all the times and even when the service they have requested has been fulfilled. They whine about the weather when you visit. They whine about their job, their wife, and their children and are an extreme irritation. However, they are not a bad client to have; I have found if you let them moan and get it off their chest, they feel better. Then it is easier to discuss business and offer solutions to their work problems where distribution is concerned and overall they can become a loyal client and in time a “friend” as long as you keep the boundaries in place and they respect your boundaries it can work. Sometimes these clients just need to be noticed as they may have a terrible home life or have been dealt a bad hand in the cards of life. In addition, a painful client can be encouraged to be more positive and fun to be around and their business can benefit from the positive change. This leads me to the Prosperous Client
The Prosperous Client
These are the best clients because chances are you helped them grow in their endeavors and you have been there for them when they were considered a tiny client that no one else would have anything to do with their little enterprise. We had such a client who sold waffles and muffins and he now distributes to all the Spars countrywide. We helped him get to that point because the quicker we delivered the quicker the orders came in and it became known that his turnaround time for orders placed with his company was quick and the goods were fresh when they arrived. I love dealing with the prosperous client who does not have a chip on his shoulder and still values advice and remembers the people who helped him get to where he is today. We helped him build his little empire. These clients stay loyal and you grow with them professionally to.
Being a sales consultant has most certainly been interesting and entertaining, and I have learnt a lot about myself, and at times I know I have been a few of the above mentioned clients .
However I have never been the Power Client as I still count my pennies to make it to the end of the month – and in hind sight and all that, I am quite happy with what life has dealt me and I play the cards it has given me to the best of my ability.
No comments:
Post a Comment