E-Myth Blog

Perspective on Lead Conversion

2005 | Nov 7 in Lead Conversion

By E-Myth Business Coach

Customers Are Allies, Not Opponents

There's something inside-out about the way most business people think about the selling process. They all say, "We're customer focused," or "the customer comes first," or "customer satisfaction is our goal." But it's the exception, not the rule, when they really act like they believe it. Watch what they do (and maybe what you do) and you can see how backwards it is. They may not realize it, and no one would admit to it if they did, but most people in business see their customers as opponents to be overcome instead of allies to be helped.

Allies? Yes. An ally is someone who cooperates with you to achieve a common purpose. And that's exactly what a customer is. Customers are, by nature, allies who want to buy the products and services you want to sell. But today's high-pressure world has made many of them reluctant skeptics who are wary of being persuaded or even tricked into making a purchase. The sales practices of most businesses have warped their customers' basic hopeful nature into something suspicious, resistant, and sometimes even fearful.

What are these sales practices? They have names like "creating a need," "overcoming objections," and "closing the sale." And they are all born of the belief that customers aren't cooperative and that it's the salesperson's task to "get" the sale.

But you don't "create a need." Customers come equipped with their own needs needs that have nothing to do with you. The best you can do is help customers understand their needs better. You don't "overcome objections." You help customers understand your products and give them the information that helps them make their purchase decisions. And you don't "close the sale." In fact, you never close the sale. You open it and keep it open because your goal is not the sales transaction. It's helping your customers arrive at decisions that are satisfying and in their best interests.

So we call the selling process "lead conversion." If you think it's just a fancy name for selling, think again. It's not about words. It's about two very different attitudes and sets of beliefs. One sees customers as opponents people to "overcome" through manipulative sales techniques. The other sees them as allies - people to be understood and helped. "Sales" will always be a struggle because it's "us against them." "Lead conversion" recognizes your prospects' motivation to become your customers and gives them what they need to support their decisions to buy. It's not "us against them," it's we. It's a cooperative, honest, mutual exchange of value with your customers.

So, your lead conversion process is simply a system for helping customers make their buying decisions, not persuading them, not tricking them, not "selling" them. Helping them.

Comments

1. Hasan L. says:

   This is a great comment, thanks for sharing. What are some methods or processes you use to build rapport with prospects? Also, where does this important information go?

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 12:54 PM

2. Joanne S. says:

   I agree with you but how do you elicit this information without the customer feeling your prying into their private lives?

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 1:29 PM

3. Carol C. says:

   Although I do agree that building rapport is important, I'm not so sure that casual conversation really accomplishes the kind of trust and mutual respect needed to build a solid business relationship. When I meet with someone for the first time, I try to establish some ground rules as to why we are meeting and how we are going to spend the time we've allocated to each other. This really sets a tone of mutual respect. Then I go digging and I keep digging until I uncover what is really happening in their world. It's like an onion. I just keep peeling away at the layers and eventually you get down to the real meat of what is going on. It is then and only then that I determine whether I can really help them or not. It is true that many times people don't really know what they need. Most times they are giving you symptoms rather than relaying the true problems they are experiencing.

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 2:17 PM

4. Darryl D. says:

   Customers/prospects are allies, but they're also people. Being people, they tend to prefer to keep their money, or at least part with as little of it as possible. While it is critical to establish rapport, and indeed even a true relationship with your client, prospects often can not articulate their problems sufficiently to overcome their reluctance to actually PAY for a product/service. So to an extent, a propect is often his or her own opponent. Bluebirds are nice, but only by 'creating the need' and 'closing the sale' can we regurlarly and predictably overcome our propects' tendencies towards inaction.

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 12:51 PM

5. Russ s. says:

   It's all about building rapport. If you don't take the time to find out where someone went to school, how old their kids are, why they are the way they are, who are their friends, what do they do in their spare time, what are their hopes and dreams, your conversion is based on luck and a tremendous amount of fallout.

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 11:55 AM

6. Bob G. says:

   I view may customers as "customers for life" and reading Michael Gerber's books have helped me to create systems that create the "customer for life" culture in my business. We build close relationships with our customers at all levels, and it keeps competition out. We use innovative ways to keep in touch and show the customer that we are unique, and positioned to help them. As a result, we are seeing record sales in this wonderful economy. As the owner of a construction firm, we have more business than we can handle.

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 2:39 PM

7. DON R. says:

   JEFF MAYER WROTE AN ARTICLE ON ASKING BETTER QUESTIONS...WWW.SUCCEEDINGINBUSINESS.COM.....FIND A PROBLEM???OFFER A SOLUTION........IT BECOMES A SALE.DON RANDAZZO

   Submitted Nov 9, 2005 4:16 PM

8. Darryl D. says:

   Tell us more about these innovative ways you keep in touch. Are you sending them calendars? Are you giving them mousepads? Do you give them wine and things for their houses? Share?

   Submitted Nov 10, 2005 8:29 AM

9. Russell l. says:

   I cannot help but think of Harvey McKay's The Mackay 66. If you have not seen it there is a link here: http://www.mackay.com/howhelp/Mac66.html Every time we have employed this, or at least the idea behind it, we have gained a client that wants to stay with our service. Thought it might be helpfull. Russell

   Submitted Dec 2, 2005 12:59 PM

10. Langston G. says:

    Fantastic List! Thanks for the link. If we get 10% of what's here, we'll be in good shape. Now we just have to figure out which 10% is most important for us to know. Hmmm.

    Submitted Dec 7, 2005 5:33 PM

11. mary p. says:

    Amen!

    Submitted Feb 2, 2006 7:42 PM

12. TODD C. says:

    NOT PRYING IN TO THIER LIVES .........WELL YOU MUST BE OR HIRE THE PERSON{S}THAT ARE TRULY INTERESTED IN OTHERS. PUT THEM AND THIER COMPANY AT THE CENTER OF HE UNIVERSE FOR THAT MEETING. NOT YOU, AN INCOMING CALL OR ANYTHING ELSE. ASK A GOOD QUESTION EVERY DAY FOR 1 MONTH. HOW CAN I BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS AND PERSPECTIVE CLIENTS? DO ALL THIS REGULARLY AND YOU WILL NOT NEED A CROW BAR. YOURSELF, YOUR PEOPLE,AND SENSORY PACKAGE ACTS AS THE INITIAL CROW BAR TO GET YOU IN THE DOOR. TODD@AVIVAGROUP.COM

    Submitted Feb 28, 2006 5:16 AM

13. Roel S. says:

    If you go out of your way to do something for a customer, then they also see you as an ally. Sending a 'congratulations on your new baby' brought back a customer for me. Giving my chess student a ride to and from tournaments along with my own kids probably helped in the parent's decision to sign up for my math program as well. These little things go a long way.

    Submitted Mar 28, 2006 4:04 PM

14. Rebecca M. says:

    Beautiful!

    Submitted Apr 1, 2006 7:54 PM