How much you know vs. how much you care.

It sounds so logical. Bombard prospects and customers with everything they would ever want to know about the company; how the company works, its history, in what area it specializes and why it's the logical choice over the competition are examples. And, as long as it's all good news, what better way to win over prospects or retain customers? Actually, there is a better way: do the opposite. Switch roles, and let the company consume itself with the needs of the customer or prospect. What can it do to improve service to the customer? What kind of custom payment package can be arranged to accommodate an interested prospect? What might make their lives easier? What can the company offer that really hits home when it comes to meeting a customer or prospect's needs?

Start by asking a few questions. Business owners who take the time to question their current sales and/or customer service tactics and who are determined to find the best way to turn a prospect's head can benefit greatly by knowing the answers to questions like these:

What's on the prospect/customer's mind? From the 30-something, single, female demographic on the consumer side, to the $100 million company oil the business-to-business side, there are an infinite number of issues that consume the minds of customers and prospective buyers. Making it someone's job to identify those issues brings a company that much closer to winning over a prospect's ambivalence and/or performing at a capacity that meets or exceeds a customer's expectations.

Since it's critical to have customer profile information, many companies use questionnaires such as the one developed by Harvey Mackay, author of Swimming With the Sharks Without Getting Eaten Alive. Known as the Mackay 66 (because of its 66 questions), the questionnaire is used to develop a profile on each customer. (www.mackay.com) As MacKay says in the paragraph preceding the questions, "Armed with the right knowledge, we can outsell, outmanage, outmotivate and outnegotiate our competitors. Knowing your customer means knowing what your customer really wants."

What's the customer's biggest problem? Those who think this overlaps with the first question, think again. Unfortunately, issues that consume many prospects/customers' minds don't always include their biggest problems. If they did, their biggest problems would probably be solved by now. Denial enables many business owners to blind themselves to solutions that may not be delivered using the right message. By knowing customers' biggest problems, companies can get that much closer to grabbing a customer or prospect's attention long enough to he the one selected to solve them.

Roy Chitwood is President of Max Sacks International, a sales training and consulting firm in Seattle, Washington. He uses the philosophy 'prospects and customers don't care how much you know until they know how much you care' in his workshops. "One of the biggest problems customers face today is the deterioration of customer service," says Chitwood. He explains that between phony smiles and glad-handing, many companies still have a long way to go with customer service. "Customers just want to know you care. But, between attitudes of indifference and a general lack of concern, dealing with employees becomes a bigger problem for customers than their original request for help," says Chitwood.

What's a customer/prospect's most significant challenge? Helping customers/prospects overcome or even improve upon their most significant challenges speaks volumes to them about a company's ability to perform. U.S. Datatron, a Florida-based market research firm specializing in competitive information, offers an example with one of its bank customers. "They didn't realize how well we serviced our clients until we made a mistake," says Gary Cohn, President. Apparently, when the bank called attention to the mistake, U.S. Datatron quickly rose to the occasion. "The client told me he didn't realize how much U.S. Datatron cared until we fixed it so fast. Caring means listening and that's why we knew what needed to be done right away. We just run our company that way," says Cohn. Again, it calls for switching roles. Companies benefit by listening to customers, learning about them--talking to them and really knowing who they are. Only then can they expect to matter.

Let Them Know How Much You Care Customer service has been studied and practiced from every angle possible. Today a company's focus is well placed when it emphasizes customer service as a sales function, right from the very first contact. It begins with demonstrating an interest in prospects/customers by researching and listening to what they have to say. What most companies learn is that the resulting lessons facilitate the right decisions about how to differentiate themselves successfully in the marketplace.

Gerri Knilans is president of Trade Press Services, a business-to-business editorial resource firm based in Thousand Oaks, California. Ms. Knilans has over 25 years experience as an entrepreneur, sales and marketing consultant, educator and trainer. For more information, please call [phone] visit the company Web site at www.tradepressservices.com