Salesperson as product benefit
In my other blog (on service innovation) I posted an article about Rolls Royce’s experience in selling service rather than product today.
Rolls Royce now sells “hours of thrust” instead of aircraft engines. This example is part of a pattern: all products are now service.
Something for a salesperson to think about: a part of the “serviceness” of the product is the salesperson. When someone goes wrong or there is a need for a change, an problem/opportunity can always be bumped up to the salesperson.
Customers are not being irrational — or choosing by affect instead of cognition, as academics might say — when they favor an offering from a salesperson they trust. That salesperson is a part of what they purchase. And as the “serviceness” of the product increases, that consideration may become even more important. As the sales process moves from transactional to relational to consultative to partnering the salesperson is always selling herself (himself).
To see the posting about Rolls Royce go to:
It is normal for customers to base their decisions on the serviceness of the product. It is much easier to put your trust into brands you know and the salespeople that you trust.
Customers put a lot of trust in the salesperson. I strongly agree that “the salesperson is always selling herself.” If the customer believes in the salesperon he/she will also believe in the company.
You must have trust in the salesperson in order to make a great sale. It is part of the service of selling. You aren’t just selling a product, you are selling yourself. You purchase from salespersons you trust: you know that you can go back and rely on that salesperson again.
It is about selling yourself. When you sell yourself the customer is convinced that the product is you. If a sales person messes up, however, they lose the customer. Once you lose them. it’s hard to get them back.
I guess Rolls Royce had some pretty good sales people? lol
With the ecomony being on a decline, many people have been very careful with their purchases. They are not going to “throw” their money around. When they buy something, they want it to work and they want it to meet their expectations. By working with a salesperson that is polite and spends time discovering your needs and behavioral styles, you will begin to develop a relationship with them. I believe that people today would be much more comfortable buying a product from somebody they can trust, so that when they get home the product does what it is suppose to do.
And since major purchases are rare, when a consumer purchases a product they want it to be an enjoyable experience. They do not want to work with something who is just spending time on them to get them to make the purchase