Selling Service
Selling is selling. No way! Compared to products, selling services has its peculiarities.
Just like the organizational development and expansion of sales activities in sales management. No wonder, products and services are different not just because one can touch one and not the other.
“Basically, you sell a promise. And the customer trusts you for that.” This is how one of the trainers described the core of service sales during an ISS seminar.
Of course, the customer does not hold a polished product in his hand. He can not touch or try it. He does not want to buy a forklift – he wants to have pallets moved. He also does not want to buy an airplane, but wants to move his cargo intercontinentally from A to B as quickly as possible. The Swedish furniture manufacturer promises to set up the ordered furniture as an additional service at home.
Suitable Offers
For You at a Glance
TWS 2020
Shaping the
„New World” – How?
Backwards? … It will be different!
What are the cornerstones of the business in the New World?
How to develop, efficiently control service organizations in a future-oriented way: Management knowledge for the service practice as certificate course with Real Life Project.
Raising customer satisfaction and operational efficiency by professional service. Certificate course and module of the Certified Service Business Manager course.
Strategic design of service products, future-oriented steering and marketing. Certificate course and module of the Certified Service Business Manager course.
Understanding and applying mechanisms of change, transformation, co-creation with customers & partners. Certificate course and module of the Certified Service Business Manager course.
Customer-focused service presentations and professional communication with customers. Certificate course with 5 days of intensive classroom training and supervised pratical transfer taks.
The pricing policy has a significant effect on profitability – with the right reasoning you ensure higher price acceptance and better profit margins.
2 days
Learning on the Job: how to ensure quality and efficiency by steering internal and external partners.
2 days
How the sales organization, as the customer interface can best implement the company's goals: the important tools.
2 days
Understanding customers is key to market services successfully: concept, development and design of services.
2 days
Emotionalization and measurable increase in customer benefit: how to optimally present the value of a service.
2 days
Individuality and Market Segmentation
The distribution of services requires the willingness to deal with the needs of individual customers. In addition to this individuality, however, a professional market segmentation is necessary to form customer groups. That is the basis to develop the service range. This is where product management and sales management interact. Strategic sales management defines sales channels, develops an efficient sales organization and formulates unique selling propositions for attractive offers.
Complete Solutions are in Demand
In short: customers expect attractive offers for complete solutions leaving them with as little effort as possible: convenient, simple, fast and inexpensive. If the customer ‘trusts’ the seller at this point, the business is concluded.
But how do you win the customer's trust? We trust brands and people, personalities who appear credible. Most of our assessment is unconscious. And lightning-fast. This test is almost anchored in our DNA. Emotions play the pivot role, before content, argumentation and other verbally communicated aspects.
Empathy and Active Listening
Above all, empathy, body language and active listening; i.e. understanding the customer's wishes and needs and asking questions, is what counts. Questions about the organization, requirements and expectations. Questions about processes, internally and from the customer and their customers.
When sales and customers speak the same language, not only does this improve communication, it's also a prerequisite to develop the solutions both sides want. Only this way, sales can offer specific services to the customer and their individual situation – far from off-the-shelf solutions.
Flexible Support for the Customer
He who communicates successfully, builds a personal relationship with the customer. This is the basis on which trust can grow. It is the basis for a long lasting relationship, supported by appropriate service contracts.
The job of the service provider is not just a one-off shot. It is long-term and flexible. It goes beyond product life cycles. Service accompanies the customer and ensures the promised performance over many years. Service can maintain recurring business in the long run if it impresses the customer. Service sales also has an important function here, for example providing ideas for innovative solutions for the customer's process.
Added Value for Both Sides
What service sales needs is specific knowledge of the customer's business. How this knowledge is acquired is part of the sales skills that are required for a successful service business. An elaborate – but clearly defined – competence framework gives the seller the necessary decision-making ability to conduct negotiations convincingly and effectively.
More and more successful service companies rely on sales teams instead of individual sales people. These teams are consultants and service employees who flank the sales people with additional skills. Thus, service sales creates an added value for all participants, service providers and customers.