In order to optimize your ability to be effective, it is critical to harness the power of current technology. It was not so long ago that outside sales people would remain in contact with their customers by stopping at a pay phone with a roll of quarters. In certain hot spots, such as decent hotels that had pay phones just outside a clean bathroom, salespeople would congregate and await their opportunity to make a phone call. It is amazing that just 25 years ago, most companies did not have e-mail, cell phones, or sophisticated operating systems to fuel their business. Despite technological advances available in the market, many organizations still are living in those dark ages, operating outdated computer software, and failing to arm their sales force with current tools that are truly required to be successful in today’s information age.
As information has become increasingly accessible, customers have simultaneously grown more demanding, requiring immediate responses to any questions or issues. Companies that are willing to invest in these tools and utilize them to increase their responsiveness will certainly gain an edge over competitors that have failed to progress. Human beings make decisions based on pain and pleasure. People don’t like pain and will do whatever they can to get out of it. If you can consistently become a catalyst for your customers, enabling them to escape their pain and move towards pleasure, you will become extremely valuable to that customer.
Hypothetically, let’s imagine that Customer Bob is having a rough morning at work. Bob gets a phone call from a large customer who has an urgent need for ten widgets. Bob would really like to increase his business with this particular customer so wants to beat his competition to the punch. Unfortunately, Bob only has eight widgets left in his inventory and needs to find the two widget balance FAST. Feeling the pressure, Bob quickly sends an e-mail to his two widget suppliers to find the desired material. Supplier 1 receives the e-mail on his iPhone within 2 minutes, verifies his available stock (which conveniently is a real time application on his iPhone) and responds 3 minutes later that stock is available and delivery can be made that same afternoon. Supplier 2 returns home late that afternoon after a long day in the field, changes clothes, cracks open a beer, and sits down to check e-mails from the day. When he sees this opportunity, he immediately calls Bob to let him know that he has plenty of inventory available for delivery first thing in the morning. Supplier 2 is disappointed to learn that Bob has already placed an order with Supplier 1. Supplier 1 thanks him for the opportunity and requests that Bob keep him in mind the next time around. Bob was in pain, received an immediate response from Supplier 1 which enabled him to grow his business with a critical customer. Supplier 2 does not have the technology to be responsive, so providing all else is relatively even, Supplier 1 will undoubtedly become Bob’s preferred supplier.