By: Rick Carlson, Sales & Recruiting Management Program Director
Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson (authors of “The Challenger Sale”) uncovered an alarming statistic when they did their research for the book. After having spoken with over 5000 companies across the globe they learned that brand, product quality and service, and value to price ratio attributed to 47% of customer loyalty. The majority (53%) of customer loyalty is directly attributed to not what you sell, but how you sell. In other words, clients buy and stay loyal to their brand of choice due to their “sales experience.” When the authors dug deeper into this finding, they revealed that clients bought and stayed loyal because:
- Rep offered a unique and valuable perspective on the market place.
- Rep helps me navigate alternatives.
- Rep provides ongoing advice or consultation.
- Rep helps me avoid potential land mines.
- Rep educates me on new issues and outcomes.
The unfortunate reality in the staffing world is that we all tend to look alike. Although some clients will build their vendor list according to information obtained through an RFP, hiring managers still have “favorites” which are likely chosen based on the 5 attributes that Adamson and Dixon revealed.
So how do we build that “experience” for clients? In the TechServe Alliance Sales & Recruiting Management program, our coaches place a heavy emphasis on working with salespeople on their messaging and the cadence of those messages. Those messages must provide a client with a way to view what they traditionally purchase through a different lens.
In staffing, to look truly “different” we need to prove to the client or prospect that while we may not know all aspects of their business better than they know them, we certainly know the best way to bring top talent into their company. And our view is going to look totally different.
