It’s not just about your customer! It’s about your customer’s customers.

Here’s an easy quiz for you. Do it quickly. It’s not difficult. Name three of your most significant customers. If you are like most of us, you don’t have to go to your phone, computer, a written list or anywhere else to immediately recall your best customers.

Here’s the second question. You may find it a bit more difficult. Name three of your customer’s most significant customers? Better still, can you describe how your products and services impact your customers’ customers?

If you’ve been to any of Sales Concepts’ classes, you know we stress putting the emphasis on your customer, not yourself. We regularly see salespeople talking about their company and their products and services. We believe it’s about your customers, not you. People would rather buy than be sold. Most of us want our customers to agree with us, but what changes when we agree with our customers?

If you tell prospects something, their choices are to agree or disagree. There’s not much room for them to elaborate and be involved in the process. If you ask prospects about their needs, they are able to go on at any length. When you hear something that matches a solution your company offers, you can agree with them. Chances are this point applies to you as a buyer. No one likes to be sold, we all want buying to be our idea. So if that’s good for you, why isn’t it even better for your prospects?

Since you had no trouble listing your most significant customers, how’d you do when you tried to list your customer’s most significant customers? How about describing how your products and services help your customers help their customers?

Try it sometime. If you don’t know, find out from your customer who their best customers are. Who are the prospects they’d like to turn into customers? How can you help make that happen? You see, as wonderful as it is when you focus on your customer instead of yourself, it’s even better when you focus on your customers’ customers.

When you’re able to connect your products and services to your customers’ ability to win more business from their customers, your solution financially justifies itself. In the eyes of your customer you’re a critical resource, not a vendor.

When I think of the sales of which I am most proud, I almost always discover it’s because I helped my customer help their customer. It’s ironic, but the farther away you get from focusing on you and your company, the more rewards you receive.