It is a joy to be able to sit back and reflect on another year. Along with our ongoing clients, 2016 brought many new opportunities and relationships. We are extremely thankful for each and every one of you. Serving you is our purpose and our passion. Reflecting on this year – one that will be remembered as the good kind of crazy – brings back many good memories and successful metrics to back up the work we were able to do together.
We head into 2017 pressing forward in excitement and anticipation to support our current and future clients as they reach new levels of success. Part of this passionate mission is to reverse some frightening statistics that frankly get under our skin:
According to Forrester Research, executive buyers believe only 8% of salespeople are focused on driving a “valuable” end result for the buyer. Another study done by DemandGen Report, reveals that 56% of all buyers rate their buying experience as “less than satisfied.” Yikes. This means many buyers 1) no longer trust sellers and 2) they are not pleased with their experience.
However, sellers often feel they are doing their job. They see themselves as passionate about what they’re selling, yet it comes off as pushy, which is unattractive to buyers. How can sellers fix the disconnect between the buyer and themselves?
It all comes down to mastering the skill of seeking to serve and not to sell – the idea of putting the customer’s needs before making a profit. This is the foundation that Mereo is built on, and we strive to exemplify this in all of our relationships as well as enable clients with the confidence to embrace it unwaveringly.
The holiday season always reminds me of a classic Christmas movie that has long helped paint a picture of what seek to serve, not to sell™ personifies in practice. In “Miracle on 34th Street” there is a scene where Kris Kringle is working as Santa Clause in a Macy’s store, and a woman and her son approach him. The son, Peter, asks Santa for a very specific fire engine, one that his mom had searched for throughout the entire Macy’s store and could not find.
The “typical” salesperson would have tried to talk Peter into a different toy that Macy’s carried to make the sale (Seeking to SELL). But Kris does something different, something memorable and noteworthy, he directs the mother and son to different store that still has toy fire engines in stock (Seeking to SERVE).
The mother was in disbelief. “Macy’s is sending people to other stores? … I don’t get it. I just don’t get it!” she exclaims. Kris made a lasting memory for this desperate mother, and showed her that Macy’s cared more about HER than a profit.
Having this attitude, this unexpected approach, stands out in a buying culture that can feel forceful and void of relationship. Seeking to SERVE buyers, although it may cause you to miss out on an immediate sale, will in turn build trust and relationships, which can lead to referrals or future sales. Putting buyers first and being an authentic salesperson always wins.
Our hope is to always display this in our interactions and to encourage each of you to do the same. In a culture constantly pushing us to be self-focused, we hope you and your teams can go against the grain and focus on your clients and their needs in 2017.
If you would like to make this a priority for your team this next year, but need some direction, don’t hesitate to reach out. Shoot us an email at information@mereo.co.
Wishing you, your teams and families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.