A True Partnership
How to help your customers help their customers
By Mike Muetzel

In the last issue we examined the differences of consultative selling vs. transactional selling. We discussed your perception of time, or perhaps more importantly, your client’s perception of time, and how it is valued directly reflects on your consultative status.

Successful consultative selling techniques are predicated on positioning yourself as an expert. As an ‘expert consultant,’ you need to read every piece of industry news available to you, copy applicable articles and share them with your clients. Customers want to deal with successful reps – particularly reps that have answers and solutions. If you are nothing more than a verbal piece of literature with a good price, you may soon find yourself replaced by the Internet.

Consultants understand the difference between being a vendor and being a partner in the success of their clients. Consultants take the role of a partner very seriously. If you were to interview your top five clients, how might they define you? Are you just a supplier? Or, are you a true consultant and partner in their growth? Are you the edge they can rely on to truly help them progress?

This may come as shock, but you are not the top priority of the clinics you call on. Doctors and purchasing folks do not spend their waking hours wondering how you might grow your business. They are busy and have a significant amount of concerns way above you.

Make sure you have the sequence correct … as a consultant you are there to help them – not the other way around. For example, if your company has done a lot of research, are you sharing that research with your clients? If your company has updated informational materials, are you updating your clients? If your company has updated videos, training tips and white papers, have you updated those for your clients?

Be an expert resource consultant
Items that may not have been germane to the clinic a year ago might be critically important now. You are a resource, and resources supply pertinent information to their consulting clients. Many clinics are in all kinds of new areas of care that have been initiated in the last two years, or even the last year. It might be as simple as providing a literature rack or video for the waiting room. Find resources that might help vets market their services in areas that go beyond those that are directly related to your product line.

On two occasions, my dog underwent TPLO surgery. I would have loved a nice piece of informational material to review in making this expensive decision. Or maybe even a video. Maybe they were available, possibly not. Regardless, we went to the Web to research on our own. Are you willing to let opinions and feedback off the Web determine a perspective pet owner’s opinions?

Develop resources
Expert consultants consistently ask questions. Position yourself as such by asking the vet, “What are the three primary concerns pet owners might have on this product or procedure?” Then research and find solutions that can assist them in presenting alternatives or options to pet owners. Perhaps most impressively, after asking the questions to the vet, develop your own simple collateral information piece to address the issues – either with the help of your marketing group or on your own. Put your client’s logo on the top, your logo and information on the bottom, and have 100 copies made on good stock paper.
Imagine the growth in your consultative relationship when you make an appointment to drop off this customized tool to help your client grow, develop, and succeed in their business. Being a partner is more than taking an order.

Being a true partner is not only understanding the needs of the client in relationship to the benefits of your product, but more importantly, in being a partner in helping them to meet and exceed the needs of their clients.

Mike Muetzel is a nationally recognized author and management resource. For more from Mike Muetzel, visit www.unlockthemysteries.com