When Microsoft first launched smartphone software in the early 2000’s, we all started using Windows-based phones. It was a proud moment for those of us who got to demonstrate and sell the phones because Windows Mobile was one of the most popular smartphone operating systems in the United States, until 2007.
In June 2007 the first version of Apple’s iPhone launched and it was an immediate success – partly due to industrial design but mostly due to the popularity of iTunes and the availability of applications. Soon, iPhone was the top selling smartphone in the US. Even so, we were still aggressively selling the benefits of Windows Phone.
In October 2010, Windows Phone 7 was launched. It was a great operating system and our partners built some great phones with it. We proudly demonstrated these phones, touting how “cool and easy” they were compared to the previous versions of Windows Mobile.
In January 2011, we attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), as we did every year. We had a meeting with the president of one of our most loyal device partners from Asia. Our intent was to talk about the progress we’d made on Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7, with the goal of getting the partner to market our products more aggressively.
We had just started talking about phones when their president said he wanted to show me something. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an iPhone. He had been in the US for two weeks and had been using it for that whole time. He couldn’t stop telling us how “cool and easy” it was. He went on and on like a kid with a new toy and then finally asked, “Why is Windows Phone not cool and easy?” Then the fateful question came. “Have you used iPhone?”
None of the Microsoft attendees had ever used an iPhone and, because of that, we were not current with the hottest trend in the mobile industry. We could not credibly promote the features and benefits of Windows Phone because we had no idea how we compared to the industry leading device – the iPhone. Lost credibility.
That team reported to me, so it was my responsibility to have them know as much as they could before we all went into that room. In this case I failed, and the only lucky thing is that I failed with a loyal customer who wanted to work with us.
What do we see when we lack current knowledge and perspective? – If the customers are polite, they just won’t ask questions. If the customers are more direct, you’ll hear about all the things you didn’t know.
Why does this happen? – The main reason this happens is because we haven’t acknowledged customer perception and/or haven’t done the right competitive research. This isn’t something that just happens to market leaders, like Microsoft, but is something that also bites sellers for small companies. If you sell for a big brand you’ll be seen as arrogant. If you sell for an unknown brand you’ll be seen as clueless. Neither is where incredibly successful salespeople want to be.
What are the best next actions to address the Why?
- Acknowledge & Act – When you’re wrong you’re wrong and there’s nothing better than letting your customer know that you know. Thank them for educating you and act on their suggestions. In the iPhone example, all of us from Microsoft, bought or borrowed iPhones the following week.
- Follow-up – Communicate to your customer what you’ve learned and thank them for the education. Do it in person if you can but, at minimum, do it by phone and email.
- Invite them into your problem – Sometimes our product functionality isn’t better, but the customer is still interested. In this case, we need to help our loyal decision-makers be right, and the best way to do that is to invite them to problem solve with you. Just as customers will see problems that you and your company may miss, they will also see benefits. In the iPhone case, that customer told us that Windows Phone was a better phone and that the Exchange integration on iPhone wasn’t good.
Failure to be current on industry trends and your competition is the fastest path to lost credibility. Earning CREDABILITY with your customers, clients and partners is necessary to build enough trust that they can comfortably buy from you. Research your competition and, especially if they’re a market leader, use their products. You cannot be an incredibly successful salesperson unless you can credibly draw that knowledgeable comparison.
©2014 Rick Wong – The Five Abilities, LLC
