Offering your Ideas

surprising your customers with novel and unexpected thinking accumulates great value and brings long-term financial reward

Many sales professionals think that all they have to offer is their products and services. But it’s not just what’s in your bag that’s important -- it’s what’s in your head. When you present your customer with an idea that helps them do their job a bit better, teaches them something new, or addresses a personal issue, you are building value in your relationship that lets you leapfrog way ahead of your competitors.

When a sales professional presents a customer with an idea that has not revenue attached to it it’s called an uncompensated idea. This is a great misnomer, because surprising your customers with novel and unexpected thinking accumulates great value and brings long-term financial reward. If you’re prepared to give, you will receive.

ACTION POINT: Look for ways to present ideas that help your customers do their job better.