People do business with people they know and like

Posted by Graeme Davidson on April 4, 2008

It’s a very simple rule; All things being equal, people do business with people the know and like.

For instance, you can have superior quality or lower prices, but as long as your competition has very good products and services, and similar pricing….you have no real advantage when it comes to features, benefits and costs.   Years ago high quality service and a great product were selling points because not every company delivered quality.   Nowadays having a good work product and amazing customer service skills are just the costs of business, as customers will not tolerate the anything below par.

Here’s where the problem lies:   most business professionals try like crazy selling their customers on the “fact” that their products and services are the “best”.  The problem here is that everyone claims this credibility and that confuses the buyer.   Being the “best” becomes an issue of perspective, and thus muddies the water.

The competition also claims quality (yes, they claim to be superior!  The audacity and cheek of it!).   And as long as they can convince the prospect of a certain level, the customer no longer cares who is “best”.   Now they like who they like.

Instead, it is best to focus on the building a bond with the client that proves to them that you are the best “fit” for their needs.  This does not always mean that you show them a long list of satisfied clients, but instead instill a feeling of trust in you as an individual.   Buyers want to know that you care about them. They want to like you. They want you to like them back.

I try to meet everyone as a friend (albeit, long-lost friends that probably haven’t met before) as soon as the first words are spoken.  Doing things for them like you would with friends and family members can be exceptionally rewarding, if exceptionally hard work.   Not every person you befriend will immediately (as I know far too well) but you will find that many will go out of their way to help you reach your goals.

Customers use their brains to gather information between two or more competitors, but they use their hearts to select the agency who they will work with on a specific project.  That is where it is needed to connect with them in their soul to win their business.