Meeting and Exceeding the Customer’s Expectations
You might remember the Hunter S. Thompson quote, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.”
A potential customer describes a need and asks if you can solve it. Of course, you answer, “YES. May I send you a proposal?” It is likely, you and the customer are on the same page. You submit a spectacular proposal and get the sale. Congratulations!
On the other hand, what if the customer read your proposal and had a different expectation about the content? For example, you might have offered only your existing products, which did not match the customer’s need. The customer expected an outside of the box solution.
Should you go to the trouble of creating a custom solution proposal? Yes, if any of these apply:
- This is a new customer
- You fully understand their problem and offer a superior solution
- The customer has no knowledge about your company or your product/service
- Your product/service is not a commodity
- The purchase is not a routine buying decision
- You want the customer to see the time and effort invested in pursuing their business
Let’s look at the typical excuses for not customizing a solution proposal:
- I don’t have the time
- If I do all the work and still don’t get the sale, look at all the time I’ve wasted
- Here’s our menu of offerings. If it’s not on the menu, it’s not available
Now, let’s look at the lost opportunity costs.
- The lack of time and effort invested is obvious to the reader
- The potential customer does not feel valued
- This customer might have become one of your larger customers.
Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.