Learn To Say No

The toughest words in the English vocabulary are 'Sorry' and 'No'. The first
because it is an admittance of wrong doing by one, which calls for humility-a
trait sadly lacking in most people. And the second, because it goes against our
nature. We have always been taught to acquiesce to virtually every request.

But there are times when you have to say no. Especially when you have a pushy
customer asking you to include the sun, moon and stars as part of your sales
package. You know you can't offer him the deliverables he expects, but worry
that if you don't agree then he might look elsewhere.

Does it make sense to agree to something, just to avoid losing a customer?
Definitely not. You have to be clear about what you can offer, and then be able
to explain it very clearly to your customer as well.

Vinita Bhatia

This does not mean that you brusquely shrug off your client's demands. There
is a difference between declining and refusing. You will be able to decline a
proposal, if your customer is aware of the reasons for doing so.

Therefore, you have to make your customers an integral part of your corporate
operations. Make them understand your competencies and how you plan to grow.
When you share your growth plan with them, they have an idea about how long your
partnership will last and how strong it will be. And just how well you will take
care of their infrastructure needs.

Also let them understand the challenges you face. If your customer insists on
you providing hardware at very lower rates, point out to them that doing so will
be possible, but not viable. And if you procure hardware at the prices they
want, then you might not be able to give them the level of service you are
currently offering, simply because your operational expenses will have grown
while your earnings would be compromised. Hence, you will have to cut corners
somewhere, which might include the kind of services you otherwise offer.

Let them decide would they rather lose a good solution provider, just to save
a few bucks? In all likelihood, if you treat them as a partner than a customer,
they will look out for your well-being and will not prod you down a road you
don't want to go.

Also remember that price is never the sole criteria for losing a customer. If
this were so, then all vendors would flock to the partner selling wares at the
lowest price. This would mean that most of the current successful solution
providers should be out of business in such a scenario.

Every customer looks for several intangible benefits from his seller. Look at
what intangible benefits you offer your customers and then leverage on that. And
make sure you communicate about these offerings, over and above the technical
details of the solutions you offer.

At the end of the day, your customer wants his peace of mind more than
anything else. At the end of the day, he wants to have a restful sleep. At the
end of the day, he too is human.

Think about it.