The last few years have gone by so quickly that it seems like nothing has gotten accomplished. Then, when stock of our customer inventory is taken, the concerns of inadequacy evaporate, just as fog lifts when sunshine warms the atmosphere. How is it that such feelings even exist? Because many times we are so concerned about what others think of us that we neglect the very people who matter most: Our customers.
In the future, you’re going to see the words “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” rather frequently. Why? There is a huge shift coming in consumer behavior that will forever change the sales world. In fact, it’s so extreme that the most forms of the verb: “sales”, “selling”, “sold”, may be history. Informed consumers are about to learn everything they never wanted to know about how salespeople are paid who have been trained sell them for the last 20 years. Not because the salaries or commission structures are published somewhere, but because a few transparent competitors are going to push the envelope. And their response is either going to be one of pride because of the extrinsic value they have provided to the customers they have focused on or shame from the realization that their intrinsic motivations have driven the activities toward accomplishment of financial gain and company-based incentive rewards without authentic regard for the one thing customers value more than money: Their time.
The moment of truth is fast approaching: Will you open your records or lock them up? If you’re providing value that meets or exceeds what you believe your customers would expect, there’s no problem, right?