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SKILL


Help Customers Solve Problems CAROLEE BOYLES


When a customer or prospect presents you with a problem, being caught unprepared can be a night- mare. But, if you’ve planned ahead, you should be able to calm the customer, find out what the difficulty is, and get it resolved in a way that cements rather than destroys your relationship with the account.


According to Pete Lambert, an out- side sales rep for a Florida insurance brokerage, the number one problem- solving skill any sales rep needs is the ability to listen to what the client is telling you. “You have to be able to


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determine what the problem is,” he says. “Sometimes, when people call, they’re angry. You have to let the cus- tomer blow off some steam without getting hostile in return. Then, when they calm down, you can let them


know you’re on their side and find out what the problem really is.” Another vital skill, according to


Maureen Coates, a director of sales and marketing for an Arkansas-based sporting goods company, the ability to get to know your customer base means you need an in-depth knowl- edge of each customer’s business. “The more sales reps can get to know their customers on a personal basis, the better they will understand their customers’ needs,” she says. The best way to do this is to spend time in each customer’s business so you can see it from the inside out. “You need to drop by and offer to stock the customer’s shelves – not only with


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problems and find solutions.


Help reps probe for


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