You Can’t Sell What You Can’t Measure

Selling in the household goods industry is complex and a team effort. We are basically selling a promise and delivering a feeling. We are selling a service, an intangible, something the customer can not see, hear, taste or touch. Yet they must trust you with not only their personal possessions, but also to deliver on your promise by doing what you said you would do on the day you promised.

In that, not only are we providing a service, but we are also committing to a date for that service, a service that hinges an entire chain of events. Real estate, travel, kids, pets, work; all rely on us doing what we promised.

I talk a lot about customized service and developing a product around the customers needs. This consultative approach can only be sold with trust in your basic service delivery. This not only includes the confidence of providing the basics but also the ability to identify how your service pertains to the customer concerns. We are not reinventing the wheel; we are simply making sure we have confidence in our service.

Measuring the measurable is imperative, real numbers equal confidence in the product. What is your on-time pickup ratio? What is your on-time delivery? What is your claims ratio? What is your safety record? These are your basic standards and tangible building blocks, and they should be measured on every move.

Our “we only want to move them once” attitude by some Movers, reflects the P T Barnum circus statement, that “there is a sucker born every minute” and puts us all in the same tent. Some salespeople tell customers what they want to hear, get their commission and let everyone else mop up after the mess. I see RFPs for major organizations crammed with false statements, just to tick the box. I see field reps fully aware of their service, or lack there of, making promises they are fully aware they can not meet, all with no measured service history to back them up.

If you are not measuring your service, how do you get better? If you do not have a service standard, how can you promise anything? If you do not have a standard base, how can you offer and charge for, added value above that base? If you do not measure your service, what can you sell?

A customer may not be able to taste smell or see our service, but they can certainly feel it. Every single customer is a centre of influence and has a massive ripple effect whether you know it or not. In a corporation consistency is an absolute necessity. In the COD market a referral is the easiest sale in the world. Confidence in your service is as transparent to a consumer as a tangible product.

The service is a team effort. An orchestrated experience delivered buy every single person in the organization. Consistency is the foundation and leads to improvement, customization, innovation and pride in your product. The effort is real and challenging, but it is imperative to flourish in this extremely competitive environment. Measure your measurable services, build them to a comfort level and watch the results.

For more HHG selling insight see Professional Sales for Household Goods Moving Consultants.