One of the most important things that every entrepreneur must do is become an expert in their niche. A thought leader. A font of knowledge. A person who can offer advice, opinion and assistance where required.
There is only one problem with experts though. They know more than everyone else and they often like to make that clear to others.
I’ve sat in many sales meetings where we’ve been talking through our strategies for getting a deal over the line where one of my sales people scoffs and says: “The problem is that these customers don’t know what they are talking about. They think they need our product for one purpose, when really it is about meeting another purpose entirely.”
I cringe when I hear this and I very quickly explain to my staff that this is not a problem with the customer, it is a problem at our end.
We haven’t done a good enough job of explaining how our product works, why it solves their problem and why they need to buy it now.
Yes, we might have superior knowledge than our customers, but it’s our job to educate them and show them we understand their needs and we can meet them.
In fact, not only can we meet their needs, our products and services can help them grow their business.
Don’t talk down to customers. The best experts are those that want to share their knowledge, not lord it over others.
Get it done – today!
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
