Creating buy-in occurs in everyday life on every level from selling our ideas to selling ourselves. Selling and creating buy-in happens on a larger and more obvious scale for individuals working in independent contracting companies in the industry of HVAC, plumbing, or electrical. In service companies, a company buy-in must transpire for both employees and clients. Today, we will focus on the client buy-in. Before a client is genuinely ready to invest in your service company there are three aspects that they must whole-heartily believe in and sincerely buy into:
–You-“The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it’s very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer.”
-Thomas J. Watson (Former chairman and CEO of IBM)
Before a customer will be motivated to invest in your company, services, or products they must first be sold on you as a person. No matter if you’re a sales technician, service technician, CSR, or manager if you are in contact with clients and potential customers then you are part of the initial buy-in process. People will invest in your company if they can find trust on a personal level with the people that work inside the company. If the customer feels that they can personally relate to you, if they trust you, of if they feel comfortable with you, then they will be more inclined to invest in your company and your products.
–Your Company– “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”
–Sam Walton (businessman, entrepreneur, and founder of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club
A customer must also buy into the unique nature and features of your service company. You must answer verbal and nonverbal questions such as “What is different about your company?,” “What is the value of your company?,” “Why should I go with your company over another?” To build rapport and value with a potential customer these questions, whether verbalized or not, should be answered. When these value-building questions are resolved to the satisfaction of the customer and they believe in the unique and excellent value of you and your service company, the only area left to create a complete client buy-in is your company’s services and products.
–Your Services and Product– “A customer perceives service in his or her own terms.”
– Arch McGill (executive capacities at IBM, AT&T, and President of Rothschild Venture Capital)
When you’ve reached this point of the “buy-in process” then it is most likely that you’re in the middle of the presentation portion of the sale or service call. Creating a client buy-in experience for your company’s products and services comes with presenting the customer with a thorough diagnostic of their needs, allowing them to see the issues with their system firsthand, and then clearly delineating their options. Thoroughly explaining how your company’s services and products can and will meet the customer’s needs continues to build company value as well as customer rapport. The whole picture begins to come together when a customer realizes that they’re working with people they trust and like, they’re utilizing a company with amazing value, and they’re investing in services that will take care of their family and home. When a client has this overall buy-in of your service company, you’re on your way to securing a lifelong client.
The ability to create client buy-in revolves around developing trust on a personal level, developing the value of your company, as well as visually and verbally explaining the products and services that will meet a customer’s needs.