Today I’ve reflected upon what is important, as an Account or Sales Manager, for helping premium drinks clients that are sourcing branded merchandise.
Here are 3 things that have proven valuable to me:
1. Understanding value
It’s important to understand the broader market your customer is part of and how they ideally want the product they are sourcing to tie into their marketing strategy, along with all the other tactics they are applying. Unless you are in a commodity type of market, which is something only few people would want to be part of, what is the value your product adds when it comes to your client achieving their goals? What’s your value proposition that makes your product appealing to your customer?
2. Communicating value
Being transparent and clear about what your product solution and accompanying services, e.g. graphics design, entails. What are its limitations, what its strength? How do you communicate this?
3. Building value
Even when you are in a B2B type of setting, it’s always humans that are buying from humans. Sure, the psychology between a B2B and a B2C purchase is different, but it always comes down to human interaction. Beyond your product and services, you can build value by developing quality relationships with your customers. This means showing up not only when you believe they are ready to buy but on a more regular basis. It’s always a chance for both giving valuable input and learning from your client’s input. Beyond this just being friendly and truly wanting to help, which manifests by going beyond the mere minimum that is expected, go a long way.