Going The Extra Mile In Sales

This week’s affirmation of intention is I have an extra mile philosophy. This week I will do something positive for someone who didn’t expect it.

Much has been written about this concept of having an ‘extra mile’ philosophy, and most of us understand it. But practising it might just be something that those of us in sales need to consider more than others – especially if you agree with my defintion of selling.

Revisiting A Definition of Selling

You see, my definition of selling rests on the foundation of an extra mile philosophy.

The definition is this…..Selling is a process of building trust relationships with the aim to create reciprocal value on a continual basis.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog posts, have attended one of my programs or are a member of SalesCoachCentral.com, then you’ll be very familiar with this definition. If you’re not, then let me provide you with the reason why an extra mile philosophy is the foundation that holds this definition to be true, and if you are familiar with it, let me remind you of how important the extra mile philosophy is to helping you create environments where people feel comfortable and confident to make wise buying decisions.

What it really means to go the extra mile

Rather than start with the definition of selling, let’s start with a definition, or discussion at least, of what an extra mile philosophy is all about.

What if we miss doing what’s expected by the client in the pusuit of doing the ‘extra’? Going the extra mile, exceeding the expectations of clients has almost become a mantra through the nineties and the start of this century.

But here’s the problem.

If the client’s expectations haven’t at first at least been met, then there’s a danger that even when we go beyond their expectations, that they are still not satisified.

It’s a bit paradoxical…..we’re aiming to go the extra mile to demonstrate our value, but in doing so, we might actually reduce our value to the client. I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that Andrew Banks, one of the founding directors of the Morgan & Banks Group in the nineties had a fantastic saying “Do the doable deal to earn the right to get the bigger bit of business”.

This has stuck with me throughout the building of my own business. My first aim is always to meet the client’s expectation by doing the doable deal – to meet their expectations and to help them with the thing that they need help with the most right now. Then it’s a case of working with them to discover the additional value that I can potentially create for them.

Beyond the ‘give-away’ and ‘add value’ culture

This is where the extra mile philosophy goes beyond just delivering some ‘give-away gift’ and calling it ‘adding value’. An extra mile philosophy is so much more than just ‘adding value’. An extra mile philosophy is based on a bigger intention of not just adding value, but looking for ways to create significant improvement above and beyond that which has already been delivered, and in ways that the client immediately recognises and experiences value that makes their individual and specific situation better.

A simple example is that I might send a client a copy of a book that I have read – and this might be an add value strategy.

What takes it to the next level of an ‘extra mile philosophy’ is the discussions we have together as to how I believe the contents of the book can help them improve their situation. Do you see the difference – one is a gesture that any process can deliver. The other is an intentional extra mile philosophy that can be demonstrated by simply asking the question…..when I do this added value strategy, how will this create more value for the client?

So…..are you just adding value……or are you adding value with an extra mile philosophy?

Let me know…