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Most of you may know the concept of management by exception.  This is where a business will look for the exceptions to their business rules and manage the problems that arise rather than micromanage the day to day operations. 

This type of management style is best used with fully trained staff, proven business practices in place and an overall smooth operation.  Management by exception allows the focus to be on any problems that come up or things that don’t fit the day-to-day normal operation of the business.

I propose that you take a similar approach to sales and look for the exceptions in their business operations and focus your proposed solutions on these exceptions.  Let these exceptions be your guide to sales success.  Focus on the exceptions and keep the focus off of price.

Focus on what you do that your Competition Can’t

Selling by exception works with the same philosophy in that you focus on these exceptions:

1. Look for the problems that the business owner is experiencing.
2. Take the focus off of price by providing solutions to their problems.
3. Bring to the forefront the exceptions that your solutions offer that your competition does not.
4. Be exceptional in all aspects.
   

Look for the Problems in the Business Operations

Every business has issues or problems that cost them productivity, customers and profits.  Your job as a professional salesperson is to identify these issues or problems.  This is done through a thorough survey of the operation.  This is going to require a visit to the site or sites to ask questions, listen and observe.

This is also going to require that you understand how a business is to be run.  This comes with experience and grows with your industry knowledge.  If you are new to the industry you should take time to visit current customers of your product or service and listen to their explanation of how your company helped them.  Watch and observe their operation and become comfortable with a how a similar business should operate.

Ask questions.  Then listen to the answers.  Most customers will tell you everything you need to get them involved with your product or service if you will just listen.  Use questions that invite discussion rather than simple yes or no answers.

Take the Focus Off of Price

Stay out of the price wars by keeping the focus on the solutions to their problems.  Keep the focus on how much they are loosing by not having your product or service instead of how much your solutions will cost.  This is not always an easy thing to do but with practice it can be accomplished.

Inevitably, you will run into customers who say that they are only interested in price.  They may have been coached by a salesperson that has convinced them that all POS systems are the same except for price.  These salespeople usually do not know the problems being experienced by the business because they are too busy selling on price and not functions.  They are the opposite of what we are discussing here in that they do not want to get into a situation of providing a solution because they are lacking in product, knowledge and experience.

If you can keep the focus on the cost of the problems and the investment needed to solve these problems you can usually defeat the low-priced salesperson that cannot provide anything more than a lower price.  When pushed to provide a better solution their answer is usually a lower price.

Focus on what you do that your Competition Can’t

In the POS business the general understanding of your potential customer is that all POS systems are the same.  To a large part that is hard to argue.  We all ring orders, send to kitchen printers or videos.  We all run tabs, split checks and have counter modes and drive through operations.  From a front of house perspective what differences do you truly have to show?

From a front of house perspective just what are you going to show to stand out?  Pretty screens, bitmaps on buttons or table layouts with plants?  Back when POS systems were being introduced to the restaurant industry these were new to restaurant owners.  Not any more.

In a tough economy restaurant owners are not looking for pretty.  They are looking for ways to get customers into the restaurant.  They are looking for ways to stop theft and run a smooth operation.

Know the limitations of your competition and focus attention on what they can’t do.  Bring to the forefront the exceptions you have and the solutions that they can’t offer.  Quit selling down and start up-selling.  Provide solutions to the problems being experienced by the restaurant owner and watch your low-priced competition slither out the door.

Be Exceptional

Be the professional salesperson in the group.  Stand out in all respects.

1        If you are up against low-priced competition provide a better solution at a fair price.

2        Stand out with your appearance.  Dress just above the customer you are calling on and always be well groomed.  Look the part.

3        Be prepared.  I am constantly amazed at how unprepared salespeople are to make a call, do a survey or even do the presentation.  Be prepared and be early.

4        Do a presentation not a demo.  Use all the tools available to you to do the best presentation you possibly can.  Either use PowerPoint or a sales binder to introduce your company and reference accounts.  Focus the presentation on the needs of the business and not the product.  Discuss solutions and not product and you will keep the focus off of price.

5        When it is time to discuss price do it with confidence and without hesitation.  If they see you hesitate they will sense that they are about to pay too much.  Do a return on investment as part of your price discussion.  The low-priced salesperson won’t do an ROI.  He won’t see the need.  Besides, he will always lower his price so an ROI is a waste of time.

Selling by exception is nothing new.  However, the concepts discussed here are often the things that get left out by too many salespeople.  Too often salespeople start taking shortcuts and they leave out everything discussed here.

Be exceptional in all you do.  Be an exceptional salesperson and stand out above all others.  For the most part, successful people want to do business with successful people.  If you can learn to stand out and be the exception in your area then you too can learn to sell by exception.