Free More business English para Dummies by Varios autores Page A

value
    Therefore, the real challenge for Michael P. was
to afford
his customers genuine added value which would make him stand out from the competition. This additional value, to him, was to make selling easier for his customers and to support them whenever they
encountered
problems in their daily work.
    He found the answer while talking to one of his “shrinking customers.”
“I discovered that the way this customer was going about selling our products would never work.”
So Michael P. saw his mission as giving his advice and support to his customers for their sales talks and supplying them with tips and sales arguments to use with their customers.
Auxiliary service only where it pays off
    Since Michael P.’s strategy initially caused him considerably more work, he had to find an appropriate solution. He decided to provide auxiliary service only to the customers who
are promising
.
    Meanwhile, it has become a fascinating challenge for Michael P. to act as sales advisor,
“This has opened up new vistas for me because now I’m truly familiar with my customers’ world.”
Because he had to deal much more intensely with the end customers’ world, it
was disclosed to
him by which criteria they think and act when they buy.
    The support that Michael P. now
accords to
his customers, made all three worlds come together. By using his company as an example, he shows how a specialist dealer can profit if he
implements
certain management techniques. Michael P. uses other specialist dealers’ positive examples in order to describe how end customers can be attended to or how to find interesting niches.
     
Palabras para recordar
to crumble: to disintegrate, to fall to pieces, to deteriorate, to go down
to attend to: to take care of, to give one’s attention to, to see to, to focus on
sanitary facilities: bathroom fixtures and fittings
to decline: to drop, to lessen, to decrease, to diminish, to wane
commission statement: percentage receipt, compensation record
past: previous, preceding, last
to shrink: to get smaller, to reduce, to drop off, to shrivel
on an average of: typically in the region of, more or less around
approach: method, procedure, modus operandi
enlightening: informative, revealing, helpful, instructive, useful
crucial: vital, key, decisive, central
to get to the bottom of the matter: to find out the cause or reason for the problem
suitable: appropriate, fitting, pertinent
terms: conditions, stipulations, specifications, provisions
genuine: real, authentic, actual, true, indisputable
added value: additional or extra worth
to afford: to offer, to give, to provide
to encounter: to be faced with, to be confronted with
auxiliary: additional, supplementary, extra, secondary, supporting, ancillary, added
to pay off: to meet with success, to get results, to be profitable
to be promising: to show high potential
to open up new vistas: to result in a new perspective or outlook
to be disclosed to one: to be revealed, divulged, or unveiled to one
to accord to: to give to, to bestow upon, to offer to
to implement: to put into practice, to apply, to realise, to employ
     
It pays to be loyal
    Sales representatives act in their own interest when also supporting and
advising
customers who find themselves in a difficult business situation. Ideally, they will profit from the
subsequent recovery
of that company.
    When business is bad for one of your customers, chances
decline
rapidly for the sales force to make a sale. As a result, the sales representatives
curtail
their service activities and, instead, concentrate more on those customers whose businesses are doing well.
    Initially, this behaviour is certainly understandable and economical, but there can be a
downside
. And that is the case when the customer has gotten over a difficult phase and from then on
counts on
companies that have really helped him through the
dire times
.

    Special customer problems increase your chances
    When a customer comes to you with a special problem,