While standing in line at retail store this holiday season, I observed what I thought was a phenomenon only seen in “feel good” movies. A shopper was looking for a specific product that the retailer did not have in stock. Rather than trying to sell a different item, the sales clerk immediately recommended a competing retailer. The clerk knew the competition had stock on hand and described the exact location in the store where it could be found.
A few days later, I witnessed a second occurrence of this phenomenon at a different establishment. This was “old school” retail service, was it making a comeback? I thought this type of service ended with the 50’s.
These two observations caused me to reflect on my experiences in the benefits industry as both a purchaser and a service supplier. Had I ever referred a prospect to the competition or myself been referred elsewhere?
While acting as a benefits manager earlier in my career, I do not recall ever being referred elsewhere. It was quite the contrary. Those calling on me always seemed to have the cure for what ailed me, or at least that is what their sales pitch wanted me to believe. Often after conducting a little discovery, it was obvious that there was not a match.
Was this just a case of an overzealous salesperson or a misunderstanding about my needs? Having walked a mile or two in the salesperson’s shoes, it was apparent that their need to meet their quota was put ahead of my organizations need.
How can these time burning encounters be avoided? Those of us in service provider roles need to apply the same sales discipline these retailers demonstrated by walking away from business that does not fit our core delivery model. We cannot be everything to everyone.
On the other hand, employers need to be more specific with the services they desire and the requirements for providers. Collectively, we need to eliminate unnecessary RFPs and succinctly articulate our needs or our abilities to meet those needs. Who knows, in 2007 one of us may be referring you to our competition.
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