Selling in a Crisis

46Manage Your Accounts

When one of Christine's top accounts called to say that he would not be renewing his contract, she was devastated. He explained that her competitor had shown him a way to reduce costs. With storm clouds on the horizon and the economy becoming more volatile, he felt that he “needed to make a change.”

Christine pleaded for a second chance, but her customer was unmoved. He said that he enjoyed their relationship, but “the decision is made and there was nothing, at this point, that would change it.”

This same scenario is playing out for sellers across the business landscape. It is just part of the weeding-out process of a down cycle. Sales professionals and account managers who have taken their customers for granted and failed to proactively manage their accounts are getting punished.

Savvy competitors are moving in fast. These aggressive opportunists seek out opportunities to topple long-term relationships that, prior to this crisis, would have been nearly impossible to penetrate. For the first time in years, your customers are open to other options, and your competitors are gunning for them.

As your customers scrutinize each vendor relationship, they are asking: “What have you done for me lately?” If the answer to that question is, “Not much,” you have a problem.

In the iconic love song “You Don't Bring Me Flowers,” two lovers who have drifted apart describe the feeling of being taken for granted. “You don't sing me love songs; you hardly talk to me anymore.” ...