Explore the personal customer buying experience

- Think about this. While you are taking this course, your best customers, your top prospects, they have already started the buying cycle, and they have started it without you. While you are building your sales skills, they're online Googling for information, they're reading reviews, and talking to their friends and family about what products they buy and who they recommend. In the last five years, so much about selling has changed, and one of the biggest shifts has been in consumer buying behavior. With the rise of the digital landscape has come the opportunity for consumers to buy products and services anywhere, anytime, and from anyone. The impact? Sales today is no longer about offering a product or service. For consumers, finding what they want to buy is the easy part. Now sales is about creating a better and more personalized buying experience. And for sales professionals, knowing how to do that is your competitive advantage. According to a report by PWC, more than 70% of consumer respondents cited experience as a critical factor in their buying decisions. In addition, 86% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for a better and more personalized experience. So what do we mean by a personalized buying experience? And how do you have a sales professional create one? Those are great questions. The term personalized buying experience is a concept that has kind of always been around. We all have the story of our favorite shop or restaurant, but it really didn't become mainstream until around 2010 or so. And when Covid redefined the marketplace, the shift in everyone buying from home took personalization to a whole new level. Since then, customizing the buying experience for our customers has become a clear way to differentiate yourself in the marketplace and win more business. So what are the elements of a strong personalized buying experience? There are really just four essential areas you need to recognize and focus on to consistently exceed your customer's buying expectations and journey. Number one is speed. Now, speed can mean everything from fast service to technology that works quickly and smoothly, to the time it takes for something to arrive at your doorstep. Number two, convenience. In other words, how easy is it to do business with you? Everything from your business is on my way to the office, to being the first one to pop up in a Google search, or having an easy to navigate and purchase from website. Number three, knowledge. Is your product or service easy to understand, easy to use, and far more importantly, can your customers get the information they need and their questions answered easily and without barrier? And number four, service. Do your customers feel well taken care of, valued, and that you actually want them as customers? Throughout this course, we'll dive into each of these areas so you can not only deeply understand the personalized experience, but create an exceptional one for your customers.