What the Customer Wants You to Know

About the Author

Ram Charan is a highly acclaimed business adviser, speaker, and teacher. He has authored or co-authored numerous bestselling business books, including What the CEO Wants You to Know and Execution. With over 35 years of experience, Charan has worked behind the scenes at Fortune 100 companies like GE, Bank of America, DuPont, Thomson Financial, Honeywell, and Verizon, helping senior executives develop and implement strategic plans.

Main Idea

In What the Customer Wants You to Know, Ram Charan revolutionizes the traditional sales approach by introducing the concept of value creation selling (VCS). Unlike conventional sales methods that focus on pushing products, VCS emphasizes understanding the customer's business deeply to provide tailored solutions that enhance their success. This paradigm shift transforms salespeople into trusted partners who contribute to their customers' prosperity, leading to better pricing, higher margins, and long-term relationships.

Table of Contents

• The Problem with Sales
• Turn Selling Around
• Fixing the Broken Sales Process
• What You're Leaving on the Table
• How to Become Your Customer's Trusted Partner
• The Value Account Plan
• Developing the Value Creation Sales Force
• Making the Sale
• Sustaining the Process
• Taking Value Creation Selling to the Next Level

The Problem with Sales

Traditional sales approaches often lead to frustrating price wars, where the focus is on competing rather than solving customer problems. Ram Charan illustrates this with the story of Charlie Baldwin, a seasoned salesman who repeatedly loses deals despite his efforts. The issue is that traditional sales strategies are outdated and fail to address the core needs of customers.

Turn Selling Around

The heart of the new approach to selling is an intense focus on the prosperity of your customers. This shift requires a 180-degree change in psychological orientation. Instead of measuring success by sales figures, you measure it by how well your customers are doing with your help. By becoming deeply involved in understanding and solving your customers' problems, you add significant value to their business.

"You're not focused on selling a specific product or service; you're focused on how your company can help the customer succeed in all the ways that are important to that customer." - Ram Charan

Fixing the Broken Sales Process

Ram Charan emphasizes the need for a complete overhaul of the sales process. Salespeople must transition from being solo operators to team leaders who coordinate efforts across various departments within their organization. This collaborative approach ensures that all functions align with the customer's needs.

Is Your Sales Process Out of Date?