8. How can you separate yourself from your competition?
Give me one good reason why I should buy from you!
I get sales people calling me all the time. You all look alike - sound alike - make the same promises, what makes you any different?
You have to separate yourself from the competition. You have to be different. You have to be better.
One of the best ways to separate yourself from the competition is to know everything there is to know about your products and services. If you know what you are talking about, the customer feels it and starts trusting what you say.
The goal is not necessarily to be able to give very technical characteristics. The goal is to know the product so much in depth that you are able to simplify the complicated characteristics into powerful advantages for the client to use the product. This means applying what you learn by turning your product knowledge into benefits and presenting these benefits to your customers.
Attend all the presentations, seminars, courses and talks by renowned speakers that are available. Don’t consider these an expense, but an investment to better yourself.
You will always learn from these presentations, seminars, courses and talks. Accept all supplier invitations for sales, marketing or product information seminars.
When you have the opportunity to attend an industry convention or regional training function talk to people who are more successful than you are and learn everything you can from them.
After a while, from all the information you store in your mind from all these different sources, you develop your own style and your own recipes for success that work best for you. This is the unique strategy that will keep you one step ahead of your competition.
Learning and self-improvement implies one essential feeling: the desire to be better, the desire to improve.
Many sales people are often surprised to find themselves dropping behind their competitors, but when they examine themselves, they find that they have stopped growing because they have ceased their effort to keep up with new selling techniques, new products and new marketing strategies.
Some people are so busy trying to learn the “tricks of the trade”, they never learn the trade. Your ability as a sales person is always on the move, either one way or the other. It is either getting better or getting worse. Everything you do not use is slipping away.
Some sales people complain about having to attend sales meetings or training seminars. Even if they knew everything offered by a training program, they still need the training. The essence of successful training is to build confidence by helping to improve the skills you already have.
Seminars and sales meetings are a great place to start, however, it is ultimately up to you to improve your skills. The person who continuously looks for new ideas and better methods of selling is the one who moves forward.
Commit to spending time every day learning more about your business. One hour a day spent studying your business will make you one of the top international experts in your field in 5 years.
What are you doing to improve your knowledge and separate yourself from your competitor? I once looked at all the books on selling I had on my shelf and thought about how much useful information is in them yet going unused. I decided to do something bold. I took the books one by one and cut out all the things I wanted to learn and apply. I pasted the information on 3 x 5 cards and organized them by topic. I began reviewing them every day until I knew them and experienced what I had learned. Once you know something and then you do it with a conscious effort, you will really know it. This was done 25 years ago and I still have the 3 x 5 cards today. Many of the concepts are spread throughout this course. Today, whenever I buy a book, I buy two. One to keep and one to cut up.
It doesn't mater what system you use for increasing your knowledge, the important thing is that you learn and apply something new every day. A good place to start is by reading, absorbing and APPLYING the course you are now taking. As we previously discussed, APPLICATION is the key.
Comments:
People have asked why they should buy from me and I tell them it is because I am the best at what I do, period. No one will do the work that I will to get the answers they need. I am better than the next guy because I truly care about them as a business partner. If they will allow me to work with them I will do everything in my power to help their business grow and prosper. I tell prospects that they are long term investments for me. I will put in the work and do the research that is necessary that they don’t have time to do in order to help them grow. Even if that means that I have to suggest product that I don’t handle. By putting their needs and concerns first, it shows the customer that I am truly committed to their bottom line. This might not put dollars in my pocket on that particular item but it solidifies the relationship with the customer even further. Once they see that my strategy isn’t about a quick sale I become the guy they call first.
Dave Ferren
There’s just something different about a conversation with someone when you know and understand the topic. I don’t care if it is sports or current events. When you have knowledge about a topic you handle yourself differently. You exude confidence. You listen better. The same applies to selling your product. When a customer senses your expertise, the conversation changes from “what is he trying to sell me?” to “I know he can help.”
Jim Ruth
I’ve always been amazed when I’ve delt with salesman who had no product knowledge of what they are selling. I’ve has this happen so often with car salesman that I can’t even count it.
One of the most amusing things [to me] was when I was looking a large high power audio amplifier at a chain electronics store. It had a THX certification on it. The salesman took it upon himself to tell me what THX was and told me that George Lucas had invented it [seems he had never even read the brochure on this amplifier or any other piece of gear that was THX certified].
I was about doubled over laughing about his description and he couldn’t understand why. I then explained to him that George Lucas was a movie producer and not an engineer and that Lucas Films endorses THX. I did kindly tell him what THX stood for. I then asked him what kind of output devices the amplifier used and got the deer-in-the –headlights look. He had no real knowledge at all about what he was trying to sell other than it was the most expensive stuff in the store.
It’s important to know everything you can about the products you are selling because you will find the customer going somewhere else.
Cary McAfee
A customer who is an expert in his field can spot a novice salesperson almost immediately. I have had questions thrown at me just to test my knowledge. If the person you are trying to sell to is way ahead of you, they will not put much value on your ability to help them succeed.
Crocker Smith
I was one of those "tricks of the trade" sales people. That's one of the reasons I signed up for this course. Very quickly you find that truly asking questions of your customer is the best knowledge you can gain. And since people generally love to speak about themselves you can sit and get volumes of information just asking some simple questions. Then if you truly are a student of your profession you start to gain the knowledge to be successful beyond your wildest dreams. Every time I sign on a new customer I ask them why they decided to do business with me. I take that and write it down in the "book of successes". I learn form each one of those.
Michael S. Hutchison
If you are truly interested in the product you are selling then learning everything about it would be a very smooth process. Learning every aspect of the product is the key to success. I would not want to purchase something from someone that is unsure of what they are selling me. Selling something that you are not familiar with could really hurt the business also because if someone is mislead about something they purchased they would hold it against the company as well as the salesperson.
Jamie R. Friend
Concern and Enthusiasm I believe are the two best ways to separate you from the rest of the pack.
1st Concern- Show your client you want to help SOLVE their problems (not add to them). Remember you are in this together. Ask your client what the biggest obstacle they are facing right now. Key here is to be quite and listen. What if their problem has nothing to do with you? IT DOSE NOT MATTER. Hopefully you have researched the industry and talked with others in the industry. Share some helpful hints or ideas. When those issues are out of the way- the customer is VERY willing to talk about how you can now help solve other issues that DO involve you.
2nd Enthusiasm- Show your client you are happy to see or talk with them. Never let them see you sweat. Smile, Smile, Smile- use inflection in your voice. They are NOT just another stop or call on your route- You are truly happy to talk with them. If you’re not talking with them- someone else is.
Be Sharp & Shinny:
Like any piece of fine silver- we tarnish over time. Researching, reading and learning new ideas or refreshing old ones will polish our inner Silver to a Shine. This will set you apart from other dull knives in the drawer.
Keeping it Simple, Teresa Cloninger
Knowing and applying the things you learn will separate you from your competition. Knowing your product will give you the edge needed to get the account your competitor did not. Don’t feed them a line if you don’t know what you’re talking about. And be ready to back up your promises. To become a successful sales person you must continue to learn. remember to know your product in depth but don’t overwhelm your client with things that they don’t need to know.
Brian Spraggins
"You have to separate yourself from the competition. You have to be different. You have to be better. If you really know what you are talking about, the customer feels it and starts trusting what you say."