Good salespeople are asking questions all day long. They ask clients Will you meet with me? What are your challenges? and Will you invest in this solution? They ask their managers and coworkers Can we deliver this solution?
The question salespeople are not asking enough is How am I trusted and valued by my clients?
Your best clients have shown they trust and value you when they reorder. Prospects have found some reason to trust and value what you might have to offer when they give you that first appointment.
Knowing how you are trusted and valued by your clients is the essential element, or sin qua non, of your personal brand. The struggle to write your LinkedIn profile becomes easier when you’ve asked others to help describe you, to identify what makes you you.
Here are questions you can ask of your manager, your coworkers, and your clients about your personal brand:
1. Ask Your Manager
In your next meeting, ask:
- What do I regularly do that’s most meaningful to our clients?
- What value do I offer that leads my clients to renew or reorder?
- What is my greatest strength or talent that provides value to our clients?
2. Ask Your Coworkers
In a quick email, write something like:
I’m working on my professional brand and would like some informal feedback from you. Could you answer these three questions for me?
- What words would you use to describe how I do business with my clients?
- What do you believe I am most passionate about?
- What one word or phrase would best describe what makes me valuable to clients?
3. Ask Your Clients For Testimonials
Watch this short presentation about how to ask your clients for testimonials:
Start asking these questions today and make the answers part of your professional brand. Begin with your LinkedIn profile, and let the benefits you offer permeate all the client emails and online posts you write.
