Is a prospect’s first impression of you a list of bold claims about your product and how superior it is to competing products? I hope not. It’s boring to the prospect. You see, dangling product in front of a prospect is usually ineffective for many reasons:
- Nobody really believes most product claims anyway. Nearly every product has a story, but the problem is nearly every product has a story.
- Unless you are calling on a professional buyer, prospects don’t care about your product anyway.
- It draws attention to your product, which conjures up product comparisons with all your competitors. (I hope your product is REALLY good and REALLY cheap!)
- How you do business. Certainly customers want to buy good products, but most products do not enjoy a true competitive edge (at least for very long). So who you are and how you do business could end up being the most likely reason a prospect becomes a client.
- Success stories. Do you have documentation about how you have identified and solved problems for other customers? If not, you better get busy and document some. If there are no successes to point to, you should re-evaluate your career.
- Evidence that you have been thinking about the prospect’s business, what they must be stewing about in today’s economy, what somebody with their job function is responsible for, and how you might help. In other words, demonstrate some empathy for the individual you are attempting speak with.
These are three simple steps, but despite the simplicity, most salespeople are still hawking products and boring prospects to tears. The good news is, you can change your approach and beat them all. Will you do it?
For additional ways to differentiate yourself from the competition, read "Selling Techniques for Getting that First Appointment." Then download our How Selling Steps!
