Don’t Sell Your Product Before You Sell Yourself
If you think your only job is to sell your company’s products and services, think again. Before you can ever close a sale, you must sell the customer on why they should buy from you and your company.
Unless a customer has done business with you before, the only thing they might have decided when they start to talk to you is what type of product or service they are considering. In reality, all they may know is that they might not be achieving their corporate or personal goals. Talking to you has nothing to do with their decision to work with your company. And, at this point, they are not sold on why they should. In fact, they may not even be sold that their missed goal can be solved by buying a product or service.
Customers engage with you for a variety of reasons. They may have seen an ad or found the company on the Internet. You may have cold-called the company or networked with the company via social media. They may have been referred to you. It has nothing to do with their decision to work with your company.
This is why it is imperative for salespeople to answer the question, “Why should I buy from you?” You must sell your personal credibility before you can sell anything else. Think of it as a job interview.
As a job candidate, you do everything you can to put your best foot forward, from the way you dress, to how you listen, and how you answer questions honestly, thoroughly, and correctly. You strive to prove that you are the right choice, that you have the skills, commitment, and passion that will benefit the employer now and in the future.
The same applies when customers interview you. They need to know why they should buy from you as well as buying from your company. They look for a professional who is committed to listening and understanding their needs. The key word here is listening. This is the only way to understand their needs thoroughly. It is imperative that you listen before you try to answer questions.
What’s at stake?
Giving customers a reason to buy from you and your company has immediate and long-time benefits. In the short-term, customers will be delighted with their experience and tell their friends. This has the potential to increase your social network and increase your personal worth. In the long-run, it means that customers will be back for service, accessories, and more.
On the other hand, if you don’t develop a relationship built on trust and confidence, you will always end up selling on price, just like everyone else. Even if a customer purchases a product or service, they may never be back, and, they may warn others to steer clear of your company.
What’s involved?
You must be the best professional that you can be. You must embrace work as a profession, not as just another job. A professional salesperson is proud of his craft and tries to be the best that s/he can.
In my book, Eliminate Your Competition I discuss there are three things that you must sell:
- your product,
- your company,
- yourself.
Since most products have competition that solves the core of the same problems, products rarely win the deal by themselves. Since most companies are high quality, the company reputation rarely wins the deal. The big variable in all sales opportunities is you. You can show that you are a better partner and a better advocate than the other salesperson. You can show that it is better to buy from you than to buy from the other person. You may purchase my book from your favorite book retailer. The ebook version is available at the most popular retailers such as Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The paperback version is also widely available at such retailers as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million.
Customer loyalty isn’t what it used to be. People don’t return simply because it’s where they purchased previously. They re-purchase because salespeople took the time to build a relationship. They gave the customer a reason to buy from their company. When you have a relationship with a customer, everything is more straightforward. But remember, even one mistake can cause a loyal customer to leave. It is up to you to sell them on your company, sell them on your professionalism, and then, to keep them sold through simple, consistent communication.
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