In sales you simply must stand out from other salespeople, not just the ones in your industry, but ALL the salespeople that are calling on your prospects and customers, as they are also competing for their time, attention, and money. Here are several ways to be unique in sales.
1) Exceed customer expectations.
Go above and beyond; under promise and over deliver. Do more than the customer would ever expect you to do. You exceed customer expectations by delivering more, better, and/or faster. Deliver earlier than expected (assuming the customer can take delivery sooner) and deliver more than expected. If your customer tells you they need it within five weeks, deliver it in three, or sooner, if you can. If possible, include a little something extra that the customer wasn’t expecting. Focus on always delivering a little more than you are being paid for. If you make a habit of going above and beyond and delivering more than is expected, you will have happy customers.
2) Focus on your unique selling proposition.
You, your company, and your product have advantages that your competition does not. What are those advantages and unique benefits? You, for one, are the one thing your competition doesn’t have. With a simple decision to do so, you can be more focused on and more committed to your customers and prospects than anyone else. Sell the unique value that you, your company, and your product have to offer.
3) Do the things that most other salespeople don’t.
Send personal, hand-written thank you notes, follow-up promptly, and do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it. Send holiday gifts, ask better questions, and know the industry and how it affects your customers and prospects better than the competition does. Be a true business partner with customers and prospects.
4) Stay in touch and build solid relationships with your customers.
Obviously the better your relationships with your customers, the better customers they will be. Work hard at getting customer and prospect information, and use that information to build strong relationships. Show a sincere interest in what your customers and prospects are interested in. Reach out to customers via mail, e-mail, phone, and in-person visits. Focus on building solid personal relationships with all your contacts.
5) Dare to be different.
Be unique in your approach. Here are some quick examples:
- One salesman we know has a unique way to get to “tough to reach prospects”. He buys small plastic skeletons at a Halloween Store and puts them in envelopes with his business card and a note attached; the note reads, “This is me waiting for you to call.”
- A woman who is the top salesperson at her company buys cheap baby shoes then attaches a business card and note, “Just trying to get my foot in the door.”
- One woman sings to “difficult to reach” prospects on their voice mail.
- A top salesperson for a pharmaceutical company dresses up for Halloween and brings candy.
- A top computer salesperson puts helium balloon in a box with his card attached. NOTE: Make sure the ceiling isn’t too high.
- Another top salesperson sends his customers six cards a year: Thanksgiving, holiday, birthday, anniversary (the anniversary date of the day the customer started doing business with him), the start of Spring, and the start of Summer.
Yes, some of these ideas are a bit out there, but they absolutely work and will definitely set you apart.
6) Be more committed than everyone else.
Decide that you are willing to work as hard as you need to in order to help your prospects and customers be successful. In addition to working hard, commit yourself to working smart to find creative solutions for prospects and customers. Dedicate yourself to professional and personal growth and commit yourself to your success as well as that of your customers. Be the one that comes to mind when customers think of: professionalism, work ethic, and integrity.
With the speed of business today and the vast amounts information and people all begging for our attention, you MUST greatly differentiate yourself. These six tips will help you stand out and thus garner you more time, attention, and business from prospects and customers.
Have a sales question? E-mail John at johnchapin@completeselling.com. John Chapin’s specialty is helping salespeople and sales teams double sales in 12 months. He is an award-winning sales speaker, trainer and coach, a number one sales rep in three industries, and the primary author of the gold-medal winning “Sales Encyclopedia”. In his 24+ years of sales, customer service and management experience, he has thrived in some of the toughest markets and economies.
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