Got competition? If youíve been in sales longer than five years, you know that you have more competition now than ever before. Not only that, the competition is fiercer than ever.
Well, if so, then you are not alone. Our clients are reporting to that with the advent of mergers, global expansion, and of course, the Internet--competition has heated up more than ever. So, now what do you do?
Differentiate yourself. Thatís rightóyou not only need to understand how and why you are different (i.e. ìbetterî) than your competition, you need to know how to COMMUNICATE ìthe howî your products/services are better.
Below, you will see the acronym ìDIFFERENTIATEî, that I use in training our clients to remember how to communicate more effectivelyóleading to more closed sales.
D = DETERMINE what makes you and your company different. What are your strengthsóas a professional? What services does your company offer that are unique? How do you go about delighting your loyal customers? Once you have these ideasóstart using them in your calls.
I = INCLUDE your customer in your presentation. Whether you are communicating on the phone or in person, make sure you are asking your customers validation questions all throughout the process. Nobody likes a monologue.
F = FOSTER long-term relationships. Customer loyalty is priceless in todayís sales environment. Take your timeócustomers arenít necessarily on your timeframe!
F =FORGET making claims that are unsubstantiated. Your customers can see right thorough this. Donít insult their intelligence. As an example, one of our clients used to call CFOís and open with this: ìWe can save your company 30% in travel expenses.î Think that works? Thatís why they called us for help. They were not getting calls back. Wonder why?
E = ENERGIZE your presentation. If you donít sound excited about your products and services, why should your customer? Claims are badóenthusiasm is good!
R = REWARD your customers for buying from you. Thank your customers and keep their best interest in mind. All of your customers want more business, too. How can you help your customers grow? Share leads with them, link them up with other customers and show the customer you care. THAT will differentiate you from your pack of competitors!
E = ENCOURAGE feedback from your customers. Ask them the reasons they like conducting business with you and with your company. Find out what your customers are happy with and what makes your different in their eyes.
N = NEUTRALIZE the competition. You do this by setting up the criteria FOR your customers. Hereís an example. A prospect called our office and wanted to know how long our Customer Service training takes. I told him that it is a one-day program. Then I shared what we do and why our one day is so effective. Lastly, I was proactive by telling him that other training companies will want to expand this training to multiple days and that initially, itís unnecessary. He loved that he could get his needs met in one day and keep his staff on the phones longer. How do you think heíll respond when he talks with our competition who is claiming that three days is necessary? Be proactive!
T = TELL ëem again. If you have shared information with your customer, assume that theyíve forgotten all that youíve said. And whatever you doÖdonít take their lack of attention personally!
I = INCLUDE the benefits of working with you and your company. Whatís in it for THEM?
A = ASK open-ended high value questions. Donít know what this is? You may need a SalesPEAK training session to learn. (For those of you who have been in our sessionsÖremember the 4 wís, h, and t? Also the 1-10 questioning strategy? Good!)
T = TAKE advantage of referrals to build your differentiation.
E = EXPECT success! (c) Renee Walkup, SalesPEAK, 678 587-9911 www.salespeak.com |
