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. That’s right—you not only need to understand how and why you are different (i.e. “better”) than your competition, you need to know how to COMMUNICATE “the how” your products/services are better.  

Below, you will see the acronym “DIFFERENTIATE”, that I use in training our clients to remember how to communicate more effectively—leading to more closed sales. 

D = DETERMINE what makes you and your company different. What are your strengths—as a professional? What services does your company offer that are unique? How do you go about delighting your loyal customers? Once you have these ideas—start 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 today’s sales environment. Take your time—customers aren’t necessarily on your timeframe! 

F =FORGET making claims that are unsubstantiated. Your customers can see right thorough this. Don’t insult their intelligence. As an example, one of our clients used to call CFO’s and open with this: “We can save your company 30% in travel expenses.” Think that works? That’s why they called us for help. They were not getting calls back. Wonder why? 

E = ENERGIZE your presentation. If you don’t sound excited about your products and services, why should your customer? Claims are bad—enthusiasm 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. Here’s 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, it’s 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 he’ll respond when he talks with our competition who is claiming that three days is necessary? Be proactive! 

T = TELL ‘em again. If you have shared information with your customer, assume that they’ve forgotten all that you’ve said. And whatever you do…don’t take their lack of attention personally! 

I = INCLUDE the benefits of working with you and your company. What’s in it for THEM? 

A = ASK open-ended high value questions. Don’t know what this is? You may need a SalesPEAK training session to learn. (For those of you who have been in our sessions…remember the 4 w’s, h, and t? Also the 1-10 questioning strategy? Good!) 

T = TAKE advantage of referrals to build your differentiation. 

E = EXPECT success! Now you have a few more ideas of how to differentiate yourself, so best of luck to you in your success!

 (c) Renee Walkup, SalesPEAK, 678 587-9911 www.salespeak.com