Thoughtful Thursdays - No USP?

Second in the series about Things That Can Lengthen Your Sales Cycle considers your Unique Selling Proposition.

If you are not confident about differentiates your product and/or services, you can surely expect your sales cycle to be longer it you get the sale at all.

We spend a great deal of time with our clients helping them determine what makes them different. Beginning with market res each and analysis of the findings, a positioning statement is developed that fills a gap in the for the identified target market.

We rack our brains to identify the elusive USP. In many instances we focus too much on the product or service that is offered and not other differentiators. If you are fortunate to have customers already, my suggestion is to ask them why they like to do business with you. Just as they have answered questions about what they want, they will tell you what makes you different.

Use this information to your advantage and make it part of your discussions with prospects. It is likely that what your current customers like, others will also appreciate.

Sometimes it will be you that makes the difference. The fact that you are trusted, you return calls promptly, you always do what you say are examples.

Shorten your sales cycle by knowing what value you bring and communicate that message to your prospects. Once you have perceived value, your prospect will be more likely to want to hear about what you have to offer. From that point it is up to you to deliver on the expectations.

Good selling,
Richard