Thoughtful Thursdays - Making your sales job easier

Whether a seasoned veteran or rookie in the sales profession, thoughts will eventually come around finding ways to improve your sales process. How can I make it easier for the customer say yes?

Going through your sales tool kit, you find all the promotional materials you need including business cards, brochures, samples and price lists. You also have up to date scripts that reinforce the features and benefits of your product/service offering. You have anticipated objections and have solid responses to address them. Record keeping is meticulous and you always follow up. It looks like everything is in place for a success and you are successful. You just want to be better and are looking for another sales tool that will help you accomplish that goal.

One that is probably there, but sometimes overlooked is competitive advantage. Some will take it for granted, not be clear about what it is, or know it and forget to tell your customer.

As you are already successful, you must have an advantage over your competition, but are you able to articulate it to your customers? If you know what it is, do not forget to let them know.

If you are not sure what it is, take a look at the features and benefits of your product/service offering. Benefits can be determined by taking each feature and asking yourself "So what?"

You can identify or create your competitive advantage in a similar fashion. Look at your list of  features and benefits. Compare yourself to the competition. Are they talking about them? Are there any that you may be taking for granted that your competition is not talking about? You do not need to unique if you are the first to be speaking out.

In a competitive market place successful businesses look regularly for every advantage and sometimes it can be right under your nose. In my experience competitive advantage is best determined in a group environment. Brainstorm and put everything out there including features, benefits, customer feedback, and what you do best. Although it may be based on what you do or have done, it is about how you demonstrate it better than your competition for your customer's benefit. Once you have come up with your advantage, don't assume it is correct. Test it with your existing customers first, you may find it needs revision.

Quoting Jack Welch: "If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete."

Good selling,
Richard