Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Separate Yourself From the Pack

Yesterday sales trainer and author Jim Meisenheimer gave us some ideas on how to differentiate yourself from other salespeople, and make more sales in the process. He's back again today with more ideas - we hope they inspire you to see how different you can be.

1. Prepare differently.
Being prepared doesn't take the fun out of being spontaneous. In fact being prepared makes your spontaneity more appreciated. Prepare written sales call objectives. Prepare and practice the benefits of your products and services. Prepare and practice how you will handle the dreaded price objection. You can also prepare "Knock your socks off" sales proposals.

2. Ask different questions.
Try asking questions that don't include "Ahs" and "Ums." This is almost impossible to do when your questions aren't prepared prior to the sales call. When you ask a question and the customer responds with, "What do you mean?" that's a clear indication it wasn't a very good question.

Ask this question and see what kind of response you get: "What would it take to win your supplier of the year award?" And remember the better the question, the better the response will be.

3. A.B.T.D.T.
Always be trying different things. Look for the differences in people and things. Note what works and what doesn't work. Try taking small chances on a daily basis. Try doing things a little differently on a daily basis.

Here are a few more ideas from Meisenheimer to get you started - try brainstorming your own list today!

--Send 3-5 handwritten notes to internal and external customers every day.
--Thank everyone personally who helps you make a sale.
--Send birthday cards with the sound of music.
--Do one good deed everyday.
--Order personalized M&Ms.
--Say yes I can!
--Be positive!

Former U.S. Army Officer Jim Meisenheimer is an author, speaker and sales trainer with years of successful selling experience. He publishes the bi-weekly No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter, which is packed full of information to help you win bigger sales and KO the competition. Learn more at http://www.meisenheimer.com/

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So true. You must be different. I once met a rep that successfully did something very different. He mentioned to a prospect that his business card was different. It had his home phone number on it. He said it was there so his clients could reach him at any time of the day. It worked for him.
Nick