Selling What's Different

Company CEOs are bombarded every day with phone messages, emails, faxes, letters, and sales pitches from salespeople. And you know what? About 95% of those messages sound exactly the same.

That's why you need to stand out to make sales. If no one notices you, they'll never notice your solution. Read on for some advice from sales trainer Jim Meisenheimer on how to differentiate yourself from your competition.

1. Talk different.
I'd give anything, almost anything, to have a genuine/authentic British accent. Nothing makes you sound more different than a good accent. I was born in Brooklyn and so I have a slight accent. Okay - it's not slight, it's Brooklyn. Now get this, for the longest time I tried to hide my Brooklyn accent. When I moved to Chicago not a single day went by without someone pointing out the fact that I had a Brooklyn accent. So instead of accepting my different accent I try to avoid it, until one day I realized my accent made me different.

2. Look different.
In one of my sales training classes last week a woman told me her shoes make her different. Apparently she has quite a collection and her customers recognize this as a point of difference. It could be a very unique/handmade briefcase. It could be bow ties for men. It could be a very unique and eye-catching fountain pen. It could be you always favor one color. It could be anything you want it to be.

3. Do different.
Do things in a different way. You could develop a signature way to end every sales call. Many years ago NBC had an evening news program starring Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Every night they ended their program with "Goodnight Chet. Goodnight David. And goodnight for NBC News." It was their signature. It worked for them and it can certainly work for you.

We'll be back tomorrow with some more ideas from Meisenheimer on how you can differentiate yourself from the pack.

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/