How Salespeople Can Differentiate Themselves

I loved this quick, get-real blog post from Bryan Neale at Caskey, and think you will too! He discusses simple changes you can make to differentiate yourself and be a better salesperson.

We get asked this question almost daily in our sales training business: HOW CAN I DIFFERENTIATE MYSELF? Let's spend a little time looking at the bigger picture.

Step 1: Stop Behaving Like a Salesperson
Find 20 strangers and ask them to do word association. You say a word, and they say the first thing that comes to mind. The word: SALESPERSON.

95% of the responses you'll get will be negative: PUSHY, ANNOYING, SLIMY, SLICK, etc. So the first step in differentiating yourself is to STOP BEHAVING LIKE, SPEAKING LIKE AND THINKING LIKE any sort of salesperson.

Step 2: Develop 2 Stories
Express your value with STORIES. The "elevator pitch" is OUT. The 30-second commercial is as up to date as an 8-track tape player. Time to find your voice in the new century.

You need to develop 2 stories: 1) your personal story and 2) your company story. We're not talking about your biographical history. We're talking about why you do what you do—your philosophy with new customers. Stating your intent. Sharing what you've learned. The Story is in and a necessity when it comes to differentiating yourself in the sales process.

Step 3: Keep Features/Functions/Benefits Out of the Conversation
Here's the deal. NO ONE CARES ABOUT WHAT IT DOES. THEY ONLY CARE IF IT MAKES THEIR LIFE BETTER. Salespeople are still addicted to specs, attributes, features, functionality, etc. No one cares...how is my life better off with you and your product in it than out of it? That's it.

Step 4: Stop Trying
Stop trying to DIFFERENTIATE. Trying to differentiate from a competitor immediately puts you in a very bad place. It puts you on the defensive. When you're on the defensive, you turn your attention to the COMPETITOR and away from the CUSTOMER. If you really want to differentiate yourself, stop trying to. Just focus on helping the person across the table.

4 small ideas that will dramatically and positively impact your effectiveness in the sales process.

Bryan Neale is a member of Caskey, a training firm that specializes in training and developing B2B sales teams through face to face training, teleconferencing, written materials, custom podcasts and one on one coaching. Learn more at http://caskeyone.com