Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Fifth Key of Highly Effective Selling

5) Personalize Where Possible 
Building value is an essential step as a sales consultant because it is very important to position yourself, first and foremost in your customer’s mind, as the authority; the expert; the industry leader; or the company with the best solution (i.e. the one that offers the most value or has a unique advantage over your competition).

It is easier to do this up front, at the beginning of a recommendation to your customer, than to try to mention it later as way to overcome objection. Some companies will suggest a standard competitive positioning statement that should be mentioned before you launch into recommendation and price.

Here are some examples:
  • “Just so you know, your purchase comes with a 120-day money-back guarantee. If for any reason you want to cancel your subscription or return your product, you can do so – no questions asked. We are the only company that offers this kind of promise.”
  • “Our customer service reps and mechanics are available to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We are always there to help whenever you need us.”
  • “What sets us apart from our competition is that all of our storage containers feature our patented locking system. They are the most secure doors in the industry.”
  • “Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.”
    Kim Collins – World Champion Sprinter
A benefit only builds value in the mind of your customer if it addresses a stated need or concern. Personalize the sharing of your features and benefits by referring to information you gleaned about your customer during your questioning process. By following this approach, you become a consultant instead of a salesperson. Because you listen to and address the customer’s specific needs in your recommendation, you demonstrate to the customer that your product or service is designed to solve their problem.

There are 5 common areas that customers care about in regard to how your product or service will benefit them.

To be effectively building personal value, every benefit must tie back to at least one of these five common areas of customer interest in some direct or indirect way. It is not enough to assume that the customer will make this connection. You must state the connection as a notable personal benefit for the customer as part of your presentation.

Personalizing has mostly to do with referring back to what the customer actually told you. It is fitting or customizing the product or service you sell around your customer’s needs. And it’s important to remember that not all benefits are important to a customer. One common mistake is to outline ALL of the benefits to a prospective customer, even the ones that are not important to them. This can actually work against you because it tells the customer that you don’t know what they want nor understand their needs. You’re just shooting in the dark hoping to hit on something that will “sell” them. Keep in mind that if the customer does not talk about it, you don’t want to talk about it.
ContactPoint NGA WDDA

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