Selling for most of us is an irksome task. There are a plethora of textbooks that tell us that we need to ‘put ourselves in our customer's shoes’. Well, we do, and as a result, we feel uncomfortable to approach a prospect because if we were them, we wouldn’t want the disruption of someone selling to us.

 

The problem isn’t in your manner, your tone or the myriad of features you have. You’re selling what’s 'on the box'. And what’s on the box is plainly obvious to me.

 

You’re a designer, you’re a lawyer, you have a new CRM software package...

 

Put the box away.

 

These are commodities. I can find them anywhere, and to be quite honest I don’t need any of them right this moment.

 

Or that’s what you’ve made me think.

 

In the current competitive landscape, you simply cannot afford to give people the opportunity to make a yes / no decision. Most businesses have hundreds of competitors within a local market, and literally thousands on an international scale.

 

And when you’re not going up against a direct competitor, you’re competing with alternatives and other pressures facing your client. Do they buy some corporate coaching or take the family on an overseas holiday?

 

Ask yourself these questions:

 

1. Do you believe someone will be better off after using your products and services?
    

2. Have you provided outstanding results for a client in the past?
    

3. Do you have conviction in your approach, that your team is attentive and your methodology and thinking is superior to your competitor?

 

If you want to survive and thrive within the current competitive landscape, you need to create a message that causes your customer to pause and question if what they’re currently doing could be better, could be causing them harm, or could result in decreased profit? 

 

You’re not a designer, you reinvigorate morale and provide platforms to rapidly promote critical messages.

 

You’re not a lawyer, you create legal frameworks that reduce risk and increase the market value of a business. 

 

You don’t have a CRM software package, you can implement a system that strengthens relationships and builds clients for life.

 

If your message needs to be a bit controversial to get attention, then so be it.

 

If this causes your customer to make an enquiry, do you think you then have the opportunity to improve their business?

 

Forget selling. It’s your obligation to provide value to as many people as possible.
 

© Hamish Chadwick