Not long ago, a survey done by Boston’s Rain Group indicated that most buyers found it highly influential when a seller could differentiate themselves and their organization from others.
Unfortunately, only about 1 out of 5 sellers polled in the same survey rated that skill as one at which they were highly proficient!
Granted, it can sometimes be difficult to stand-out. In a recent article published by MakingTheNumbers.com, founder and author Jack Falvey shared some good insight into how we might more effectively differentiate ourselves from our competition.
Here’s an excerpt of the piece:
If You’re Part of the Sale, There’s No Such Thing as a Commodity
Your product or service becomes a commodity purchase only if you declare it so. There is no benefit to you in doing so. Because you are part of every sale, your product or service is automatically differentiated and becomes unique (and worth paying a premium for!). Don’t sell yourself short.
When Pat Hughes would make a presentation on contract rates for his third-party health plan administrator service, he would close by closing the proposal book with all its charts and fee schedules and simply say, “Would you like me to handle your business?” That should be the major benefit in everything you sell. “I will do it for you.” “I can take care of that.” “I will be sure it goes through.” “I will deliver it myself.” “I will check to see if everything is working.” “Call me as soon as someone needs help.”
Customers can recognize and will pay for this difference. You have to be in the ballpark, but once you are, you ought to be able to get hits just because of who you are. Pat Hughes always closes on who he is. He says his “who-ness” sells!
Good advice for us all!