How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
One of the easiest and most overlooked ways is by referencing early in the prospecting phase a key point about the prospect’s customer.
Time and time again I’ve shared this strategy with sales teams, and the success stories I hear back in the weeks and months following are always incredibly positive.
Check out this short video from a keynote where I talk about this sales secret:
The beauty of this strategy is how well it works in all types of prospecting situations. If what you sell is seen as a commodity customers buy on price, your ability to bring just one new piece of information about the prospect’s customer can be enough to get you a conversation that is not price focused.
Every customer is going to want to know more about what you know about their customers.
You may be prospecting OEM suppliers or someone buried deep in the supply-chain, and again they’re going to want to know what’s happening at the other end. These people are often so buried in the fine print of the contracts on which they are working, they have little to no insight as to why they’re doing what they do.
If you sell at the C-level or to other higher up people, getting a meeting with them is always a challenge. The last thing they want to do is to spend time with a salesperson; however, that all changes if you’re bringing them valuable insights.
Regardless of who you sell to, they have a customer they need to take care of. The sooner you bring them information on these customers, the sooner they will see value in you.
All it takes is for you to have one piece of information, and with that you can use it to lead off a phone call, a voicemail or even an email. The key is for the prospect to see quickly how you are not merely a salesperson but you’re a key source of information. Your objective is to use the insight to gain a meaningful conversation with the prospect.
This strategy is a key reason I stress prospecting by industry, as what you learn about one customer’s customer will often apply to other prospects you want to reach.
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Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results
