I, Me, Mine

April 29, 2012 at 12:00 AM
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"I don't care about you. I only care what you can do for me, my team and my organization." That's what our prospects and clients think, but it's probably not what they say (at least not to your face).

Our clients don't care about "us." They care about what we can deliver. Top salespeople deliver true business ROI, end of story. Do you?

That's the standard sales approach. Why, then, when salespeople tell me about their companies and what they do and why I should work with them, do they offer these answers?

  • We are experienced.
  • We are professional.
  • We have been in business for 25 years.
  • We have long support hours.
  • We are near your location.
  • We have won multiple industry awards.
  • We understand your business issues.
  • We do everything we can to help you succeed.
  • We provide solutions that help your company grow and prosper.
  • We conduct business with integrity and commitment.
  • We volunteer in the community.
  • We eliminate the guesswork and leave you more time to run your business.
  • We take the time to listen to your goals.
  • We are your one-stop shop.

Yes, these are all real-life examples. These are exact quotes from my clients before we worked together to build a referral-sales program. (You'll notice that the common word throughout is "we.")

Drop the "we." Personal pronouns are about us, not about our clients. Clients don't need to know more about us, our experience, our expertise or what we think. Clients want measurable, positive changes to their business. Clients want results. To change your results, you must change the way you talk about your company's products or services.

Shift your perspective, shift your sales. Differentiate yourself from your competition. Answer the question "Why should I work with you?" with an answer that highlights the customer's perspective.

Here's a litmus test: If you can say "So what?" after your business statement, you haven't described your products and services in terms of the result they can deliver.

Your action step: Get beyond "So what?" Practice with a friend or colleague and keep asking "So what?" until you can't ask it anymore. That's when you'll have an effective value statement. This is hard work, but if you leave it up to your prospects to try to figure out what they'll get from working with you, you may just lose out to the competition.

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Joanne Black is a professional sales speaker, sales webinar leader, and author of "No More Cold Calling: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust" from Warner Business Books. Visit www.nomorecoldcalling.com. © Copyright 2011 Joanne S. Black. All rights reserved.

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