Where are you in your prospects world?

Are you just another salesperson?

Here’s why I ask.

I want you to imagine something for a moment.

Picture a tall tower, an ivory tower if you will, and at the top of that tower is your prospect.

He has a ‘bag o’ money’, the authority and needs what you provide. He has a problem and you have solution.

But look at the base of the tower….can you see them? You are not alone!

Along with you there are countless other sales reps all shouting up at the prospect:

“Down here! Me! Me! Pick me! Please….I’ll do anything to win your business!”

Does that sound familiar?

When the prospect looks down, what does he see?

He sees a bunch of needy sales people who are all clambering for his business.

Now some prospects like this, it gives them a sense of power. They like to throw a “bone” and see the peasants fight it out; cutting their prices and profit margins, just so they can be invited up to the top of the tower and get the “prize” – the order!

But the order obtained is only really the type that suits the prospect and sentences the sales rep to long term servitude of jumping around like a circus clown.

Okay maybe that’s a bit out there. But when you cut through all the corporate, college talk that’s how it feels for us sales guys and gals out there in the real world!

But ask yourself.

What would it mean to you and your business if you could get away from the clambering crowd and work with prospects that view you as a business equal, a trusted advisor?

Think about that for a moment.

I mean really. What would that do for you?

Would you like to know what to do about it?

Good, because here’s the answer!

1. Pick your tower

Create an ideal client profile and only go to that type of ‘tower’ (prospect).

2. Send up a flair

Get their attention. What do they care about? What issues are they facing? How can you help them?

Find out what interests them and put together a report, article, video, teleseminar, webinar or live event to get their attention and start to position yourself as an expert.

This is not hard, believe me.

Then, find out where they are looking for a solution and position yourself there. Don’t be in the hills if they are looking in the river!

3. Create a (credibility) platform

Build a platform next to the ‘tower’ so that you can position yourself right up there with the prospect.

I call it the 3XESP (Easy, Ethical, Educational Sales Platform)

Basically this is your online and offline positioning system that ‘lifts’ you above the other sales reps out there and puts you on an equal level with the prospect, a level he is happy to do business with.

A major component of this is having your own website or industry focused blog.

Here you can have your own brand, and speak to the needs of your ideal client, positioning yourself as a viable solution and asset, which – let’s face it – is not always conveyed on the company’s official website.

The next step is to ‘crank it up’ and kept ‘up there’ by using the S.A.V.E method.

Social Media
Articles / Posts / Press Releases
Video
Email marketing / Everything else

By the way, would you like to know more about how you can use this information to make more sales in less time with less stress? If so, simple fill in the form below and get access to my new guide “How to Explode Your Sales!”

Let’s face it. Your marketing department doesn’t always get you and your personality or approach.  They don’t always know what type of clients you are good at attracting and closing.

In fact you have probably closed business despite your marketing department and the material they give you….I know I have!

Truth is they don’t always care about you and your individual sales, right?  You, in affect, are just another of those sales reps out on the road!

The way they have it is every piece of literature that you have points back to the company website, number or email.

Now I am not saying that is wrong, of course. The company are completely within their rights to do that.  I mean that.

But taking that principle I believe that every salesperson is their own company and should run their sales career as such.

Stop thinking like a sales rep and start thinking like a business owner.

People don’t buy your products and services. They buy the product and service + YOU!

Ask yourself this question. Have you ever closed a sale that a colleague couldn’t?

They bought you, and not just the product and services.

So what next?

What you need to do is take control and start to position yourself so that you put your best foot forward and present yourself to your ideal client, in a way you know will get their attention.

At this point a lot of sales people say:  “But I got a LinkedIn profile – won’t that do?”

No! It won’t and here’s why.

Who would you say is more involved in their local community?

1. The guy who rents a place and his kids go to school out of town?

or

2. The guy who invested in his own place, keeps it presentable, is a local business owner and the kids go to the same school as yours?

Which person is more likely to get you out on a Saturday to clean the town if he asked you to?

There you go….

LinkedIn is an amazing tool, to put it lightly – and it should be at the top of every salespersons daily activity – but it is only rented space.

If LinkedIn went offline tomorrow or your profile was hacked and deleted, what would you do?

If you have your own site then you are in control of what happens and when. You can build your list of prospects, you can develop relationships and have prospects and clients attention on a deeper more focused level, without them being distracted by what’s going on around your profile.

LinkedIn is the trade show, your website is your office!

Having your own professional looking site tells people you care about the industry you serve.

Plus, in terms of the know, like, trust factor – the more you are seen in other places, online and offline, the more a prospect will feel like they are familiar with you.

In your emails you can direct your prospects to specific posts or videos that you have done that are on your branded website that continues to promote you as the recognized expert and trusted adviser.

Here are some more reasons why you should have your own business website:

• Displays your credentials upfront
• Gives them an opportunity to download your lead magnet and get on your email list.
• It discusses the benefits of your product and services in the light and language of the clients you are serving.
• It can provide relevant case studies.
• You can highlight your testimonials.

By the way, do you want to learn more about how to attract, convert and retain more of your ideal clients? If so, sign up for my newsletter in the form below…

If you are, I encourage you to read on – because there is a solution, there is something you can do about it.

But here’s the issue as I see it!  Sales people and sales managers have just continued doing what they have always done without thinking about the changes needed to position themselves to be successful.

It seems that, because they have always had good results using the techniques that they have used in the past then it’s just a question of increasing activity, and something should stick and this will be enough to overcome any difficulties.  This has not been the case!

Is that what you find?

Truth is, today there are fewer prospects (because companies are closing down) and those that remain have fewer resources and find themselves being squeezed by their prospects to deliver more for less.  Add to this the fact that this has been happening exponentially for years now!

So if you are now going out just to SELL a product, you may as well stay at home.

But that’s not an option, right?  You can‘t just do that.

So what is the alternative? What should you do instead?

Allow me to let you in on a little secret!  It’s called Expert positioning.

If you are going to win at this game of selling, you have to change the rules in your favor.  In fact you have to completely rewrite the rules of engagement.

You must find a way to get your prospects to choose you over your competitors, and make your competition powerless against you because you created the field of play.

Impossible? No, Expert Positioning!

So where do we start?  We start at the most important point in the sales process – inside your prospects’ head!

Here’s what your prospect is thinking right now:  “Spare me the B.S.  I don’t want to throw money away; I am not out for some adventure or flight of fancy here – I want to save my business!”

Warning: It’s simply not enough anymore to be “attentive to needs of the prospect” or to “communicate the benefits”.

Simply asking “how can I help you solve your problems” just doesn’t cut it in this market – because that question does not solve anything! Your prospects day is full of sales reps promising the earth moon and stars.

So what you must do is switch the cards on the table. Why?

The prospect is suspicious and worried. What will help him overcome his suspicion and worry? I’ll tell you: The Expert.

The Expert calms everything down.  The Expert is the best choice for the prospect because it means no one can say: “What on earth did you just buy?”

When you position yourself as an expert he can say that he chose the specialist.  Then his boss, colleagues, wife, friends and dog will all reply (with a wide smile of approval) “Ah, the expert – that makes sense…”

The prospect will always look to work with the expert.  He writes checks for experts. Of course, the experts’ credentials must be shown first by providing valuable information. Showing experience and ability.

And so we come to Expert Positioning which builds in the mind of the prospect the perception that YOU are the expert in your product or service category.

Expert Positioning is a concept that comes from the world of marketing and is often called “brand positioning”. It consists of a brand name positioning itself in the prospects’ mind as different and more interesting.  Very often this is achieved by creating a brand specialist.

What I discovered is top sales professionals adopt this concept and apply it to themselves and their sales career.

The result?

When you are perceived as the expert by the prospect, the sale is made before you even as for it. There is no competition.  When you are perceived as the expert the competition are viewed as a nuisance.

When the prospect believes you to provide the best solution because you are the one who knows your industry better than anyone, even the discussion around the price is of little consequence.

So how can you position yourself as an expert starting today?

First thing you have to do is:  Stop focusing on your product!

There are many things you can communicate to your prospect without necessarily reciting the “prayer” that is the features and benefits of what you sell.

Work on your Expert Positioning and communicate value by using each channel available to you, including the internet and make sure that your content and actions position you as an expert in that market.

Where possible give the prospect results in advance, by providing a solution to a particular problem before you ever engage with them.

You do not have to say “I am the Expert”; just communicate it by distributing value to your market place.

You have the chance to do this at virtually zero cost and see powerful results.

How?  You have the internet for starters.

I’ll explain in other articles, video and other media how to use the internet and social media to effectively create and maintain your position as an expert.

But for now I suggest you do two things:

1) Think about your industry and ways you can create the perception that you are the expert. The good thing is there are many shortcuts you can take – but all you really need to do is understand the needs of your industry create content that demonstrates your knowledge and put that in front of your ideal clients. While your competitors are still cold calling with “Hello Mr Prospect, I work for XYZ company and….”

2) Look at my blog, my social media and watch what I do to apply the concept of Expert Positioning.

This is what a top sales pro does to win the business. They work on themselves and on how best to position themselves to be perceived as an expert by their ideal clients.

Here’s another key thought:  YOU are important, not your company.  I’ll talk about this again in much greater detail – but you need to be thinking along these lines.

Remember; YOU are the one the prospect calls, not your company – because YOU are the expert, YOU specifically give value to the prospect.

Now think about your industry and hot to communicate better “value” to your potential prospects.

Stop cold calling with the usual: “Mr Prospect can I have just a minute of your time?  Our company…..” Leave that to the losers! YOU are the expert.  The prospect calls YOU and listens to very carefully  -  because YOU are the expert!

(FYI: this not my video but comes from some clever people in coats who have the time to do lots of really interesting and actionable research…translation: you need to know this stuff!)

If you ever wanted proof that the world you are trying to sell to no longer exists then this is it. Our prospects and clients have been upgraded and they “think” differently than the older model…. If you are in anyway serious about understanding how to make more sales in less time with less stress in the 21st Century then you have to watch this video!

Source: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_consumer_decision_journey_2373?pagenum=1#interactive