Five Ways to Stand out from the Competition

Salespeople always tell me how they want to stand out from the competition, yet in practice very few are actually effective at truly distinguishing themselves from the competition. It’s time to be distinct from every salesperson out there.

Here Are Five Ways to Stand out from the Competition

#1. Tone down the enthusiasm. Salespeople love to show their enthusiasm to prospects about their product or service. The problem is that every salesperson uses the same fake enthusiasm, and prospects are on to this gig. It’s time to par back on the histrionics and simply be real and sincere.

#2. Stop trying to persuade. All of your competitors are out right now trying to persuade their prospects to buy from them. Persuasion is a very old-school strategy in selling, and it simply doesn’t work anymore because every salesperson uses it. Instead of persuading, spend time asking effective questions and understanding what your prospects are really seeking to accomplish.

#3. Ask questions focused on outcomes. Nothing will separate you from your competition more than fully understanding what your prospects are looking to actually accomplish.

So ask questions such as, “Help me understand what you’d be looking to accomplish,” or, “If I gave you a magic wand to change anything about your situation, what would you change?”

By asking questions like this you are going to more effectively understand what your prospects are seeking to achieve; you’ll thus stand out from your competitors as the person who understands his goals.

#4. Learn about key challenges. Your prospects will not be buying your product or service; they’ll be buying a solution to their challenges. By starting your conversations focused on the challenges that your prospects are facing, you are going to have a much better idea of how to actually solve those challenges.

Think of going to a doctor: A doctor doesn’t ask you what solution you want. A doctor asks you, “What are the challenges that you’re facing?” and asks a lot of effective questions to understand what’s really going on. Follow this same protocol and you will find that your approach is totally distinct from that of your competitors.

#5. Don’t pitch your prospect. Prospects are so used to being pitched by salespeople all day long that the second you start to give a pitch, the prospect’s defense walls will go up significantly. Drop the pitch because it’s time to start effectively asking questions to understand what’s going on.

Once you’ve fully understood what’s happening and you’ve gotten buy-in from that prospect about what those challenges are, it’s time to just share some potential solutions with your prospects in the form of a proposal or presentation without all of the flare and hype of a pitch.

The most successful salespeople stand out like a sore thumb from their competition. Be the apple among the oranges. By applying these five ways to stand out from your competition, you’ll find that you’re totally and completely distinct from your competitors. Which of these tips did you find most useful? Please share below in the comments.