Be different, be yourself
If you’re like most salespeople, what your competition is doing is probably one of your chief concerns. It doesn’t have to be that way, though.
All you have to do to stand out in a crowd is make your competition invisible.
If you’ve implemented thoughtful strategies, run your business well, and taken care of your clients — then you’ve probably already done it. In case you’re not sure, though, let’s talk about how to send your competition into the void.
(1) MAKE YOURSELF STAND OUT.
Who says that doing things the way “they’ve always been done” or because “that’s how everyone else does them” is the best way to do business?
Not Happy Grasshopper, that’s for sure (we believe in bucking the system!)
And neither should you. If you did everything in the same old, tired way that everyone else in your field is doing them, what sort of motivation will consumers have to come to you? None, that’s what. But what if you were to do things differently?
Different is awesome. Different sets you apart. Different is BETTER.
You know what differentiates you from everyone else — who you are and why you’re in this business. Break out of the mold and do the things that are uniquely you.
It could be that you build relationships with your customers, send them handwritten “thank you” notes, recommend restaurants to them, and sincerely care about how they’re doing. Maybe it’s your special marketing analysis that penetrates two or three levels deeper than the standard data. And, maybe, it’s a luxury experience, where your client doesn’t touch a single piece of paperwork or put in any more effort than showing up and making a decision — because you do everything else for them.
You know what it is. Articulate it. Put it in writing. Have it memorized by heart.
(2) MAKE THE CONNECTION.
Even before your customers are your customers, you want to position yourself as the one who’s different in your field. When you get a new web lead, for example, you want to show that you’re not some numbers-driven automaton and that you’re an actual human being who cares about giving the best possible service. You want to show that you’re capable of listening and of treating them like they’re human beings, too.
Whether you reach out with a creative email, make a quick phone call just to tell them you’ve gotten their message and are ready, willing, and able to help them out, or respond with a gesture that says, “Hey! You’re a person! I’m a person, too! Let’s get together and be personable persons who know how to get personal,” you’re showing your customers that YOU CARE. And that goes a really long way toward setting you apart (because, sadly, few people really seem to).
Make those connections! Build on them! Forge relationships!
When you make those connections with people and penetrate deeper than market analyses and contracts, you’ll have the foundation to be the person they turn to when they need your services; your customers won’t even think to turn anywhere else because you’ve gone beyond the status quo.
(3) SURPRISE THEM!
Don’t stop once the sale is over! One of the places in which most salespeople drop the ball is after the sale is over. They get their paychecks and move onto the next “target.” But for the people like you who don’t stop — that’s when the ideal opportunity to really impress someone happens.
Your customers will be that much more surprised and delighted that you’ve gone beyond the call of duty and kept in touch with them. They’ll be tickled to death that you’ve shared hellos, fun stories, asked after them and their families, in short, that you’ve shown you care, that they won’t ever give another salesperson a second thought.
Because you’re human and have taken the time to show your customers how much you genuinely care about them, you will have succeeded in making your competition unnoticeable.
Happy Grasshopper’s customers know this all too well. Whether it’s with creative email campaigns that position them as THE CHOICE with their web leads or simple, effective messaging that helps them keep in touch after the sale, they know Happy Grasshopper will be right there with a choice that’s uniquely human. We’ll help you too, making your competition nothing more than a mist because you’re the one that’s front and center. You’re the one who’s been the standout. You’re the one who’s made them … invisible.
