How can you stand out and be different from your competition?
Sitting in on sales team meetings is one of my favourite things to do. I love watching the interactions between the sales managers and their team, how strategies are being implemented, and what they’re being trained on.
In particular, during a recent sales team meeting, a salesperson highlighted a great point. He noted that if salespeople look, act, and sound like every other salesperson out there, the customer commoditizes them as people and can only differentiate based on price. Thus, the discussion shifted to how they can differentiate their message about who they were, what they do, and the value they bring. This is exactly what I advocate in terms of building an apples-to-oranges comparison. My goal is to make sure you, as a seller, and your company can never be commoditized—even if you are selling a commodity. Here’s how you accomplish that.
How to Be Different From Your Competition
1. Talk to More People Inside the Account
One easy way to differentiate yourself from the competition is by talking to more people inside the account. Make sure that your competition isn’t outnumbering you so you build a broader perspective and bigger opportunity.
2. Underscore the Non-Technical Benefits of Your Solution
Illustrate the non-technical benefits of your solution. For example, a client of mine helps save time during the billing cycle for hospitals. Additionally, their service has other ancillary benefits: reduced need for manpower and improved patient relations.
Think outside the box. Make sure you’re working with a broad range of people and ask yourself: “Who else benefits from my solution?” Go after those people and highlight those benefits. In doing so, you create an apples-to-oranges comparison that cannot be commoditized.
