By Jeff Seeley, CEO, Carew International, Inc.
There are infinite books, television shows, and “experts” who will tell you how and why you should FIT IN! There is even Mr. Blackwell’s book on what to wear… to a baptism, wedding, or even a birthday party in the Hampton’s; all for the purpose of fitting in with what everyone else will be wearing. But this is not a blog about clothing. It is about choosing. Choosing to be like the rest or choosing to stand out.
I don’t want to minimize the risk or difficulty of standing out. Choose incorrectly and you could look like a buffoon, or worse. Say or do the wrong thing and you could be courting disaster. But ultimately, the risk is worth the reward. The reality is that fitting in makes you look like the same as the rest of the cast, including your competition. Don’t we all need to stand out to get the business? Why would we expend energy to fit in?
Jim Gilmore, author of the Experience Economy, identifies a key diagnostic for the sales professional -- a value differentiation litmus test, if you will. He poses the question, if there was an admission charge for your time with the customer, what would the customer be willing to pay for admission? I think the more fundamental question is who should be willing to pay for the sales call… you or your customer?
If your answer is that you (the sales professional) should be paying, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you’re fitting in brilliantly. Congratulations. The bad news is you don’t value your own contribution to your customers on sales calls, so chances are neither do your clients. You are going to have a tough time getting attention from current or prospective clients, much less winning their business.
If you answered that the customer should pay for your input, you’ve got a great start toward value differentiation. Take it a step farther to find out how much the customer would pay and why they value your time. This is the stuff that great sales performance is made of! Now you’re a STAND OUT!
There are infinite books, television shows, and “experts” who will tell you how and why you should FIT IN! There is even Mr. Blackwell’s book on what to wear… to a baptism, wedding, or even a birthday party in the Hampton’s; all for the purpose of fitting in with what everyone else will be wearing. But this is not a blog about clothing. It is about choosing. Choosing to be like the rest or choosing to stand out.
I don’t want to minimize the risk or difficulty of standing out. Choose incorrectly and you could look like a buffoon, or worse. Say or do the wrong thing and you could be courting disaster. But ultimately, the risk is worth the reward. The reality is that fitting in makes you look like the same as the rest of the cast, including your competition. Don’t we all need to stand out to get the business? Why would we expend energy to fit in?
Jim Gilmore, author of the Experience Economy, identifies a key diagnostic for the sales professional -- a value differentiation litmus test, if you will. He poses the question, if there was an admission charge for your time with the customer, what would the customer be willing to pay for admission? I think the more fundamental question is who should be willing to pay for the sales call… you or your customer?
If your answer is that you (the sales professional) should be paying, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you’re fitting in brilliantly. Congratulations. The bad news is you don’t value your own contribution to your customers on sales calls, so chances are neither do your clients. You are going to have a tough time getting attention from current or prospective clients, much less winning their business.
If you answered that the customer should pay for your input, you’ve got a great start toward value differentiation. Take it a step farther to find out how much the customer would pay and why they value your time. This is the stuff that great sales performance is made of! Now you’re a STAND OUT!
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