I was recently listening to marketing legend Seth Godin (I’m starting to think that’s actually his full name: “Marketing Legend Seth Godin”… you never hear him introduced any other way) being interviewed by Kirby Hasseman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wgCYSHfJWw). One of Kirby’s first questions was about how to differentiate yourself from your competition.
Seth’s answer was brilliant. “You’re only a commodity if you want to be a commodity,” he replied, adding, “What does that person (the client) need and what can I provide that only I can provide?” It all seems so simple and obvious, and yet…
When I began in the promotional products industry back in the dark ages, I was a distributor salesperson with no direction. That showed in my commission checks. In retrospect I could have used more training, but I also needed better focus and guidance. I knew that I wasn’t the only person out there selling these clever “advertising specialties” In fact I was reminded of it on nearly every cold call I made. If one more person told me that they already use these items, and they get them from “Company X” I would scream.
I would also move on to the next prospect, where I’d undoubtedly hear the same thing. Was I bulldog determined? Maybe. Was I stupid? Yeah… that’s more likely the case.
What I hadn’t learned yet was just what Seth was referring to. What was it that would want to make the customer order from me? What made me different from the competition? “What can I provide that only I can provide?”
What is it that sets you apart from the competition? If all you’re doing is selling commodities, you’re no better/worse/different from the guy down the road. Or the bot on the internet. I’ve used this same approach in a lot of my coaching and mentoring sessions. The customer can buy this same (insert promotional product type here) from any number of sources. Why you? Your pricing is no better than the competition. Your generic website was produced by the same service provider as so many other companies. Why you?
As far as I’m concerned, what always sets you apart is you. You are the value-add. Your competition doesn’t have you… it has them. They lack what makes you you. Now the question becomes: what is your you?
(Professional writer and speaker that I am… I’m cringing as I look at that last paragraph.)
One of the great concerns/arguments within our industry is what happens when a salesperson leaves the company for whom they presently work and starts with another firm. Unless there’s a non-compete in place (and boy, howdy… that’s a whole 'nother column for another day), the question becomes “to whom do the clients belong”? The original company can and often claims that, since the business was written by their company (their purchase order, their payment, their employee, etc.), the customer is theirs. The salesperson’s argument is that they were the one who went and did the actual scut work and actually got the order. So, to whom does the customer “belong?”
Suffice to say, the bottom line is that the customer belongs to whomever the customer wants to belong to. And this is where your you comes into play. What is it that makes the customer care enough to want to order from you? What are you bringing to the table that makes them your customer?
You’ve gotta be personally invested in their business as well as your own. You need to know as much as you can about who they are, what they do, what’s their value-add... what sets them apart from their competition? They need to know that you’re not a vendor to them – you’re a partner in their success.
The sales process is more than just the selling of a product – it’s more about the service you can provide that your customer can’t. One of my best traits when I was in sales was my ability to read my customer’s mind. I was always one step ahead, anticipating their needs and their next moves. Being proactive instead of reactive. Proving to them that their business mattered to me.
Can I really read minds? I can’t tell you that… that would take away my advantage when we’re in touch! I will tell you this, however… I knew you were going to ask that.
Mike Schenker, MAS, is a promotional industry veteran, a member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame, and a proud recipient of the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Distinguished Service award. His website MikeSchenker.com gives insight into his coaching and educational sessions, as well as his leadership and mentoring offerings. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.