“The way you position yourself at the beginning of a relationship has profound impact on where you end up.” – Ron Karr
Have you ever felt like you were having trouble getting through to your prospects? Like they weren’t really listening to what you have to say?
Of course you have. We’ve all been there.
You’re working hard to show potential customers why they need your offering. You just know that you can help them solve their problems.
But in the end, they don’t listen. They don’t see why they should choose your company over your competition.
It’s frustrating, right? There are so many other voices that are fighting for your prospects’ attention. How do you stand out? How do you earn the trust of your prospects?
The answer lies in how you position your company.
Whenever I’m selling, I’m constantly positioning myself and my brand throughout the conversation. I make a point to remind the customer of who I am and why I matter to them. You have to do the same thing.
In order to gain the trust of your prospects, you have to get them to view you as their ultimate resource. The way you establish yourself in your prospects’ minds will determine how easy it will be to earn and retain their business.
As an entrepreneur who is building your clientele, you have to make sure you know how to introduce your company the right way. If you want to make things easier for yourself, you have to make sure you know exactly how you want your prospects to see you.
This post is will give you some pointers to help you establish a more solid position with your prospects.
Who Are You?
First, you need to establish an identity that is distinct from your competition. You must think about how you want your prospects to see you. What should they think of when they see your company?
In the mind of your prospect, the most important thing about your company is what it can do for them. What benefits can you offer a prospect that your competition can’t? What can you bring to the table?
This means identifying your unique selling proposition. Here’s some questions that can help you figure out what your unique selling proposition is.
- What is it that makes you different?
- Do you do it faster?
- Do you do it better?
- Are you less expensive?
- Do you have special expertise that makes you more helpful to your specific type of clients?
Here’s an example:
Maria owns a marketing firm that specializes in helping law firms generate more leads. She works almost exclusively with law firms and has done so for years.
Her expertise in law firm marketing makes her more attractive to law firms looking for marketing solutions. It makes her stand out from marketing firms that don’t have specialized knowledge of the legal industry.
Here are some other examples of great unique selling propositions.
Become A Valuable Resource
“Stop selling. Start helping.” – Zig Ziglar
Second, you need to stop focusing only on selling your offering and focus more on becoming a helpful resource for your prospects. Differentiating yourself from your competition means bringing value that the others aren’t bringing.
It’s a good idea to think more like a consultant than a salesperson.
Most likely you have more industry knowledge and expertise than your prospect. Use this to your prospect’s advantage. Whenever you can, educate and inform them of things that will help make their lives easier.
When you use your knowledge to benefit your prospects and customers, it shows them that you’re there to help them solve problems. You’re not just after their money.
The amount of influence you have over your prospects and customers is directly tied to how much value you offer. If you want your prospects to value you, be valuable.
Here’s another example:
Larry owns a landscaping company. When servicing a client, he often takes the time to give his clients actionable tips that can make it easier for them to maintain their yards. He also does this with prospects when he’s trying to earn their business.
As a result, prospects want to start using his services. His existing customers want to remain with him. It’s because he has made himself more valuable to them by providing value beyond his services.
Remember Your Brand Purpose
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos
Your position in the minds of your prospects is largely determined by your brand. A strong brand will make you irresistible to potential customers.
One of the key components of a strong brand is identifying a purpose for your business that goes beyond making money. Your business has to stand for something. You have to find a way to articulate it in a way that is clear and persuasive.
For many entrepreneurs, it isn’t easy to identify their brand’s purpose. In some cases, it does require a little bit of soul searching.
If you’re not quite sure what your brand’s purpose is, ask yourself these questions:
- What change does your company want to see in the world? Why?
- What do you believe about the problems you are trying to solve?
- How do you intend to use your business to inspire change?
Answering these questions will help you figure out what your brand truly stands for. This is absolutely critical. Without a strong brand purpose, it will be almost impossible to stand out from your competition.
Conclusion
It’s not easy to make your company stand out from your competition. Establishing a strong position in the minds of your customers and prospects can be a challenge, even for organizations that already have a solid brand.
But it’s critical to your sales efforts.
When you go into a sales interaction with a prospect, you have to focus on positioning yourself effectively. If you don’t define yourself to your prospect, they will define your business for you. This won’t always be favorable to your company. Use the tips in this post, and you will have an easier time getting your prospects to trust you.
Keep moving forward!
Originally published on LinkedIn
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