Here’s an Easy Way to Set Yourself Apart
There is a good chance that you’re not the only person around doing what you do. If that is the case, and you have no competition for your business, then you have to evaluate to see if there is actually a market for what you are doing. Because you likely do have some competition, you need to set yourself apart so that when people choose who to work with, they choose you.
You are the only one that offers your services the way that you do. But how are you going to let your clients, prospects, and customers know about you? How are they going to know that you’re different, or that you even exist? There are some ways set yourself apart.
You MUST Start with Why
There are dozens of ways that you can do this, but there are some that work better than others. For instance, have you discovered your why? Take a look at what Simon Sinek says about discovering your why before you go any further; it’s an important piece of your business model. There’s a great video at the bottom of that page. It’s about 18 minutes long, but it’s important that you discover your why before you go any further.
Starting with why is important for a few reasons. It helps you grow as a person and as a business. You start to see the inner workings of your business and discover the meaning behind your business. It’s no longer about your product, your service, or making money: now it’s all about why you do what you do.
Prospects can pick up on that. People can see when you’re committed and when you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing.
To Leave an Impression
After you have developed your why, there are little touches that you can create in order to leave a lasting impression with your prospects, clients, and customers. These little touches seem minor, and sometimes people don’t even notice that you’re shaping the meeting. In the end, however, you leave a lasting impression.
Listen – When selling, people get caught up in the passion of their service or product. Slow down and don’t bog your prospect with details. They don’t need to know the intricacies of what you do. Instead, listen more. Ask questions about their business. Learn about what they are looking for. Don’t talk more than 3 sentences before asking a question and letting them talk. Bonus: questions like “Does this make sense?” are not helpful. Ask open ended questions like, “When is a time when this would have helped?”
Bring a Gift – One little touch that I like to employ is the coffee gift. It’s almost always coffee time, so when you are meeting with someone, take a coffee for them. But you can’t just show up with their coffee, so here is how I like to do it. I stop and get myself a coffee and then I get a half vanilla skinny latte for the prospect. Everyone loves vanilla lattes. I walk into the meeting, hand them their coffee, and say, “I needed a cup of coffee, and didn’t want to show up with just one for me, so I picked up one for you as well.” The rule of reciprocity says they now feel like they owe you something. Your $2 cup of coffee could turn into a job or sale worth many thousands of dollars.
Send a Thank You – After the meeting, be sure to grab their business card if you don’t have it. Now here is the important part. Go home, and immediately write a hand-written thank you note. Stamp it and get it in the mail the same day! This way the prospect will get a hand-written card from you the next day. The little personal touch will help in a world where most communication is done through email or text.
Make it About the Client
Your goal is to make a sale. The client’s goal is to have value added to their life or business. People are not going to buy from you if they don’t feel they are gaining value. The best way to make sure that they are gaining value is to know exactly what they need, and solve their problem before they disclose it.
Are you ready to make a difference?