Separate Yourself as a Seller
Ideas to set yourself apart as a salesperson
I recently had the opportunity to watch Woody Allen’s movie, Annie Hall. It reminded me of a famous Woody Allen quote,
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
I got news for you Woody. You are wrong.
The business world we live in today is fast-moving and overloaded with data, and you simply cannot just show up and be successful. I talked through this idea with friends, work colleagues, and my wife over the past few days and I wanted to share some thoughts.
#1) Just showing up and doing the bare minimum won’t cut it.
Whether it is a phone call, a meeting, or an event, you have a responsibility to be prepared and be on the ‘front foot’ for your benefit and most of all for the benefit of the people you are interacting with. You control this and it starts with showing up on time, bringing a notebook, phone, or tablet for notes, and being prepared in advance.
#2) Your client, customer, or potential customer expects you to be prepared.
I work in sales so I’m constantly meeting people. I ask my existing clients and my potential clients what they expect from our meeting a few days before we meet. These existing or potential clients are busy, they have a lot going on, and they expect me to bring value to our conversations. If I’m not prepared, then I lose credibility. If I lose credibility, I risk losing their business or potential to win their business and trust in the future.
#3) You cannot say that you did not have access to information to prepare for a business meeting.
We live in a hyper-connected, mobile device-obsessed world where most people are always online or connected. Researching information before your meeting about the person or the company you are meeting with has never been easier. Apps on our phones and tablets make it easy to take 5-10 minutes to access information before a meeting and use it to our advantage.
Make a note that it takes more than just showing up to be successful.
If you or other members of your sales team are looking to become better at the craft of sales, then please let me know.
Here are a few ways that I may be able to help:
1) Grab a copy of the book or audiobook, Carry That Quota. You can order it here on Amazon or Audible.
2) Take a look at the Carry That Quota Digital Workshop Series. Here is a link to all of the online workshops.
Each workshop is less than 40 minutes and has been designed to help salespeople get better at the craft of sales by focusing on the fundamentals of the sales profession. Salespeople and sales leaders can access these workshops on their phone, their computer, or tablet.