The Biggest Differentiator In A Competitive Marketplace Is You

The familiar adage that “It’s a jungle out there” applies to sellers and sales organizations now more than ever. Competitors are hungry for business; decision makers are wary of change; and the market is crowded with products and services that are barely distinguishable from one another. Meanwhile, the tried-and-true sales methods of the past are simply no longer effective in a world where customers aren’t sure whom to trust.

According to Thomas A. Freese, author of the contemporary sales methodology classic Secrets of Question Based Selling, the single most effective way to separate yourself and your offerings from all the noise in the marketplace is to sell yourself first. After all, you are the greatest asset your competition lacks. Freese has helped thousands of salespeople worldwide become more effective at penetrating new accounts, positioning a unique value proposition, and closing more business. In this audio book, he will show you how to leverage your own personal assets to win the confidence of customers by displaying a host of intangible attributes such as credibility, competence, confidence, integrity, creativity, attitude, and thought leadership. Ultimately, by maximizing your ability to convey a more impactful value proposition, you give yourself an unfair advantage over the competition to win more sales, using innovative strategies such as:

• Acknowledge the elephant in the room: Knowing that customers are naturally skeptical and standoffish toward vendors, sellers gain a significant competitive advantage by acknowledging the customer’s uncertainty right off the bat. Especially in competitive situations, customers want to know whom to trust, and your ability to earn credibility early might be the difference between winning the business or coming in second place.
• Treat every sales call like a job interview: The fact that everyone is familiar with a job interview scenario makes it the perfect metaphor for selling yourself first. Truth is, every job interview is also a sales situation, and every sale is a job interview. Thus, decision makers want to focus more on how you can help address their goals, rather than just hearing a sales pitch.
• Use mini-invitations to secure more mind share: Any experienced salesperson knows you can’t just barrage customers with features and benefits. Instead, the real skill is causing people to want to engage in a mutual dialogue about their needs and your value. Freese will show you how to lower a prospect’s natural defenses, and at the same time, make them more receptive to hearing your value proposition.

Written in a clear, conversational voice, Sell Yourself First is a must read for any salesperson who wants to have an unfair advantage over the competition.