It’s Not About You….It’s NEVER About You

It’s not about you. It’s NEVER about you!

Sales is about earning credibility, confidence, and trust. To do this, your first inclination might be to recite all the warm and wonderful things about you and your company. This is certainly critical information in building that “Trust-Based Relationship,” but not right away. All those things can be demonstrated as you maneuver through the sales process.

It’s not about you. It’s NEVER about you. Sales is all about the customer—their needs and wants, and what they feel is important to contribute to their overall goals. While your experience and longevity are critical to that, you need not recite your value right away. You must first learn about your customer, their goals, their experience, and their longevity. Then, you can correlate the things that you offer to assist them in their business.

I have listened to and seen many presentations that begin with company bios and accolades. You might hear or see something that intrigues you, but not likely. The result of starting this way is disinterest and a quick end. That is akin to trying to make a sale without understanding the customer’s explicit needs. How can you possibly sell something if you don’t know what they need? As you begin, they don’t care who you are, what you have accomplished, or how many customers you have. Your first introduction should be a compelling opening statement that clearly identifies your intentions and the purpose of the meeting—all within 30 seconds. That powerful statement will garner trust and interest, assuming you do what you say you will do.

You have set the parameters of a successful introduction. Now, begin by asking good questions that will unlock the sale. Get the information that you need to prepare a compelling proposal that they cannot say “no” to and finalize the transaction. But that is not where the sale stops; it never stops. Continue to provide a superior level of service, and now you can demonstrate the things that have made you and your company successful. Customer FIRST—that is how you GET and KEEP customers.