Differentiating Yourself

The goal is to move up the value chain to become a strategic adviser to your customer

Whether you're selling computer support, pharmaceuticals, or lighting supplies, chances are that your competitors offer similar products at equal or better prices with identical backup. You need to do everything to set your product apart form the others, and there is no better way to differentiate your company than through your approach to your customer.

To be a success in sales, you should constantly ask yourself what you can do to add value to the client relationship. If all you do is facilitate the supply of products and services, you are not adding value -- just reacting. Even when you provide solutions to known problems, you are still in reactive mode and are not adding much value. This begins only when you help the customer to determine their needs.

The goal is to move up the value chain to become a strategic adviser to your customer -- someone the customer calls for guidance, ideas, perspective, insights, and quite simply help. Once you rise to that level with a customer, your position is rock solid.

ACTION POINT: Constantly see ways to add value and solidify your position with your customer.

Ways to Mitigate Risk and Build Trust

Reassure the customer -- tell them you'll be there throughout the process; if anything goes awry you'll be ready to take action if necessary.

The following are some ways for building trust and mitigating risk.

• Start Small - Don't ask for all the business; ask for a piece of it. Show the customer your capabilities and earn the business over time.
• Identify parallel situations - Review a similar situation with the customer and demonstrate how it worked previously.
• Build in an exit strategy -- Let the customer know there will be a way to get out of the situation if things don't work out as planned.
• Reassure the customer -- tell them you'll be there throughout the process; if anything goes awry you'll be ready to take action if necessary.
• Explain the worst case -- Make the client aware of all the risks and how you'll do your best to keep them under control.
• Take the burden -- Stand behind what you are doing for the customer; let them know you will take full responsibility if things go wrong.
• Share the risk -- Enlighten the customer about the risk for you -- if things don't happen as anticipated, you'll pay a price as well. Convey that "we're in it together."
• Guarantee results -- Or at the very least, guarantee your commitment to stick together throughout the process.

ACTION POINT: Earn your customers trust by demonstrating ways you will work to mitigate his risk.

Managing Risk

To be successful, you must effectively learn to manage risk.

You know that your are trustworthy, and your customer thinks you are trustworthy. Good start. Being considered trustworthy and actually being trusted to fulfill a million-dollar contract are two different things. US consulting firm Synectics Inc.. carried out some inspired research that accounts for the difference between these two concepts -- it is summarized in the trust formula:

trust = Credibility x intimacy

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risk

The formula shows that your ability to demonstrate credibility and build relationships is directly proportional to trust. But trust is inversely proportional to the level of risk involved in making a decision -- how much the client has to lose. The top of the equation is within your control. To be successful in sales, you need to demonstrate credibility and intimacy, which is comprised of behaviors such as empathy, affability, sensitivity, and likeability. Intimacy speaks to how safe and secure it is to work with you.

So it's the lower part of the equation -- risk -- that's less within your control and works against your ability to build relationships. To be successful, you must effectively learn to manage risk.

With that in mind, you as a salesperson must constantly ask yourself what you can do to make any commitments less risky for the customer. Remember the old adage: "Nobody ever got fired for hiring IBM." That because the risk was much lower in hiring Big Blue than a less-established high tech company.

ACTION POINT: Look for ways to minimize your customers risk.

ARTICLE 3 JUDICIAL

The judicial responsibility is to convey the policy and procedures of the corporation to each member.

The judicial power of the corporation shall be vested in the Executive Branch, Corporate Directors, and the Branch Management Staff.

The judicial responsibility is to convey the policy and procedures of the corporation to each member. This branch has the clear, indisputable responsibility to ensure polices and procedures are obeyed. Failure to perform in this important area must be seen as individual failure to meet the demand of the office.

This branch has the authority and power to exercise such policy to its full extent in dealing with violators. It has the authority to levy the necessary punishment given by policy. This branch must understand completely the entire policy and procedure of the corporation and be able to properly interpret when exercising their judgement powers.

ACTION POINT: Understand and enforce completely the policy and procedures of the corporation

Building Trust

Always assume that your customer is smart and give them due respect:

Trust takes a long time to build, but only a second to lose. To demonstrate that you can be trusted, you need to be responsive, direct, clear, reliable and straightforward. Customers don’t like to be manipulated and don’t appreciate evasiveness. If you get caught being dishonest in any way, you’ll not only lose that customer but the ripple effect of your actions will also spread far beyond the borders of that relationship.

Always assume that your customer is smart and give them due respect: don’t play games make sure to deliver on your promises, and avoid nasty surprises.

ACTION POINT: Follow the simple rules above to gain your customers trust over time.