LIGHTBULB 1.0: How good sales people distinguish themselves

It’s not a big secret today that, in order to become successful in sales, you have to outstand and distinguish yourself from your peers. You have to understand the reason why your clients are your client, not just because of the product you offer, but because of ‘why they choose to buy this from you’. So even if you would sell them a different but similar product, they will follow you regardless. There is no one clear answer to this question. That’s why we would like to share our personal findings with you, how we interpret a good salesperson. 

As a management consulting and staffing agency we get to meet all sorts of sales people with different backgrounds, ages, level of experience, responsibilities, … And we always ask them the same question:

“Why do your clients buy from YOU?”

The answer to this question is definitely not an easy one and one would think that everybody has their own story (or should have). The question itself lets the sales person reflect on his/her actions, skills and emotions. Therefore a person is forced to find out what it is he/she actually does in order to stand out.

Our key finding:

90% of the people gives the same generic answers, which are not ‘wrong’ per se, but they are more likely to answer to the following question: ‘Why would a client buy something from any sales person in general?’. So they would rather go without saying. Only a few people we meet stand out and we notice one common thread. They tend to know themselves better than their peers and really know specific characteristics about themselves that make them credible. They have analysed and studied the psychological side that comes with selling and buying, and of course they know how to tell a story.

 Pretty sure you've heard these answers before:

"I’m a very good listener, this is very important as a salesperson to listen to your clients"

"I am very sociable and tend to get along with a lot of different types of people"

"I know my product very thoroughly and it has no secrets for me"

"I like to build relationships with my clients and help them to achieve their goals"

"I deliver an excellent and fast service to my clients, they can always count on me"

As opposed to these more ingenious answers:

"As a sales I tend to analyse every stakeholder’s position I talk to and put myself into their position"

"I don’t pitch, I tell stories. Not my story, but I know every other sales case from the past that could relate to my prospect"

"I invest in every kind of relationship, because I am aware that there is a world outside of my office and that anything can lead to something"

"As a sales person I consider my position in the company as business critical. I am not only an ambassador, but I am responsible for the successes or potential losses"

"To me sales is like a sport, the more you practice, the better you get. It is a way of living and seeing things"

At Headlight we love to talk about sales because it’s our passion. We’re always on the lookout for people that share the same mindset and therefore also think about sales as a process itself. The way we notice an exceptional sales talent, is that they combine a natural sales flair (sociable, relationship builder, good listener, thorough, service minded) with a good understanding of both the psychology and the processes behind selling a product. People that think about the following questions tend to be good sales people: ‘Where am I in the process?’, ‘What is my conversion rate after a meeting?’, ‘What is the goal of my buyer?’, ‘Have I spoken to enough stakeholders?’, …

We would love to hear your thoughts on this much discussed topic. Leave us a comment or feel free to give us a call.