How to Be Unique and Stand Out
In sales, you’re always selling two things. One is the product or service you are offering to prospects and potential customers. The second, and more importantly, is yourself. In a sea of salespeople all selling the same thing, how do you catch the attention of your customer? How do you differentiate yourself and stand out?
Often, when you walk into a trade show, corporate event, or waiting room, you’ll notice that everyone looks and acts the same. After all, everyone is there to do the same thing – close a sale. If someone did stand out, you would have noticed that person and remembered him or her for a long time.
So, how can you make sure you’re one of those people who stand out and not become just another face in the crowd? Or, in this case, not just another technical salesperson in a sea of technical salespeople? You need to make sure you’re unique and make a mark on the people you meet.
Here are a few easy tips that will help you differentiate yourself from everyone else:
Appearance
One easy thing you can change today is the way you dress and present yourself physically. Most technical sales engineers have an unofficial uniform – a polo shirt with their company logo on it, khaki pants, and a pair of nice shoes – usually leather sneakers or dress shoes.
The only thing that differentiates one person from the other is which company logo is embroidered on their pocket.
You can immediately change this and start looking different from other people in the industry. First, keep those logo shirts in the back of your closet. Take your style level up a notch and put more thought into your wardrobe.
One option is to wear a jacket and tie. If a jacket is too much, wear a crisp shirt with a nice tie. Although it seems superficial, your appearance is one way to get noticed. Use this to your advantage.
Even if your company requires you to wear a logo shirt, tweak the rest of your look to make sure you stand out in a crowd. Of course, we’re not telling you to go crazy with your look just to be unique. After all, your customer still needs to see you as a professional and trustworthy contact. Just make sure to put more thought into how you present yourself. Remember to keep in mind that small ways can make you stand out.
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Attitude
Next, you need to have the right attitude. Having a positive mindset is one more way to stand out. Remember, people need to “buy” you before buying the product or service you’re selling.
Make sure you’re always pleasant, respectful, positive, and arrive with a “Can-do” attitude. No one likes a rude “Negative Nancy,” especially when that negative person is trying to sell you something.
Yes, you’ll be remembered if you have a bad attitude, but it won’t be for the right reasons.
Put yourself in the position of your potential customer. Who would you remember? A person with a positive disposition who takes problems as learning experiences or a negative person who says that things can’t be done?
Having a positive mindset is a big part of being a successful technical sales engineer. Potential customers also consider what kind of attitude you have when they think about what you’re selling.
Responsiveness
Always be quick to respond. Nowadays, people don’t have the time or patience to wait days or even one whole day to answer their questions. Especially if it’s from someone trying to sell them something.
Most people are now connected to the Internet 24/7 through their smartphones. So, there’s no reason to delay responding to someone immediately. Customers want answers as quickly as possible.
Being responsive might seem like a given, but it’s easy to get busy in technical sales and forget this. If you have a long list of clients and prospects you’re working with, and questions and inquiries are coming in all day long, you might find yourself putting off some clients.
Maybe you don’t have the answer to their question yet. So, you tell yourself that you’ll answer them when you know exactly what to say.
However, even if you don’t know the answer, you need to reply. A safe reply would be, “Let me talk to the team about your question, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” Then make sure that you do get back to him or her with an answer.
The customer doesn’t necessarily need to know the answer right now. They just want to make sure that you heard the question and you’re working on getting an answer.
Set Yourself Apart
Remember, there is always competition out there no matter how great or advanced your product is. There are tons of people doing the same thing you do. So, you should never take any prospect or customer for granted.
The bottom line is that the faster you respond, the more attention you’ll get. This applies to both prospective customers and current clients. For prospects, this is an opportunity to give them a glimpse of your excellent level of service.
If the product you’re selling has dozens of alternatives available in the market, what do you think will make them choose your product over your competition? The answer is you and your level of service.
When you successfully stand out and close that deal, make sure you give your current customers the same level of attention. Don’t get complacent. When you become comfortable and stop hunting in sales, this becomes a death trap. Your current customers could be one missed call or one unanswered email away from moving their business to your competitor.
If there’s only one thing you can do to be unique and stand out, it’s this – Focus on giving excellent service and attention, from start to end, to all your clients. This is sure to always keep you on the radar of current customers and future prospects.
With over 15 years of experience, we don’t just teach “theory.” We provide actionable lessons so you can see results tomorrow by providing you with all the tools you need to not only significantly increase your personal income but become a top performer at any company. If you are ready to take your technical sales career to the next level or are eager to make a career change, then click here to take the next step towards success with Technical Sales University.