We all want to believe that we do a better job than anyone else, that no one else can compare. And while confidence is an important part of succeeding in sales, it isn’t true. A company’s success is largely based on its ability to articulate and execute why it is DIFFERENT and BETTER than the competition. Being “better” than someone else won’t get you very far. It might just make you feel good in the short-term. And assuming that your competitor will never “catch up” to you is a dangerous game to play. If you bring this down to the salesperson’s level, those that tend to succeed are skillful at catching their prospect’s attention. They offer information. They send a ‘thank you’ note. They think ahead. On the flip side, the average low-performing salesperson requests information and time from their prospect (rather than offering it), avoids sending a handwritten thank you note (because that would “take too long”), and thinks on the fly (rather than thinking ahead). Successful salespeople seek to be different, not just ‘better’. Because being different makes them better (i.e. more successful) in the long run. We were curious about how our fellow sales pros thought about differentiation at the salesperson’s level, so we asked a few experts this question: “What is ONE way a salesperson can differentiate him or herself from their competition?” http://www.salesengine.com/sales/differentiate-yourself-from-the-competition-15-sales-experts-share-how/

1. 15 Sales Experts Share HOW
Differentiate Yourself From The
COMPETITION

2. I’m a salesperson, coffee
addict, and 4-time
marathoner.
Jenny Poore
www.salesengine.com/blog
@SalesEngine
HELLO!

3. “We are just better than Competitor XYZ.”
We all w ant to believe that w e do a better job than
anyone els e, that no one els e c an c ompar e. And
w hile c onfidenc e is an impor tant par t of s uc c eeding
in s ales …
If you’re like most people, you probably believe:

4. { }That’s not true.
Here’s why…

5. A company’s success is largely
based on its ability to articulate
and execute why it is different
AND better than the competition.
“ “

6. Being “better” than
someone else won’t get
you very far. It might just
make you feel good in the
short-term.
And assuming that your
competitor will never
“catch up” to you is a
dangerous game to play.

7. Successful salespeople seek to be
different, not just “better”.
Because being different makes them
better (i.e. more successful) in the long
run.

8. I’m a salesperson & I wanted to know how
the sales experts out there would answer
this question:
“What is ONE way a salesperson can
differentiate him or herself from the
competition?”

9. { }It turns out, there are plenty of ways to be
different.
You just have to choose a few and test them out.

10. Here is what the sales
experts had to say…

11. “A good friend (and SVP of
Sales) jokes about the public’s
perception of salespeople. He
says “enough about me, what
do you think about me?”. A
sales rep can differentiate
themselves by being genuinely
interested in their prospect and
their prospect’s needs and
wants. As Stephen Covey said,
“Seek first to understand and
then be understood.”
@DanDade

12. Ask shorter questions. Salespeople
in general don’t ask enough
questions and those that do ask ones
that are far too complicated. The best
questions are the short questions that
follow up on a response the customer
just shared. A few short questions I
like include: “Why? How come?
Could you give me an example?
Could you share with me more?”
@TheSalesHunter

13. “One way to differentiate? Build, value, and
nurture relationships before you need them.
This means not just prospects but peers,
competitors, partners, past customers and
more. Use the amazing tools we have
around us now- CRM, social, content, drip
marketing, contextual follow-up reminders,
etc. – to exponentially scale your ability to
foster and improve those relationships
without having to take all day to do it.
Seriously, that’s it. Be the person who cares
more before there’s anything specific in it for
you. It takes time and commitment, and a
daily discipline, but those who do it see a
widening gap between themselves and their
competitors.”
@HeinzMarketing

14. Be prepared, be sincere and ask great
questions! Now more than ever prospects
are inundated with sales calls,
voicemails, and emails. It is crucial that
we constantly differentiate ourselves from
all the noise. I have found that if I am
prepared (i.e. knowing about the
prospect’s business and the potential
challenges they face), sincere (using the
phrase ‘am I catching you at a good time’
or ‘I know you aren’t expecting my call’)
and ready with great relevant open-ended
questions that this has opened up a ton
of opportunity that we would not have
otherwise had.
@Acquirent

15. “Salespeople can differentiate
themselves by focusing everything- I
mean everything- they do on What’s In
It For Them (WiifT) of the prospect or
buyer. Preparing for the sales meeting
with the WiifT focus is the beginning.
During the sales conversation is where
the biggest difference is made. Ditch
your ‘pitch’ and make anything you say
connected to or followed by the reason
it is relevant to that person, situation,
and company. It takes work to be
focused on WiifT instead of you and
your solution, which is why so few of
your competitors will do it.”
@SalesProInsider

16. Ask smart questions. This actually
requires two interrelated skills that are in
short supply among salespeople: outside-
in mentality and proper preparation.
Outside-in is the approach that
understands that the best way to get what
you want is to put yourself in the
customer’s shoes and figure out how to
help them get what they want. You need
to prepare properly to ensure that you
ask questions that get to the heart of the
problems and opportunities. That’s the
key to differentiation and the first step on
the road to trust.
@JackMalcolm

17. “If I could choose only one way to differentiate myself
as a salesperson it would be caring. I would love to
put business acumen above caring, but there are
plenty of smart people who don’t generate trust
because they are self-oriented. I would love to put
resourcefulness above caring, because helping your
clients requires new ideas. But caring is what
ensures your client that the new ideas are going to
be implemented. I’d love to put determination above
caring, because you aren’t going to succeed without
a pigheaded determination. But you have to care
enough to keep pursuing difficult outcomes.” See
what I did there? I chose only one but I weaved in
three more attributes. The one thing you can do to
differentiate yourself is to be the whole package.”
@Iannarino

18. The great salesperson differentiator is
knowledge. The sales person who knows
more about the industry they sell in, the
business workflows, operations, the
competition, government mandates, and
the challenges of their customers wins!
Sales is all about contextual knowledge,
and those badass sales people with the
greatest command of this contextual
knowledge will be wearing the champions
belt.
@Keenan

19. “One way a salesperson can
differentiate themselves from their
competition is to focus on adding value
in every interaction with a prospect. Ask
questions and listen with a focus on
helping the prospect solve a problem or
reach a goal versus trying to sell them
something so you can reach yours.”@PaulAlves63

20. The ONE way a salesperson can
differentiate him or herself from their
competitors is to ask high-value, thought-
provoking questions that make prospects
sit up and think. Most salespeople THINK
they do an effective job asking questions
but the reality is that most fail to ask
enough deep, probing questions to really
learn what the prospect needs. By asking
these types of questions, you can climb
into the mind of your prospect and find
out what is really important to them, the
challenges they face, the decision-
making process and the motivators that
will influence their buying decision.
@Kel_Robertson

21. “A great way salespeople to differentiate
themselves is by NOT using ‘typical
salesperson’ language such as “Are you
the person responsible for…” or “If I could
show you a way to save 20%, would you
be interested?”. There’s fascinating
research showing that when you use
stock phrases like these, buyers don’t
even hear what comes next. You could
tell them their dog died and they’d say
“sorry, not interested”. They’ve already
pigeonholed you and made up their mind
whether or not to continue the
conversation (usually not).”
@TopSalesDog

22. Focus on the buyer’s objectives, not their
pain, not their needs, not on product fit,
but their objectives; leave your product in
the car. People love to talk about their
objectives, and they will tell all kinds of
things you otherwise would not hear. If
you feel you can help them move towards
or achieve their objectives, they will want
to talk to you. But most salespeople want
to talk solution before they even know
what, if anything, they are solving. Focus
on objectives and impacts you can deliver
to those.
@TiborShanto

23. “I believe that the one term, which sets
top sales performers apartment from
the also-rans, is customer focus.
Outstanding sales results depend on
the ability to think from the customer’s
point of view as well as understanding
the customer’s agenda, buying cycle
and best interests. … Customer focus
also means taking the customer
seriously—today, the salesperson who
clings to the product orientation of a
decade ago is losing ground.”
@TopSalesWorld

24. “Adding value at every interaction. Show
up at a meeting with success stories,
case studies or white papers that the
client can learn from even if they don’t
buy from you. Publish (or reprint what
your company publishes) high value
videos, podcasts, research papers,
articles or opinions in your market that
position you as a thought leader not just a
‘seller’. When buyers see you as an
expert in the marketplace, they seek you
out. You are no longer an intrusive
salesperson but an expert that can add
value to their business.”
@EngageColleen

25. High-performing salespeople
heal broken situations rather
than pitch, pander, and
prospect.
@DanWaldo

26. { }How will you
be different and better?

27. Want to learn how to communicate
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stories, and differentiate yourself from
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28. THANK YOU!