Industrial Distribution - January/February 2016

www.inddist.com What are your hours of operation? What type of terms and financing do you offer? Will you customize your selling platform to the buyer’s needs? How is the financial stability of your company? Is your management team accessible to customers?

Third, demonstrate the value of a personal relation-
ship with you, the salesperson. Do you offer guaranteed

follow-up? Are you accessible twenty-four/seven? Are

you personally committed to the buyer’s goals? How is your expertise? Are you knowledgeable? What is unique about your experience? Will you make it a habit to go the extra mile? Do you understand fully the customer’s needs? Will you go to bat for the customer with your

company? Are you the customer’s go-to rep? Do you

have the customer’s back especially when the customer is not looking out for himself?

No one can tell the story that you tell. It is unique to you, your company, and your products. This is the essence of differentiation. Standing out in a way that makes your solution unique is what it means to be outstanding. Differentiation means there can be no price comparison because there is no package comparison. The only common ground you share with the competition is that you are in the same industry, not the same business.

So, to the gentleman in my seminar and to you, take price off of the table by offering what is uniquely yours. Make direct comparisons between you and the competition a fool’s folly. Demonstrate that the difference in your solution is significantly bigger than the difference in price. Then, you will have answered Pete’s question.