We all love to group similar things together and simplify things around us in everyday life - we do this so we can make decisions quicker and easier.
Take for instance the process a lot of us go through when we go to make a larger purchase in our life: We look for 3 or more options of what we want to buy that appear similar in nature (for example: similar features, benefits, options), we get prices or quotes for the 3 different options, we may do some reviews of the product or service online, talk to friends and colleagues about their experience in buying and using similar products or services, and then we finally determine which one to go with. A lot of time, the final decision comes down to the lowest or one of the lower prices because the options we found all look the same.
I see this occur each time I make the drive from my house to my office in Northeast Indianapolis. It’s about a 25-minute drive and the last 5-10 minutes of the drive there are a string of billboards advertising the best deals in furniture in the Indianapolis area. (My office is in a part of Indianapolis where there are a large number of furniture retailers.) Each one of the retailers’ billboards and furniture offerings appear to be comparable in terms of quality of furniture and each advertises that they have the best prices and deals in town. I am not in the market for new furniture since I just moved into my new house last year and furnished it, but if I was, any of the retailers would seem like a good option compared to the others. It would probably come down to the best price/deal at the end because I would not be able to tell a difference in what each of the companies are offering.
How often do we see this happen to us when selling?
We finally got an opportunity with or got a request for a proposal or quote from that ideal big prospect and we’re excited. We’re going to show them how great our company and products or services are and what an great fit they will be for them, how different we are from the competition, and why it makes perfect sense to go with our company. But, as soon as the request for proposal or quote is sent out, we can’t get a conversation with the prospect or everything has to be submitted online and responses provided to you and all of your competitors. If we can get a conversation with the prospect, the answers are vague and not helpful at all. So, we go ahead and submit our response and hope for the best even though we know very little about how we can help them and don’t get a chance to show them how different and great we are. And then we chase them to get an answer or maybe we never get an answer or find out their decision. A lot of time, effort and energy is wasted by us and other people in our company, preparing our proposal or quote when it didn’t have a chance from the start.
Sound familiar at all for your business?
Here are 3 things you and your people can start doing right away to turn the tide in your favor and differentiate from the start with your prospects:
Put these 3 items in place from the start with your prospects right away and you’ll start to level the playing field and differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.
Have more questions about this topic / want more information? Check out similar blogs written by Shad Tidler.