How to Stand Out (in a good way)

As always, the goal of a resource list from UpYourTeleSales is to give you great ideas from other people.

When looking online for tips and tricks on how to stand out… in a good way, UNFORTUNATELY everything we found was old, outdated, and/or crappy advice.

I decided to take my question on how to stand out in a good way to some of the Women Sales Pros to see what they thought.

It may seem insanely simple to say it all boils down to:

Make it about THEM
& LISTEN

 Misha McPherson, CEO of HumbleGritSales

• Come across as a genuine human being. If it sounds like a trick (use a first name twice in five minutes, etc.), buyers don’t like it, and will remember you as a cheeseball. If you actually listen and care, you’ll stand out.
  
  Only ask questions that you actually care about the answers to. Don’t ask questions because you *should* ask them (and then tune out while they talk). Ask questions that you genuinely want to listen to, and even come up with more questions about.

Janice Mars, Principal and Founder of SalesLatitude

• Stop rushing demos and proposals because the potential buyer asks for it. Push back and ensure you talk to all key stakeholders to identify the why and why now. It’s a great qualifier if they agree to taking the extra time (or they don’t.)

Lori Richardson, CEO, Speaker, Founder of Score More Sales and the leader of our Women Sales Pros community

• Approach buyers with genuine curiosity — work to understand before considering the offer of a solution.

Dianna Geairn, The Irreverent Sales Girl & Principal Cofounder of TradeShow Makeover

• Listen.

Liz Heiman, Chief Strategy Officer and Sales Leadership Coach at Alice Heiman, LLC

• Stop talking and start listening. Your customers want to be heard and understood. It is impossible to do that if you are talking.

Lisa Dennis, Author of Value Propositions that SELL and President & Founder of Knowledgence Associates

• Make your elevator pitch about their needs, followed by a relevant statement about your offering. Lead with them!

Meridith Powell, MotionFirst’s Motivational Keynote Speaker, Coach, Author

• Add value before you ask for anything. Give before you ever think about getting.

Alice Heiman, Founder & Chief Sales Officer of Alice Heiman, LLC plus Co-Founder & CRO of TradeShow Makeover

• Make thoughtful comments on LinkedIn posts where your clients and prospects are interacting.

Colleen Stanley, President and Chief Selling Officer of SalesLeadership, Inc.

• Ask them to identify the common traits in companies they really enjoy working with. Then have them figure out how to duplicate in their business.

Kendra Lee, Author, Sales Expert, Prospect Attraction Authority, Top Seller, Speaker & President of the KLA Group.

• Listen carefully and share openly. Be genuine, then do what you say you’re going to do.

I know, no secrets or revelations… just solid advice.

Now ask yourself:

1. How often you are genuinely curious about your prospect or customer?
2. How often are you able to listen without an agenda?

It takes mental effort to BURSTfocus® every time you reach a person you’re trying to do business with and make it all about them.

All my best,
Lynn

ps. If you need help getting out of the habit of multitasking and, instead, gain the habit of staying on point during your sales conversations, click reply and we’ll set up a coaching session.