*”Your customers are weird.”* ~ my friend Michele
The funny thing is she isn’t wrong.
I like people who think, work, and are different. A bit off-center.
I’ve also always enjoyed the challenge of mean prospects, partially because I don’t have feelings to hurt and there is less competition.
Which may be described by the idiom: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Which OF COURSE got me thinking…
Maybe the customer doesn’t fall far from the salesperson either.
Not because we intentionally look for people like us.
But because we naturally attract people who need what we bring.
Figure Out Who Needs What You Naturally Bring
One of the best exercises a salesperson can do is make a list of why people buy from them.
Not your company.
Not your product.
Not your pricing.
You!
The interesting thing is that most of the reasons people buy from you are things you do so naturally you barely notice them.
- Maybe you’re incredibly responsive.
- Maybe you simplify complicated situations.
- Maybe you ask questions other salespeople avoid.
- Maybe you make people comfortable enough to tell you what’s really going on.
- Maybe you’re persistent without becoming annoying.
- Maybe you bring calm into chaotic situations.
Whatever it is, those strengths feel normal to you because you’ve always done them and your customers notice them.
Think of those strengths like gravity.
People who need those things are naturally pulled toward working with you.
The challenge isn’t becoming someone different.
The challenge is identifying who needs more of what you already do well.
Look For Patterns
Take a look at your favorite customers; not necessarily the biggest or most profitable. The ones you genuinely enjoy working with.
- What do they have in common?
- What problems were they trying to solve?
- What personality traits do they share?
- What did they specifically value about working with you?
You’ll often discover a pattern.
The customers who love working with you usually value the things you naturally bring to the relationship.
The salesperson who creates order attracts customers dealing with chaos.
The salesperson who is highly analytical attracts customers who want details.
The salesperson who is relationship-focused attracts customers who value trust.
The salesperson who challenges assumptions attracts customers who want a fresh perspective.
Stop Trying To Be Every Salesperson
One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is trying to become great at everything.
Instead of figuring out what makes them valuable, they spend their careers trying to copy someone else’s style.
The reality is that there are customers who need exactly what you do best.
Your job is to find them.
Your Customers Are Leaving Clues
If you want to find more ideal customers, start with the ones you already have.
The customers who consistently return your calls, trust your recommendations, and seem genuinely happy to work with you.
Ask them:
- What do you appreciate about working with me?
- What problem do I solve for you beyond my product?
- What makes our relationship work?
- Why do you continue to do business with me?
Their answers will tell you more about your ideal prospect than most customer profiles ever will.
Too many salespeople build their prospect lists around demographics, industries, company size, or job titles. Those things matter. But what often matters more is finding people who need what you naturally bring to the relationship.
Customers don’t buy from you simply because of what you sell. They buy because of how you make the buying process feel.
The more you understand your natural strengths, the easier it becomes to recognize the people who will value them.
And those tend to become your best customers.
Maybe that is why Michele is right. My customers are weird. They are also people who need exactly what I naturally bring to the table and that is very different from what Michele brings.