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I suppose I’m like every other business owner out there that has looked for the Power Words that will deliver the Holy Grail. When you find them you will know because your sales will leap forward. I found them, but it wasn’t where I had been looking.
I had looked through lists upon lists of supposed “Power Words” in sales books, e-books, online articles, etc. What I found was that it wasn’t something out there, it was inside of me. I had just been using the words I already had wrong.
Most of us have been saying things like:
Either I am, or my product is the BEST, the BIGGEST, the BADDEST, all comparing myself to others, but not truly defining what the BEST is. That leaves it up to the prospect to come to his own conclusion what your value truly is.
People buy based on your perceived value, so allowing them to come to their own conclusion as to that value is too broad, too vague, will be different for everyone that hears you say it, and just isn’t a clear picture of your true value.
Let’s start down a path of discovering your true value that you will use to define that to your customers from here on.
I’d like for you to take out a piece of paper and write 4 column heads across the top of the paper. From left to right:
• Product/Service
• Benefits/Results of my product
• Why buy it from me (benefits/results I offer)
• Measurable results (for both product and me)
Consider this an ongoing worksheet and exercise that will continually change over time. It is a thought process, so don’t shoot for absolute perfection on the first pass. I want you to start thinking in a new way. It will get better once it has started you thinking in a new direction.
Why are we doing this? Most of us have been selling a product/service. We should stop selling and talking about the product/service and start talking about the benefit and results that the product brings.
o Product/Service
Under the Product/Service column list ALL of your products and/or services
o Benefits/Results of my product
For each product/service list its benefits right beside it in the column to the right. Make sure that you list the benefit as a result that the customer will receive. Do not list an activity that you do for the client, list ONLY results. This is the reason people buy your product, the results they get from it.
o Why buy it from me?
Once someone has decided to buy your product, then they start looking for Who is the best one to buy it from. So, this is another benefit/results column, but it is for YOU. List the benefits/results that you bring. Assume that there is someone just like you on every street corner selling that same product. This column differentiates you from everyone else selling that same product. Why buy it from you?
o Measurable results
This last column is where the real differentiation will occur. I want you to take the benefits of the product, and the benefits of buying it from you and turn those into a measurable result. I’m going to use another business coach’s example for this.
o Product -- business Coach
o Bene
fits -- Increase business
o Why me -- I deliver results, not just training.
Selling “the benefits” of the product instead of “the product” is certainly a positive step, however, “increase business” doesn’t define the value to a customer. A prospect has no idea what this means to him. He may certainly be in pain and wants more business, but there is no definition of the true value. The same is true of “Why me.”
By going to the last column and making “increase business” a measurable result we can turn that into a really powerful, grabber statement. Define a measurable result for both the product, and for what differentiates you.
Many times I hear, “I can’t measure it,” “my results are all over the place, so how do I define this.” If you don’t know your results then how can you define your value to your client? And, if you don’t know your results how in the world can you deliver them to a client? How do you know when you have achieved success if there isn’t a measurable level that says….”Success! I’m here.”
Believe me, this is one of the most critical questions you may have about your business.
Don’t feel bad if you don’t have the answer, most don’t at first. And this one thing will make you not only stand out in that crowd on the street corner, but will turn your business into the most success you have seen since starting it.
For your first pass, define
1) Average results (I force my clients to answer this even when it seems hard, just take your best shot at it and write it down)
2) Minimum result (what is the lowest result you have ever delivered)
3) Maximum result (what is the absolute best result you have ever delivered)
Once you have some definitions of what we’ve measured, and how (average, minimum, maximum), now I want you to think how you would define this to a prospect:
Examples:
o Average might sound like, “My typical client doubles his business in 3-4 weeks”.
o Minimum result might be stated, “I will guarantee that you will at least …..,” or “Every client has at least….”
o Maximum result might be, “I have had clients that …..[have grown their business 10 times in weeks]”
It has to be factual and it has to be stated in a way that you feel comfortable that you can do it, or have done it in the past.
What this does is establish a clear picture of your value to a client. It changes “growing a business” into “doubling a business in weeks,” or “$100K increase.” In either case, it is putting a measurable value into the prospects field of vision. It turns a vague benefit into dollar signs the prospect can clearly understand. It differentiates you so much that you will be standing out in a crowd of others that do what you do...AND they aren't doing this.
It’s almost like looking into the prospect's eyes and seeing the dollars signs flashing buy like it does on the gas pump as we stand there.
Use these measurable results in your marketing material, use them in your networking elevator speech, use them on your website and watch your results go through the roof. I’ve seen it happen over and over.
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