Selling services means selling the intangible – a challenge in itself, since there’s no physical product to bring to the sales meeting. There’s nothing that your prospect can see, touch or easily compare with the competition – instead, the experience of your service is in its execution!
But for someone to make a purchase, there first needs to be trust. And even without a physical product, you need to allow the person on the other side to get a taste of what you’re offering. It might seem tricky – but it’s actually great news, since what that person is looking to buy is YOU. So you essentially need to show them who you are!
To do that, three things are essential:
- Clarity on the value that you bring. You want to be able to clearly explain what it is that you do and what the customer will experience by hiring you. What is the journey that you’re taking the customer on? What are the benefits of what you do? And what will have happened once your work is done? You’re leaving your customers transformed. Being clear on that transformation is key.
- Courage to be yourself. Generic is boring. Doing and being like everyone else will do nothing for you. You have an amazing experience and a unique perspective. You have your way of solving the customer’s problem, and your own style of communicating. You are 100% uncopiable – and you want to make all that uniqueness stand out to the customer! Being true to yourself will help you attract the right customers – because it’ll be easy for them to know if you’re a good fit!
- Empathy with your customers. For someone to trust you, they must know that you get them. And for you to do that, empathy is key. Put yourself in their shoes. See their struggles and celebrations. Understand their needs, dreams and frustrations. You’re here to make their lives a little easier. So, know how they want that help – and then give it to them in a way that is uniquely yours.
The sales meeting is the moment of truth. If you’re not getting the sales that you want, then ask yourself these three questions:
- Is it easy to understand the value that you bring?
- Is it clear how you’re different?
- Is the customer trusting that you get his or her needs?
If the answer to either of these questions is No or even Maybe – then it’s time to do some work! Because if the customer thinks that you’re fuzzy, it means that you are! ; )
Capturing and then communicating what’s unique about you and your offer is an amazing journey that I love to work with my clients on! In fact, I love it so much so that I’ve turned it into a step-by-step course that I’ll be launching online early 2020.
If you’re interested, send me a message with the subject title “Capture and communicate” – and I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as the course is ready and launched! : )
