It’s easy to talk about your own product (or service or solution) when you sell. You are a true believer in your product and your company. You are well versed in your product’s features, benefits, and advantages.
The product your prospective customer cares about, however, is their own product. They’re only interested in you, your product, and your company as it relates to helping them with their product.
Early on, the more you try to talk about your product, the less attractive you are to your prospect. Focusing on sharing everything you can about your product also comes across as self-oriented; it’s about you “making a sale.” The longer you can withhold the desire to talk about your product and your company, the more space you leave for your dream client to discuss their product, their business, and their challenges. Slow is fast, and fast is slow.
Once you have a thorough understanding of your prospective client’s business, their challenges, and their needs, you can hang everything you present on their needs. Think of your knowledge of your customer’s business and their needs as a hook hanging on a wall. The bigger and stronger that hook, the more you can hang on it. The greater your solution, the larger the hook you need on which to hang it. Your product isn’t the hook.
Your product is only interesting as it relates to helping your prospective customer with their product.
Knowingly or unknowingly, leading with your product is a poor strategy because it indicates that you don’t care about what’s most important to your prospect, namely, their product.
Believe in your product, knowing it is the right solution. Believe in your company, knowing that you work with a group of people who are doing good work and making a difference. Be a passionate advocate for what you sell. But wait until you have demonstrated your sincere interest in understanding your prospect and their product.
.jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg)
