Expertise is your unique value proposition as a salesperson
No one trusts your product or service pitch until they're convinced you're an expert at solving their problem(s)
Yes, you’re selling a product or service, but your expertise is what is truly valuable to the customer in that initial encounter.
Prospects take your calls, answer emails, and schedule meetings because they want your expertise. They want to learn about a new solution or find a better solution than the one they have.
If they get value from your content and your conversation, they will be likelier to listen to your recommendation to buy your product or service.
Investing time and money into becoming an expert and promoting that expertise will generate infinite leads and more conversations and accelerate your sales cycle.
Curiosity is essential. Supporting that curiosity with a learning and publishing system weaponizes it.
I’m not sure how you last as a salesperson without being curious.
You have to be fascinated by your customer’s business or problem. You have to be full of questions. You have to be slow to judge and diagnose.
Yet, simultaneously, you must build a robust database of use cases, scenarios, and mental models.
Building a literal database of common problems and solution sets is essential.
The tools evolve and change, but the construct is the same.
Capture and organize scenarios you run into as you talk to prospects, customers, and partners and insights from industry leaders and influencers that you read or hear.
Link problems to solutions.
Actively use your expert system — study, consult, and publish (e.g., social media, blog, newsletter, podcast, or book) from your database.
Pattern recognition is a secret weapon.
Quickly identifying familiar patterns is a cheat code.
Patterns help you to guide prospects to a solution faster and more confidently.
Learn to use pattern recognition. Help your customers to see the same patterns.
People avoid salespeople but will stand in line to talk to an expert.
Have you ever noticed how people flock to the speaker at a conference, webinar, or even on social media?
These fans will gather around the speaker and tell stories and do their best to win the attention of that person…that salesperson!
Yes, we know they’re selling something.
But we want some of their expertise and affirmation that we’re on the right track.
Work tirelessly to position yourself as an expert.