When you interview and observe top performing sellers in action, there are several obvious, immediately apparent things that stand out about how most of them sell …
- They ask better questions, listen and learn before offering a solution or recommendation
- They tailor their value proposition and differentiating factors in a way that is compelling and relevant to the decision maker they’re talking to
- They start their sales calls with focus and end them with clear action steps that close the deal or move the sale forward
- They are persistent without being annoying or obnoxious.
- They’re better prepared, do more research and have more confidence going into their sales meetings
What’s not always obvious, however, is how often we find that top performers use a powerful communication approach we call “peer-to-peer phrasing” or “customer-oriented phrasing.” We explain this concept in depth along with how top performers artfully blend both consultative and challenger selling approaches to get better results in our latest book, “How to Influence.“
Here’s a video that explains how this powerful communication approach works …
The best way we’ve found to quickly understand how to communicate from the perspective of the customer is to follow these steps:
- Imagine one of your best clients or customers is seated at a bar having a beer. This is a person that is a very strong advocate or your company and your products and services and understands what you do at a deep level.
- Imagine a peer of that customer, someone that has a similar job at a different company, sits down next to your customer. The two of them do not know one another.
- A conversation develops and somehow, the topic of your company, products and services comes up. The peer of your customer asks the question … “What is it that you feel makes (your company) unique and why do you use them?”
- Try to imagine exactly how your customer would answer this question … how would they phrase their response? What would they emphasize that matters most to him/her?
That’s customer-oriented phrasing and if you work more of that “voice” into your communication when you’re selling, you’ll get better results!
For more ideas on selling, the concepts from “Compete Selling” and inspiring quotes from sales professionals and top performing athletes, check out SalesGym’s YouTube Channel!
