Why You?

Your prospect has seemingly endless possibilities in their search for the right product from the right person.  For many, the search is long and tedious, and they’ll speak with countless sales representatives along the way.

Will you win? Why?  What will make you stand out?

I’ve been learning some interesting applications lately in an out of the ordinary venue.  On Sunday nights I have been leading a course through my church called, “Practical Advice for Tough Economic Times”.  We deal mostly with people who are out of work or fear that they will soon lose their jobs.  Many of these people are in despair over the search and are seemingly out of answers on how to land a job… any job.

Now, if you know anything at all about me, you know that I relate virtually everything to the sales process. (Can’t help it – occupational hazard!)  I find myself telling these fine folks on Sunday nights that the process of the job search is really a sales presentation. They are the product. Their résumé is the brochure. The interview is the sales presentation.

What advice do I proffer to those people who are trying to find jobs in a time of high unemployment and fierce competition?  Stand out!  You’ve got to find a way to be noticed, and you’ll never stand out so long as your approach looks like everyone else’s.  If you’re simply going to place a generic résumé on a job posting site and hope for the best, you’re going to get eliminated.  And why?  Because you are completely unremarkable.  In the job search, being unremarkable (definition: no one bothers to remark about your very presence) is a ticket to prolonged vocational obscurity.  You must get noticed…period.

Here’s an example.  One of the best meals I’ve ever had was at a restaurant called III Forks in Dallas, Texas.  The food was incredible, right down to the creamed corn.  When all the food was on the table and we had begun to enjoy the meal, the waiter walked up.  You know the question, don’t you?  “Is everything OK?”  Now, if “OK” is what you’re shooting for, I suppose that is a legitimate query.  But if you’re going for perfection, wouldn’t you ask a different question?  Our waiter said, “Is everything perfect?”  Wow!  Did he really just ask me if everything is perfect?  That’s a high standard to live up to.

How memorable was the presentation?  That restaurant visit took place five years ago, and I’m still commenting on it.  All because a waiter desired to stand out from his peers.

So what about you?  What are you doing that really stands out in the customer’s mind?  What is different about your approach?  What is remarkable?  Why will a prospect feel differently about the experience with you than with any other stop on the shopping tour?  Seriously, give that last question some serious consideration.

It’s time to take chances.  It’s time to go a few extra miles.  It’s time to stand out.  It’s time to be memorable.