Episode #132: Attribute Selling For Salespeople

We all know that selling ourselves is the first key sale we have to make in order for the client to buy our services or products. How do we do that without being boorish, a windbag or coming across as if we are desperate? Selling ourselves requires subtlety and nuance. We have to weave this into our sales talk with the buyer in a way which is not obvious or obnoxious. How do we do that?

Clients are primarily interested in a few key things about salespeople. Can they be trusted, are they reliable, do they do what they say they will do? Before we get into a sales discussion with the client we should list up the personal attributes we have, which we think will be of greatest relevance for this buyer. Buyer by buyer, the point of focus will be different, so we want a long list of sterling attributes we possess which we can talk about when needed. Depending on the client and the flow of the conversation, we can dip into this reservoir of goodness and draw out some key descriptors about us.

Telling the client these words is not particularly effective unless they are wrapped together tightly with proof. The best evidence is from actual experiences, cases and examples. We should have a list of these prepared to match with each attribute. If we felt our important attribute was reliability and this was key for the buyer, then we need to bring this up in the conversation in a subtle manner. For example, “I know that in this industry, there are many distributors downstream who depend on surety of Just In Time supply, because they don’t have extensive storage facilities for holding stock. I take it as a point of pride that none of my clients has ever experienced a delay in supply of the product and we have always been able to meet their schedules”. Here we are noting our understanding of the issue, our commitment to serving the client and our peerless track record of achievement. All the while not sounding like we are boasting or puffing ourselves up.

If we feel there is a concern about trust on the part of the client, we can say, “I believe that good business is built on a foundation of trust. My clients do trust me and I know that because of the repeat orders and consistent business we get from them”. So without bragging about how great I am, I provide evidence on my trustworthiness though the flow of repeat orders. These demonstrate that the clients favour our company as a reliable supplier, who services they value highly. The reference point is not us and what we say, it is what the existing customers are saying. Where possible we should reference actual buyers by name. “Mr. Tanaka from XYZ company became my client ten years ago. We have been continuously supplying his company every month like clockwork. We have become an extension of his firm as a trusted supplier who partners with their company to help them grow their market share”.

Trying to tie these things into the sales conversation spontaneously on the fly is a hit and miss activity. Before we get to the buyer, we need to have prepared this cross link of attribute and evidence and have it ready to go. We need to have prepared our examples and be able to dip into the specific case that matches this client and their business. We need to be saying how great we are through the experiences and feedback of the existing buyers. We talk about what mattered to them and how we supplied that. In this way we are able to blow our own trumpet without seeming to be doing that. The evidence part is the key and it has to be real. If the client wants to talk to Mr. Tanaka, then everything we have said has to be true.

Preparation is vital to making this subtle and convincing. Anyone running around saying how great they are invites doubt, distain and skepticism. If the existing client is saying it however, then that makes it all true. We need to have worked up our attributes-evidence construct for the meeting, so that it is ready to roll out when we see the chance. No matter which direction the client takes the conversation, we need to be ready with a story that illustrates we have that requirement and they should rely on us as their trusted business partner.